As I was checking out a library’s web site, I saw a class for blackout poetry art.
As it turns, out, blackout poetry art is a dash of poetry plus a little of arts and crafts. I absolutely love this project because it recycles old material into a new art form.
Steps for Making Blackout Poetry Art
The first step is to gather old newspapers, magazines and other items with print on them. I went through my recycling bin to get my craft materials.
The second step is to select a piece of printed material and determine the wording of your poem. This part is a little tricky because you can only go with the words on the page. Basically, you are making a new poem out of someone else’s work.
When you have a pleasing arrangement of words, then circle the wording.
The last step is to black out all the other printed words with a heavy marker, pen, or crayon. In my case, I also added a little flower on my poem paper.
The sample below shows my blackout poem. It’s a little hard to read, so I’ve written my poem in large print.
Farmhouse Magic Blog’s Blackout Poetry Art Sample:
Bright blues, pinks and yellows;
welcomes vibrancy;
feels happy.
Finished Craft Project
I went one step further and mounted my blackout poem first on a recycled brown paper bag and then white cardboard.
Then I colored in my flower with yellow and blue ink pens.
Ending Notes
Blackout poetry allows one to gain a new meaning from old words, so the story goes another way. Redacting the story allows one to come to their own conclusions.
Best of all, this project can be done by adults, teens or children.
Research Sites
araphahoelibraries, Wikipedia, and powerpoetry.org sites were used to research today’s blog.