Mini Landscapes in Low Relief
- Hope Creek Studios
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Sometimes the best projects come from working with what you already have. A generous donation of tiny square plastic containers—no lids—left me wondering what I could do with them. After a little brainstorming, I came up with the idea of mini landscapes.
While going small can be a challenge (I get it, it can be hard to scale down), it’s an excellent opportunity for students to practice precision and detail.
I required my students (middle school and high school level) to create low relief landscapes, ensuring that each piece included at least three standing elements that were integrated into the background, glued to the sides, etc., giving the illusion of depth and 3D. The materials used were simple, but the creativity shined in how students arranged their elements and gave life to these miniature scenes.
Why it works:The beauty of this project lies in its challenge: working small pushes students to think critically about composition, depth, and texture. It’s a great way to practice layering techniques and understanding spatial relationships, all while working with found materials. Plus, it forces students to think outside the box—literally. Those tiny containers make students look at landscapes differently, forcing them to create details in a confined space, which is fantastic for developing their artistic precision.
This project would work with paint, marker, colored pencil, even oil pastel. My students used acrylic paint as their medium. This was a great time to bust out the technique lesson for acrylics. Gets them to really use their tools to their full ability and give their best work.
©2025HopeCreekStudios
Comments