Okay so I don’t really have a good title for this project and if you dear reader can come up with one I would love to hear it. I mentioned in a recent post that this year I am really trying to escape the box of traditional printmaking projects and find a way to entertain myself and my students in new and creative ways.

When I attended GAEA earlier this fall, I went to a session by an awesome teacher in Cobb County who has a fashion club with some of her students. She calls it Project Runway in the art room. I thought this was absolutely brilliant! Now, I do not have a sewing machine in my art room nor do I have tons of fabric  but I do have access to a lot of butcher paper which I knew would be perfect for this collaborative project.

On day one, I showed 4th graders a PowerPoint about fashion, textiles, and garment design. They split into groups and traced one person onto a giant piece of paper. There were of course lots of giggles and it was really, really fun!

Day 2 was spent designing garments and textiles. Each student came up with their own design individually and they got back together with their group to collaborate and compromise to come up with one cohesive combined design.

Day 3 was used to create the printing plate for the textiles and create the rough outline of the garments. They “sized” the garments by tracing the cut out of the person onto the “fabric.”

The last couple of days of the project were used to put it all together. Students could add details, accessories, and really make their human come to life!

I am so proud of the kiddos for working collaboratively to create these awesome works of art. They will surely be amazed when they get back from winter break tomorrow and are greeted by life-sized artwork!