Vibrant Collage Art Project for Middle School Inspired by Sarah Bagshaw

Who is Sarah Bagshaw?

Sarah Bagshaw is a modern artist who creates bold and colorful collages. Her work is full of eye-catching patterns, bright colors, and fun shapes that come together in exciting ways. She loves mixing old-school and new techniques, layering hand-painted papers, found objects, and digital designs to make her art stand out.

Inspired by things like textiles, nature, and mid-century design, Sarah starts by painting or drawing unique textures. Then, she cuts them up and arranges the pieces into cool, abstract designs. Her style is playful and energetic, with a mix of careful planning and creative freedom.

How?

• Introduce the Artist

  • Start by showing students examples of Sarah Bagshaw’s colorful and playful collages.
  • Talk about how she uses bold colors, patterns, and shapes to create her art. Mention that her inspiration comes from textiles, nature, and mid-century design.

• Discuss Techniques

  • Explain how Sarah creates her art by layering hand-painted papers and textures.
  • Highlight how she experiments with color, pattern, and balance in her work.

• Create Textured Papers

  • Give each student several pieces of plain paper.
  • Provide paint, markers, crayons, or colored pencils for students to design their own textures. Encourage them to explore patterns, bold colors, and playful designs.

• Cut and Prepare Shapes

  • Once the papers are dry, have students cut out different shapes like circles, triangles, or organic forms.
  • Remind them to think about how the shapes will work together in their collage.

• Arrange and Layer

  • Provide each student with a background paper to build their collage.
  • Guide them to experiment with arranging their cut-out shapes before gluing. Encourage them to think about balance and composition.

• Glue and Finalize

  • Once they’re happy with their arrangement, have students glue the pieces down.
  • Remind them to take their time and make sure all edges are secured.

• Reflect and Share

• Once the collages are complete, let students share their work with the class.
• Discuss what they learned about color, texture, and balance while creating their collages.

        L👀KIE!

 ❤1965

Paws-itively Creative: Exploring Art with Dogs as Inspiration!

Dogs aren’t just our furry best friends—they’re also amazing art muses! Recently in art class, we unleashed our creativity with a hands-on project inspired by artist Tim Rodgers, Jr., whose vibrant dog-themed art captures the heart and soul of our favorite four-legged companions. Using just markers, scissors, and construction paper, students brought their own colorful canine creations to life!

The Inspiration: Tim Rodgers, Jr.
We kicked off the project by studying Tim Rodgers, Jr.’s dynamic dog portraits. His playful use of bold colors and intricate patterns showed us how art can bring a dog’s personality to life. Students loved how his work blends simplicity with vibrant storytelling, making it perfect for our classroom project. This was a great lesson to discuss positive and negative spaces.

The Project
Inspired by Tim Rodgers, Jr., students used simple materials to create their own masterpieces. Here’s how we did it:

Step 1: Choosing a Dog Personality - Each student imagined a dog, real or imaginary, and thought about its personality. Was it playful, sleepy, mischievous, or regal? This helped shape the details of their artwork.

Step 2: Sketching with Markers - Drawing with confident lines, using black markers to outline the key features. We encouraged them to exaggerate expressions and focus on big, expressive eyes or dynamic poses to capture personality.

Step 3: Adding Color and Patterns - Using brightly colored background papers, students filled in their dogs with patterns—spots, stripes, polka dots, and more—drawing inspiration from Rodgers’s use of bold designs.

Step 4: Cutting and Assembling - Students cut out their dogs and glued them onto contrasting sheets of construction paper. What a great way to practice some fine motor skills.

Step 5: Finishing Touches - For a final flourish, students added details like collars, bows, or accessories to make their dogs stand out.

We talked about how Tim Rodgers, Jr.’s art shows a love for dogs and how we can use art to tell stories. Students shared their inspirations—some based their dogs on pets, while others dreamed up fantastical, one-of-a-kind creations. To celebrate our efforts, we transformed our hallway bulletin board into a mini “Dog Art Gallery.” Each piece was displayed! Parents and peers were thrilled to see such vibrant and imaginative work. What was interesting is that we didn't find too much about his personal life only his artwork. This lead to other discussions in class. Like, why do artist not want to share about their family? Pros? Cons?

By studying Tim Rodgers, Jr. and using simple materials, we learned that great art doesn’t require fancy tools—just imagination and heart. Dogs, with their endless charm and personality, proved to be the perfect inspiration. Stay tuned for more paws-itively fun projects in the future! Your Turn...Have you tried dog-themed art projects inspired by Tim Rodgers, Jr.? Share your ideas and creations in the comments—we’d love to see them! (or tag us on Instagram)

1969 and Guest Blogger, Mrs. Hicks

 

Painted Paper Turkey Art: A Creative 5th-Grade Thanksgiving Project

For this vibrant 5th-grade art project, students combined creative painting techniques with classic Thanksgiving themes. 

Here is how it went down!

First, they painted colorful, patterned paper using various brushstrokes and textures to design unique turkey feathers. These painted papers were then cut into feather shapes, bringing their turkeys to life with bold, dynamic tails.

To complete the project, students crafted the turkey bodies from construction paper, added googly eyes for personality, and used bright yellow paper for the beaks and feet. The result? A flock of charming, colorful turkeys that truly stand out! This project was a fun way to blend painting, cutting, and assembling into a festive and creative activity.

Perfect for adding a splash of seasonal joy to any classroom or hallway display!

❤1965

 

Watercolor Turkey Art with Emoji Faces – Fun 1st Grade Thanksgiving Project!

For our latest art adventure, we combined the festive charm of turkeys with the playful fun of emojis!

How did this go down???

 I started by showing the kids a variety of emojis and gave them a printed emoji sheet for inspiration. From there, the creativity took flight!

The kids drew their own unique turkeys, then chose their favorite emojis to give their feathered friends some personality. They painted their turkeys in classic brown tones but brought the backgrounds to life with vibrant, fun colors of their choice.

This project was a fantastic mix of Thanksgiving spirit and modern flair, and the results were absolutely adorable!

L👀K!

❤1965