Take used magazines and newspapers and cut out some interesting words. If there is a particular word that you want but can't find, you can type it out on your computer, print it in the size, color and font of your choice, and cut it out to use in your collage.
Then find an image for your background. You can use a photograph of a city street or a travel advertisement of an exotic place. Cut out the part of the background image that you want to use (your collage can be large or small). If you like, draw your own background image.
Then arrange a handful of carefully selected words.
There is no right or wrong way to create art.
>There is no correct number of words to use in a collage poem, and no wrong way to arrange them. Use as many or as few as you like, and position them in a way that is meaningful to you. Additional images can be applied or drawn as well.
This activity teaches language arts (reading and writing) and art (composition and symbolism).
Collage poem by Sophe
In the collage poem by my student, Sophe, the artist drew a figure as the background image that connected the words. "Dreams" are in the figure's forehead, and "FASHION" is in her hair. "Poetry" is in her mouth, which is saying "fairy tales" in a dialogue bubble. "Poetry Public Private" was made by me. I used a photograph of a street in Shanghai that I cut out of a book catalog. The actual size of this collage is approximately three inches by two inches, designed to fit inside of a small envelope.
