Creative Prompt: Layered Paper Landscape
You don’t need to know how to paint a realistic tree or draw the perfect horizon line. This process is about playing with color, texture, and layers, like building a patchwork quilt out of paper.
You’ll need:
A base paper (any size you like)
Scraps of paper (magazines, junk mail, tissue paper, old drawings, or painted paper)
Scissors (or just tear the paper for rough edges)
Glue stick or liquid glue
Steps:
Pick your horizon. Decide where the sky meets the land on your paper. Lightly sketch a line if you want, or just eyeball it.
Start with the sky. Tear or cut strips of blue, purple, orange, or whatever colors you imagine. Layer them from top to horizon, overlapping a little to create depth.
Add land in layers. Use strips or shapes of green, brown, gold, or patterned paper for hills, fields, or forests. Overlap so the pieces create a sense of distance (lighter colors in back, darker in front works well).
Play with details. Add a sun, moon, tree silhouettes, or even a house, just shapes, no detail required.
Step back and notice. It doesn’t need to look “real.” Let the textures and colors suggest a place where you’d like to rest or wander.
Wondering Questions:
What kind of landscape emerged from your layers?
Does it remind you of a real place, or an imagined one?
What might God be showing you through this “land” you created?
Kid-Friendly Option:
Give your child scraps of paper and invite them to build their own “land.” You can prompt with fun questions: What does your sky look like today? What kind of trees or animals live in your land? Let them collage freely, kids are natural at this!
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.