Grade 5 Art And Craft Picture Making Techniques – Collage Notes

Art and Craft — Picture Making Techniques: Collage

Subject: Art and Craft   |   Subtopic: Collage   |   Age: 10 years (Class 4–5)

What is a collage?

A collage is a picture made by sticking different materials (paper, cloth, leaves, seeds, bottle caps) on a base (card, cardboard or thick paper). It mixes shapes, colours and textures to make a new image.

Materials you can use (Kenyan examples)

• Old newspapers and magazines (Kenyan news pages, adverts)
• Pieces of kitenge or old clothes
• Leaves, maize husks, twigs, seeds (beans, maize)
• Cardboard from used boxes (safebox, soap boxes)
• Plastic bottle caps, wrappers (clean and dry)
• Glue (white school glue), scissors, pencil, ruler
• Colour pens or watercolour for finishing

Types of collage

• Paper collage: only paper and card.
• Mixed-media collage: paper + cloth + seeds + small objects.
• Natural-material collage: mostly leaves, husks, seeds.
• Fabric collage: pieces of kitenge and cotton sewn or glued.

Steps to make a simple collage

1. Think of one idea (e.g., a Kenyan farm, a safari animal, your home).
2. Choose a strong base: cardboard or thick paper.
3. Collect and prepare materials: tear/cut paper, wash and dry leaves, cut cloth pieces.
4. Arrange the pieces on the base without glue first. Try different layouts.
5. Glue the pieces from back to front (background first, small details last).
6. Add details with pens or paint. Let it dry completely.
7. Write your name and the title on the back or front corner, and display!

Simple classroom project: "My Village" collage

Make a small collage showing your village or town using paper, maize husks and cloth:

1. Base: cut a piece of cardboard 20cm x 15cm.
2. Background: glue blue paper for sky and brown paper for earth.
3. Houses: cut small rectangles from old cloth or brown paper and glue them.
4. Trees: use green torn paper or leaves for leaves and a stick/twig for the trunk.
5. People and animals: draw simple shapes and add small cloth pieces for clothes.
6. Finish: add details with a pen (doors, windows) and sign your work.

Safety tips

• Always cut with scissors carefully and point down. Ask an adult for help with sharp tools.
• Use non-toxic school glue. Keep glue away from mouth and eyes.
• Wash hands after using natural materials and before eating.

Easy tips for better collage

• Tear paper for soft, rough edges — cutting gives clean edges.
• Start gluing the big shapes first, then add small details.
• Use layers for depth: background, middle ground, foreground.
• Mix textures (smooth paper + rough cloth + shiny wrappers) to make it interesting.

Vocabulary (short)

Collage — joining materials to make a picture. Base — the paper or board you glue on. Layer — pieces placed over others. Texture — how something feels.

Simple self-check (for students)

• My collage has a clear idea (e.g., farm, home, animal).
• I used different colours and textures.
• All pieces are stuck properly and nothing is loose.
• I followed safety rules with scissors and glue.

Teacher's short assessment ideas

Look for creativity, use of materials, neatness, safety and whether the collage shows the chosen idea clearly.

Extension activities (fun)

• Make a class collage from many students' pieces to show the school or community.
• Create greeting cards using small collages for family and friends.

Small visual example (try this layout)

Try making your own collage like the picture above. Use local materials you find at home. Have fun and be creative!