Monthly Archives: July 2015

Jul26

Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

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Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

 

Paper Bag People and Animals

Paper Bag People and Animals

Materials:

Lunch size paper bags, brown or white

Newspaper (or similar material)

String

Tape

Scraps of construction paper

Paste or glue

Ribbon and/or yarn

Sequins, buttons, seeds (for eyes, nose mouth)

Crayon and/or markers and/or colored pencils

Clip art

Scissors

Pipe cleaners (for whiskers)

Wiggle eyes

Rubber Band

Ruler

 

Project:

  1. Choose the pet or animal you will make.
  2. Stuff 1/3 of the bag tightly with crumbled or strips of newspaper (or similar material) to form the head (about two or three sheets).
  3. Gather the bag at the base of the head. Tie it securely with string or yarn.
  4. Stuff the rest of the bag with more newspaper and tape the bottom of the bag closed.
  5. Cut eyes, nose, mouth, and paws from construction paper or use sequins, buttons or seeds. Use pipe cleaners for the whiskers.
  6. Tie a ribbon or piece of yarn around the neck.
  7. Add buttons or other decorations to dress up you paper bag pet or person.

Alternative Projects:

  1. Make a paper bag person. Use yarn for hair and wiggle eyes. Follow the directions above.
  2. Stuff only the top 1/3 of the bag. Insert a long stick (like a ruler) into the head and secure with string, yarn or a rubber band. Use as a puppet and put on a play for your friends! Read the books below for more ideas:

Gauch, Patricia Lee. Poppy’s Puppet

Marsh, Valerie. Puppet Tales

 

 

 

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Jul19

Summer Camp: A Tale of Three Rubbings

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Summer Camp: A Tale of Three Rubbings

Materials:

Thin paper like rice paper or bond paper

Any kind of crayons including Wax crayons

Graphite

Textured surfaces: chain link fences, tombstones, bricks, sidewalks, gratings, certain fabrics

 

  1. Find an interesting raised surface to rub. For the first rubbing, select a surface and rub with either the graphite or one of the wax crayons.
  2. For the second rubbing, rub with a different wax crayon on another surface or on the same surface. The shift the paper up or down or sideways, rubbing the surface with another color or the graphite.
  3. For the third rubbing, select two or three colors and two or three surfaces to rub. Use only one sheet of paper for this. Select a color and rub the first surface with it. Rub the second surface with a second crayon. Rub the third surface with a third color or the graphite.
  4. Do you notice a pattern created with the different colors and surfaces? Insert your best rubbing in a poster frame and hang on the wall of your bedroom.
  5. Alternative Project: Rubbings also make great greeting or note cards. Cut a blank piece of paper in half. Cut the rubbing and paste it to the front of the folded paper.  Cut the rubbing smaller still and you can make gift tags the same way as the greeting card.

 

For more ideas on rubbings:

All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg

Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin.

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Jul12

Summer Camp: One Way to Make an Abstract Design

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Summer Camp: One Way to Make an Abstract Design

 

Abstract Design

Abstract Design

MATERIALS:

Markers

Pencils

Crayons

Construction or bond paper

PROJECT:

  1. Find interesting objects in your home and trace them.
  2. Arrange them on construction or bond paper creating an abstract design.
  3. Trace the objects with markers or pencils or crayons. Trace one object at a time, adding objects as you go or lay them all down and trace them.
  4. Remove the objects from the paper. Choose three colors or two colors plus black. Now add patterns to the traced objects: dots, stripes, zigzags, checks or color some of the areas in the design.
  5. Mat the abstract design and display it or use it as a cover for a favorite book.

 

VARIATION:

Trace one object, turning the paper as you trace. Or overlap the object by placing it vertically, horizontally, upside down, etc.

 

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Jul6

Summer Camp: Textured Prints

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Summer Camp: Textured Prints
Textured Print

Textured Print

  Materials: Printer’s ink, black and two colors Glass surface Brayer Lightweight paper (rice or bond) Cleaner Rags

  1. Squeeze a line of black ink on the flat piece of glass. Roll the brayer over it and back and forth on the glass. Cover the brayer with ink.
  2. Find a very rough surface i.e., woven fabric, a collage of leaves, brick, stone, etc. Place the paper over this surface. Hold it firmly with one hand as you roll the inked brayer back and forth over it.
  3. Ink the brayer again and try another textured surface on a clean sheet of paper.
  4. Clean the glass and brayer thoroughly and wait to dry.
  5. Squeeze ink in the second color on to the glass and roll the brayer over it. Coat the entire brayer with the ink.
  6. Roll that color over a clean sheet of paper on another surface or roll the new color over the first sheet inked in black. Try different combinations of the two colors and black and different surfaces.
  7. Frame the finished textured prints or use them to make notecards.

ALTERNATIVE PROJECT:

Two textured collages,the one superimposed over the second, resulted in the textured print pictured above. The print was first printed in black ink rolled over a collage made of strings arranged in a pattern and glued to a board.  Geometric patterns made from poster board comprised a second collage. After the black ink dried, the print was placed on top of this second collage. Brown ink was rolled over the geometric shapes creating the design.

 

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