Paper Sculptures

I'm currently teaching an art class focusing on 3D art. This exercise with paper is a good way to show children how sculptural pieces can be viewed from many angles.

Begin with an 8 1/2 by 11" sheet of card stock. Fold in half. Cut lines from the bottom arching up toward the fold, stopping about 1/2 inch from fold. Add interest by punching holes. Open the paper and add stamps or other decoration. Fold again. Alternate between folding the strips in opposite decorations.

A Sheet of Paper Becomes a 3D Giraffe

I always enjoy doing paper sculptures with children and watching them fold and twist the paper so that a material that was once 2D becomes 3D. I got the idea for this giraffe when I saw an abstract metal sculpture of a giraffe and thought that I could cut and fold a piece of paper so that it could become a standing paper giraffe.

Action-Pack Magazine Giveaway

Action Pack Magazine is a downloadable high quality e-magazine for creative curious kids who love to do stuff! There is no advertising in these magazines – just really great quality projects for tweens. Projects are designed with easy to follow instructions for children to complete on their own or to share with an adult or sibling. The theme for the upcoming March issue is water and some of the projects include: building water rockets, making your own water color paints (I think I want to try that one),baking salt crackers and creating a paper mache bowl. For more details click here. The bowls are my contribution and there is a sneak peek below.

 

Giveaway is closed. The winners, selected at random, are Jo and Meg. Thank you to all who commented.

 

So, if you are interested in receiving the March issue for free please leave me a comment with your email address and I will randomly select two winners on March 5. If you do not want your email to appear on the blog, just leave a comment and then email me the address (vicki.smith.art@gmail.com) where you would like the pdf of the March issue of Action-Pack Magazine sent.

Printmaking Workshop at the Warren County Library

I'm teaching a printmaking workshop at the Franklin Branch of the Warren County Library this Wednesday, December 5. There are two workshops for children in the afternoon and one for adults in the evening. We'll be making a printing plate from scratch foam and using it to print on an accordion folder. Sign up information is here: Warren County Library, NJ. See you there!

Making your own Printing Stamps

To make these little stamps I took some of the textures that I used in my post about rubbings and glued them to scraps of wood. They're a nice comfortable size for a child's hand.

 

1. Rippled paper from a gift box

 

2. The material that onion bags are made from

 

3. Rolls of liners for drawers

 

4. cloth doily

 

5. plastic doily

 

6. strip of plastic from packaging

 

7. I honestly don't know what this is. I picked it up in the sewing section of a craft store. Maybe someone can tell me. Anyway, it's plastic.

 

Printing ink was rolled onto the surfaces with a brayer. This would probably be another good way to make wrapping paper.

Check out my giveaway here.

Rubbings

I love to collect textures to make rubbings, but in the past I've always found it to be frustrating for young children. However, by chance I discovered two changes to my usual method that makes it infinitely easier for them. First of all, instead of using a lightweight paper I switched to tracing paper. This way, when they place a texture beneath the paper they are able to see exactly where they should rub. Secondly, I switched from crayons to very soft oil pastels, and as always, I recommend that they use they broad side of the pastel as opposed to the point. The oil pastels are richer and have more "pop" than a traditional crayon.

Negative and Positive Space

Artists consider negative and positive space when they're designing a composition and sometimes this concept is a little hard for children to understand. A good visual for them is to stand with your arms akimbo (I love that word) and explain that you are the positive space and the area between your arms and body is the negative. An even better way is through printmaking. Try using scratch foam and an easy technique that I describe here. The children are encouraged to cut holes into their scratch foam with scissors, make holes with a hole punch, and create textures by pressing on the foam. That little grid pattern was made with a meat tenderizing tool. Water-based printing ink is rolled onto the scratch foam with a brayer. The children can overlay the prints to see all the surprise shapes that are created. You can finish up by asking them to show you the positive and negative shapes that they made.

Decorate your own Candle Holders

These custom candle holders are the perfect accent for your garden party and make an excellent rainy day activity for children, even though we haven't had had too many days like that here in New Jersey yet this summer. I always keep extra candles on hand in case we loose our power and these are very inexpensive to pick up at the supermarket. I made the floral drawing with markers on a sheet of copy paper and then ran my original through the printer. I adhered my copies to the glass candle holder with Mod Podge and then sealed it with an extra topcoat.

How to Make a Checkbook Cover

To make this checkbook cover I started with two floral surface designs that I had painted, but scrapbook paper works equally well. I used my laser printer to copy my designs onto card stock. I transferred the template I made onto my floral copy, scored the lines that have the little hatch marks using a ruler and a bone folder, and then assembled the piece with a a glue stick. Very fun!

I Love Orange

My husband and I went to the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville, NJ last weekend and the last thing I expected to come home with was a flat of tubular begonias, gerber daisies and herbs. I couldn't resist all the beautiful oranges. I drew a flower on this cinnamon colored paper, copied my drawing onto glossy card stock, cut out the shape and used a button to sew it onto a hand band.

make your own notebooks

Last week I made a bunch of gelatin prints without any definite plans for using them. I've always liked the idea of stitching sheets of paper together with my sewing machine, so I decided to make little notebooks using the prints for the covers. I stitched sheets of computer paper to the print with my machine and then attached a piece of white chip board to the last page using glue stick. This would be an easy project to do with children. You don't need to limit yourself to using gelatin prints for the cover, but it is a fun process and I have instructions here and illustrations of the process here.

Paper Map Beads

Bead making is a fun activity for a rainy day. I wouldn't recommend this project for children younger than eight years of age and it does take a little practice to get the hang of it. Some of the pictured beads were made using a page from an old atlas and others from scrap booking paper. For both types I cut very elongated triangles that are one inch wide at the base. I then coated the back of the paper with a glue stick. To roll up the beads I made a little tool from a Bic pen that no longer had any ink. I took the pen apart to get to the tubing that formerly held the ink and cut a slit with a razor blade into the plastic. The slit holds the paper triangles in place so that you can twirl them around the tubing making the bead. I would suggest cutting an extra little notch at the end of the slit to make it easier to inset the paper. If the paper in your atlas is flimsy it can be a little difficult to inset into the tubing. Scrap booking paper is a nice weight to get started with. Also, you may need to apply a little extra glue stick at the end to ensure a good hold.

 

I'm starting a newsletter with DIY templates, news from my Etsy shop, and step-by-step photos of some of the techniques for my artwork and illustrations. The newsletter in early June 2018 will include a template for a simple pop-up book to make with children. Sign-ups on the right-hand side of the blog.

Oodles of Doodles Easter Basket

Template may be purchased HERE. This is a fun little springtime project to make with your child or for your child. I started with a square of board that is used to mount photos, but poster board would work just as well. I divided my square into nine small squares and used markers to doodle the flower pattern. I flipped it over and drew in the yellow stripes, cut out another piece for the handle and also decorated that piece. I cut along the green lines that are indicated in my diagram below and used a bone folder to score along the dashed line. Holes were punched in the small blue circles so that paper fasteners or brads can join the sides and the handle. I used a little white glue to secure the sides. Add a little bunny mask to your basket here.

Valentine's Day

The celebration of Valentine’s Day has a long and rich history with roots in Christianity and Roman tradition. In our digital age with people in constant communication with one another and discussions about whether we even need the USPS I hope that people don’t abandon the idea of buying and sending a handmade card or making their own. Receiving a card to hold in your hand while reading a heartfelt message or verse is such a sweet and simple expression of affection.

In Great Britain the celebration of Valentine’s Day began in the 17th century. In Norwich, England the general custom was to leave gifts, often anonymously, on doorsteps on St. Valentine’s eve. The bearer of gifts would deposit the present, ring the bell and then disappear. These packages sometimes contained valuables, but other times were more of a prank. They might contain a mundane note wrapped in layer upon layer of wrapping paper.

Unlike today it was common for friends as well as lovers to exchange small gifts and handwritten notes in all social classes. Oranges, dolls, silver pencil holders and books were common gifts. Sweet plum buns and gingerbread were also customary Valentine’s Day gifts in certain regions. In Wales carved wooden spoons with designs of hearts, keys and key holes were traditional gifts. With the introduction of penny postage, the use of the envelope and better printing technologies printed cards made it easier to express feelings, although still often anonymously.

In Victorian times cards were made of lace papers, satin ribbons, velvet and tulle. Gloves or illustrations of gloves on cards became a symbol of the holiday. Fathers were very strict and would not allow their daughters to read any correspondence unless they had read and approved of it first. For that reason cards were designed with secret panels to conceal sentiments of affection.

In the United States Esther A. Howland became the first commercial designer of mass produced Valentines in the 1840s. Howland, a graduate of The Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, had received a Valentine made in England. Convinced that she could produce an even better version convinced her father, the owner of a book and stationery store in Worcester, MA, to order her paper supplies from England. She produced samples that quickly led to an extremely popular line of cards.

Today the “burden” of Valentine’s Day often falls to men with the expectation of jewelry, red roses and boxes of chocolate, but wait, isn’t this a leap? On a leap year it is just as common for the woman to send a message of love! Available here.

Birthday Crowns

Making crowns is a fun activity at a birthday party.

I used poster board for the base. Once you make the first one you can trace it and have them all pre-cut for your guests. Mine is 20 inches long. I found a great selection of satin and grosgrain ribbon at the dollar store and bought rick rack in different colors. The pattern on the crown was done with the stamp that is pictured and the little medallion in the center is made from kitchen foil that was imprinted with the cast iron trivet ( a paper doily works too). The jewels are sheets of glitter paper that were cut into squares and attached with white glue.

Have fun!