Margaret Preston Inspired Flower Collage

In this lesson students will analyse the work of Margaret Preston. They will emulate the style of Preston through a paper collage which will focus on skills in drawing, cutting and creating an aesthetically pleasing composition.

Lesson 1

Show students some of the flower prints created by Margaret Preston. Discuss the qualities of the work. How has she used colour, line and space within the work? Discuss the composition and what students can see in the background, foreground and middle ground.

Students will create their own work inspired by Preston’s flower prints. You may want to focus on certain types of flowers such as Australian natives or link this to a science project and study flowers in depth. Students begin by drawing flowers in simple forms in their visual diaries. Focus on using thick lines and simple shapes to draw the flowers.

Lesson 2

Students draw their flowers on to coloured pieces of paper using a large black marker. Students also create other pieces for their collage such as leaves and a vase. Students may want to create a 3D element in their work by creating multiple layers of flowers and pasting them together with folded petals that stand out.

Lesson 3

Once students have drawn and cut out all their pieces they can arrange them on another piece of paper. Encourage students to try multiple compositions and take a photo after they have set out their work. Students choose their favourite composition and paste their pieces down on another piece of coloured paper.

Reflection:

Students compare and contrast their work with a work by Preston. Compare the difference in materials used and how this effects the overall look of the work and the possibilities which could be achieved with the different use of mediums.