While the word montage generally refers to a collection of photographs combined together to make a large piece of art, it can also be the combination of other elements. A collage generally represents pieces of elements combined to make an artistic work, instead of whole pictures. However, the two can be mixed together to create a unique, interesting art piece.
Choose a favorite item. It may be a trademark character that your child adores, or something less specific like horses or kittens. All you need to do is find several representations of the image.
These can be just about anything, including snapshots of friends, baby pictures, photos from magazines, pictures from coloring books, collector’s cards, or pages from pictorial calendars. If the pictures are important to you, make copies to use for this project so you don’t damage precious photographs.
Decide what size you’d like the overall art piece to be. You may want to cover a large poster board with images, or make a small piece that will fit in a standard picture frame. If you opt for a larger one, you can always find poster frames, or forego using a frame at all.
You can either let kids arrange all the pictures as they are, overlapping them together to create a look that they like, or your kids can cut the images into interesting shapes before adding them to the collage or montage. This process allows for a much more interesting look than one simple picture of a favorite image. It adds not only interest but also color and whimsy. On the other hand, you can have pictures copied in black and white for a more graphic effect.
It’s a good idea to lay the images out and have a look, before you start adhering them onto the background. Glue sticks or spray adhesive work well for this craft. If you use regular school glue, apply it thinly to avoid saturating the pictures or causing the edges to curl.
This craft is great if you let go and have fun with it. The less precise you and your kids are in placing images, the more fun you will have, and the more interesting the overall result will be.