Seattle skyline art project

I recently had a request for more detailed instructions on this version of the Seattle skyline project.  I work better under pressure, I have a general idea of what I want to do and usually throw together the master plan together 1/2 an hour before I go into the class! But here's how it comes together.

I gave the canvas a quick coat of blue and white to create the sky and penciled in the Seattle skyline. 

I had some random rectangle shapes precut from the Seattle Times, I used a variety of sizes of text and color. The kids then cut some more shapes using mine as a size reference. They added smaller blocks and triangles on some of tops of the buildings. We used an acrylic gloss medium for glue. Paint a layer just larger than the building, put the building in place and brush again with the medium. Be sure to smooth it with the brush.

The kids filled in paying attention to the pencil outline of the skyline. Overlapping is encouraged to suggest the density of the buildings. The newspaper text will suggest windows and the different shades of the concrete buildings when its finished.

I mixed acrylic gloss medium (any brand, found with acrylic paints) and just a bit of acrylic paint to make very transparent colors. Do not add water, it will make the paint dull. The tinted medium adds another layer and dimension the buildings. The kids drew through the wet paint with the backs of the brushes to make windows on the buildings, or outlines.  I painted Mount Rainer in the background to finish it off.