Art Lesson w/ Ms. Jennifer: Create a collage like Artist Antoni Gaudí
About the Artist:
Antoni Gaudí was a Spanish architect and designer, born June 25, 1852 in Reus, Catalonia, Spain. He is known as the father of modernist architecture, he was inspired by natural forms, bright colors in nature, and he avoided straight lines in his designs. He also pioneered the Trencar technique of mosaic using broken pieces of tiles, which he then extensively in his Park Güell project.
Gaudi’s interest in architecture began at a young age, and he moved to the city of Barcelona to study architecture. His first job out of school was designing lamp posts in the city! He progressed his style to be one of a kind, inspired by nature, with every inch of his building considered and adorned with concrete, iron, and beautiful mosaics of broken ceramic tiles. Late in his life, he dedicated himself entirely to the design and building of a spectacular cathedral, Sagrada Familia. He even built himself a home in the complex so he could work as much as possible. Though the cathedral was barely begun at his death at the age of 73, work on it has continued and it is expected to be completed in the year 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.
Let’s look at photos of the Park Güell, another enchanted place designed by Gaudí: the fairy garden, the Güell Palace and the crypt of the Colonia Güell, seem as though they belong to an imaginary magical world. The giant mosaic salamander fountain at the front entrance and the multicolored balcony are just a part of this large park filled with mosaic art and architecture.
Art Creation Guidance
Materials:
Piece of Black or other colored paper
Smaller pieces of brightly colored papers (these could be torn from a magazine photo, or scrapbooking papers)
Glue stick or liquid glue
A crayon
Follow along with Ms. Jennifer by watching this video:
Directions:
First, decide on an animal figure to create. Draw a very simple outline of your animal on the construction paper with a crayon. This will be covered with your collage, so don’t worry about making it perfect! If you would like to draw a salamander like the one at Park Güell, you can watch this video from Art for Kids Hub. https://www.artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw-a-lizard/
Next, tear 2-5 scraps of brightly colored papers into very small pieces - about 1” in size. Gaudi used broken tiles and ceramics in his mosaics, so we are recreating the irregular shapes he used by tearing instead of cutting our paper into neat shapes.
Arrange your torn colored scraps to fit the outline of your animal. It might be best to arrange detailed parts like a face before you glue!
Fill the space with scraps of paper. You may need to tear pieces further to fit smaller areas. Be creative with your color choices.
Alternative Method:
If you aren’t into cutting and gluing, try drawing an animal and coloring it in a collage style with paint (as we did in our Alma Woodsey Thomas lesson a few weeks ago), or by coloring small shapes of color with crayons or markers.
Yay! You did it! I can’t wait to see your creations!
Please don't forget to email your artwork to Jennifer@BlowingRockMuseum.org to be shared in our Youth Gallery. We will be printing selections of Youth Artwork submitted digitally, and framing them in our new Youth Gallery on the 2nd floor of BRAHM.
And if you find value in our mission to bring art enrichment to community students through programs such as Young at Art, please consider supporting BRAHM by donating or joining as a member.
Did you know that a membership at the FAMILY LEVEL ($75) and above gives you FREE access to our weekly youth art classes?