This art therapy activity is similar to the jungle animal collage, but a little more specific with regards to you, and yet a little more open with regards to the types of animals. You’ll be creating animal collage art, but without the limitations of jungle animals.
Again, you can use any materials you see fit for your animal collage, whether the art is created from a simple pen and paper, magazines, books, old photos, old clothes, food labels or boxes, newspaper, etc…it’s totally up to you.
Now think of 5 qualities (or more!) about yourself that make you happy. What are your favorite traits? Now pick at least one animal that you believe best represents each quality, resulting in 5 animals at a minimum. There’s no right or wrong answer here, only what you believe fits best. So, if you thought of 7 traits you like about yourself, you’d come up with at least 7 animals. Feel free to pick more than one animal per trait…say if you wanted two or three animals to represent a trait.
After picking your animals, you’ll then find a way of representing them on a canvas of your choice, creating a unique animal art collage. Again, you can use as many different animals as you like, repeating them on your canvas as many times as you want.
While creating your new animal collage art, simply focus on your good qualities and admire the animals you chose to represent them. It’s important to remind ourselves of our good qualities since we all have them on some level. Sure, some of us may be be more modest about it, but it’s still good to acknowledge and appreciate our strengths every now and then.
I really like this idea, if possible could someone send my and e-mail with a picture of someone who has crated this or mentored someone who created this. I would really like to see a photo of a finished product. I am going to start helping some students who have emotional problems and I just wanted a little push. I will be working with elementary students any activities will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I too would be interested in a final product to view as a sample of this activity.
After reading the activity a few times, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that my students can use a self portrait and fill the inside of those 5 animals, at least five. In other words, in an 8 x 11 sheet have your students draw a picture of themselves. After choosing the 5 animals have them fill in the face but leaving the eyes, nose and mouth part uncovered. Since I have kinder kiddos, I will have them cut out picture of animals from magazines and they will paste them to their canvas. Any area that is not covered by the animal cutout I will have them color in using water colors. Before the activity I will discuss the many feeling we may have during the day, or what ever. Then follow up the discussion by reading The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. The title should be something like, The Happy Me. Anyways, I love the idea, its just the execution of it that is vague to me since I’m art deficient.