Mixed Media Texture Collage Art

Sturdy cardboard for the base

Fabric scraps — felt, burlap, silk, fleece

Sandpaper (fine and coarse if possible)

Aluminum foil

Cotton balls

Corrugated cardboard scraps

Tissue paper

White glue (stronger than glue stick for heavy materials)

Scissors

Collect a variety of textured materials from around the house. Raid the craft drawer, the fabric bin, and the recycling. The more variety, the better.

Set out a sturdy piece of cardboard as the collage base. It needs to be strong enough to hold heavy materials.

Before gluing, let your child feel each material. "How does the sandpaper feel? What about the silk? The foil? Which is your favorite?" Build texture vocabulary.

Spread white glue generously on a section of the cardboard.

Let your child arrange and press materials onto the glue in any design they choose. There are no rules for placement.

Layer materials on top of each other. Cotton on top of foil, burlap next to silk, sandpaper beside felt. The contrast is the art.

Let the collage dry completely, then close your eyes and run your fingers across it. Can you identify each material by touch alone?

Use white school glue for this, not glue sticks. Heavier materials like fabric and sandpaper need stronger adhesive.

Let your child cut some of the materials with safety scissors. Cutting fabric is a different experience than cutting paper — it builds adaptive cutting skills.

This is a genuine mixed media art form used by professional artists. Your child is working in the same tradition as Picasso's collages and Robert Rauschenberg's combines.

Add a descriptive label to the finished piece. Ask your child to title their artwork.

Hang the collage at your child's height so they can touch and explore it whenever they walk by.