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Create a collage inspired by Karla Dickens' practices
Create a collage inspired by Karla Dickens' practices
Student visual arts resource developed by The Arts Unit in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Years 5 and 6 visual arts
What will I learn?
What will I learn?
In today's lesson, you will learn from artist, Karla Dickens, the inspirations and techniques she uses in her collage-inspired artworks.
You will also have the opportunity to create your own collage!
What is a collage?
A collage is an artwork made by gluing pieces of different materials to a flat surface. Examples of materials used include photos, newspaper, coloured and decorative paper, fabrics, ribbons, envelopes, and stamps.
As you work through the activities, record your answers to share with your teacher.
You could do this on paper or use a word processing program such as Word, Powerpoint or Google slides.
- Collect
Karla Dickens often uses personal experiences and family as sources of inspiration for her work.
The artwork that you will be creating today should include 2 people. You and someone else that you know. This could be a family member, friend or schoolmate.
Brainstorm memories that you share or that stand out in your mind about yourself or the other person. Scroll through the image carousel to give you some ideas.
Collect objects that you could use to create your artwork. Ideas could be everyday materials, fabrics, photos, magazines or junk mail that you can use to create your own collage.
2. Watch
2. Watch
Karla Dickens collages use often found objects, fabric and materials to create artworks. This video focuses on the processes and concepts involved in creating Holy Mother 1 (2009) from the Black Madonna series.
Watch the video and answer the following questions:
What found materials would Karla Dickens pick up on the way to her university classes?
Look carefully at Holy Mother I. How many different types of fabric you can see?
What other materials do you think have been used?
How has Karla created the look of a halo around the figures?
Home program: Karla Dickens – collage
Duration: 02:29
Karla Dickens, 'Holy Mother I', 2009
Image Courtesy: Karla Dickens3. Create
3. Create
Shadows play an important role in Karla Dickens’ artworks.
She says:
‘At times the shadow has represented my ancestors, other times my demons or inner struggles. A shadow can be a region of darkness where light is blocked. A cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette. In some cultures, a shadow is like a ghost, or a representation of God’s presence, like a halo.’
Now it’s your turn to explore the use of light and shadow as you create your own collage-based artwork, inspired by Karla Dickens' practice to represent your relationship with someone close to you.
Remember you’ll need the materials you collected before starting this lesson.
Follow these instructions:
Step 1
Step 1
Tape an A3 sheet of paper to the wall.
Use a strong source of light to cast your shadow over the sheet of paper. Think about which body part you will cast.
Ask a friend to trace your shadow.
Swap roles.
On a new sheet of A3 paper, repeat this process.
Step 2
Step 2
Arrange the materials you have collected into 2 piles. One for light materials, one for dark materials.
Collage one of the traced shapes using the light materials, and the other using dark materials. It’s okay if you collage out of the lines, you can cut it back later.
Step 3
Step 3
Cut out each of the collaged tracings.
Place the two collages onto a new A3 sheet of coloured paper.
Think about how you will arrange them on the page and whether they overlap to create layers.
Glue them into position on the page.
Step 4
Step 4
Using markers, paints or other materials, create designs on the spaces left on the page.
You may like to include words and symbols that describe the relationship between you and your family, friend or schoolmate.
4. Share
4. Share
Congratulations!
You have created an artwork inspired by the techniques of Karla Dickens.
Display it proudly for all to see.
Third-party content attributions
Third-party content attributions
Holy Mother 1, © Karla Dickens, 2009, reproduced and communicated with permission.
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