Eric Carle Inspired Collages

We were introduced to the writing and illustrating style of Eric Carle. He makes his own paste papers by painting on them with brushstrokes, splatters, drizzles, stamping, swirls, or blending colors together with the pointed end of his brush. While they are drying, he draws his scene on 12 x 18 paper. He then cuts out pieces of the drawing to use as a template over the paste papers. He continues this process of cutting a template and cutting the paste papers to create a colorful layered look in his illustrations.

We made a two page story book in the style of Eric Carle. The procedure included:

• paint our own papers with a variety of colors and impressions in the paint
• create our own character, setting, and action to the story
• sketch on 12 x 18 paper the scene
• cut out parts of the scene to be used as templates on the paste papers
• cut out all of the parts and arrange them so as to create a layering affect before gluing any of them down
• when they are all arranged, glue them in place
• add words to the story by cutting out lettering or with a sharpie

Here is the sketch of my story book page.
 

Here is the finished story book page.

 

I enjoyed this project. I had never heard of making my own paste papers before. I think making your own paste papers is a creative way for students to experiment with color, patterns, and lines. There are so many ways to express creativity such as the swirls and brush strokes in the paint. I choose to do puffy swirls, zigzag strokes, and light and dark colors for contrast.

 

I will definitely be incorporating this creative project into my classroom. For an extension activity, this could be incorporated into a group project for social studies. The group researches a people group discovering their dwellings, food, and clothing. They design a book with each person creating one of the pages using Eric Carle's illustrating style.