The Green Man is an iconic figure that appears in a number of ancient cultures but is most often associated with Celtic lore and mythology. He is the male equivalent and consort of Mother Nature and is portrayed as a virile male whose flowing locks of head and facial hair are represented by leaves and botanical elements. Sometimes he bears antlers on his head and in some imagery birds may be nesting in his bounteous foliage. For this project, you will create your own Green Man or Woman, starting with a base facial image and embellishing it with botanical elements fussy cut from nature and botanical fabric prints. Ultimately, the fabric collage will need to be finished with stitching, but in class we will focus on composing and fusing the collage so a sewing machine will not be needed for this class.

Materials Fee $30 paid at beginning of class includes:

a facial portrait base (see note below), an assortment of botanical prints to use for collage, fusible web

Supplies Needed  to bring for Class:

• Craft Scissors: With sharp blades to cut fine details. I prefer the Fiskars 6” Easy Action spring loaded scissors or the Karen Kay Buckley Perfect 6” scissors. These will be used on paper/adhesive backed fabric so bring a pair you don’t mind using for this.
• Teflon Applique pressing sheet (Optional): These non-stick sheets protect an iron and board from stray adhesive and allow you to create fabric collage compositions prior to adhering them to the project.

NOTE: The kit will include a basic generic ‘face’ template printed on light colored fabric on which you will build your collage. If you wish to make a custom face, you can print one on pre-treated fabric sheets designed to go through a computer printer. There are many brands available but the one called ‘Printed Treasures’ and the one marketed by June Tailor, give the best results. Some interesting alternatives students might bring are:
• A photograph (head and shoulders) self portrait or portrait of a loved one or friend, perhaps even a beloved pet, printed on fabric (there are a variety of pre-treated fabrics designed to go through a computer printer but the one called ‘Printed Treasures’ and the one marketed by June Tailor, give the best results).
• Likewise, you can crop and print a portrait from a famous painting onto fabric to collage over. Think of paintings like the Mona Lisa, an image of Frida Kahlo, one of the classical medieval icons of a saint, or one of Picasso’s cubist modern portraits… let your imagination soar.

These printed images will be limited to an 8 ½” x 11” sheet as that is the size these commercially pre-treated fabrics come. An image that is printed full on, face forward will be easier to collage than one in profile or a face canted at an angle.
 

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