This week we used wire and fabric to make amazing sculptures. The idea came from Access Art but we didn’t use plinths this time, and the kids didn’t stick to people. The basic technique is to make a simple wire sculpture – e.g. a stick figure – and to cover it in strips of fabric ( I used a sheet from a charity shop). We used thin wire to keep wrapped around the fabric to keep it in place. Then they cut up…
These two weeks we were busy with paper clay sculptures. Paper clay is a kind of paper mache, but the paper is mulched first before applying to the armature. I used this recipe from Jonni Good and it worked really well. The first step is to create the armature. What worked best was cardboard and scrunched up newspaper (careful to scrunch up the newspaper as tight as you can) but wire is also possible. Its really important that the sculpture is as tight…
This week the kids used all manner of pattern making techniques to create a wonderfully vibrant fashion catwalk – with cardboard human and other animal mannequins. The process was simple enough – but the results certainly weren’t. We had scarfs, saris, hats, capes, boots – you name it! Using techniques such as scarffito (sratching into wet paint to reveal a painted layer underneath) and stenciling they first made their ‘fabric’ by covering a piece of A4 paper with their pattern design. While these…
This half term we had another eclectic mix of activities on offer. The sculpture activities seemed particularly popular – including making abstract sculptures out of bike parts, more delicate sculptures out of wet toilet paper (surprisingly able to hold a shape) and of course many varied and imaginative cardboard creations! This time we also had a few bold children embarking on a 3-day project in which a small group designed and constructed a fish tank, complete with a futuristic city inside – called…
This week I showed the kids some basic, and some more complex, ways of weaving with paper. With help from Naomi Kendall, who provided this helpful post on the subject, we made some beautiful designs, using both strips of coloured paper and strips of magazines to make some v beautiful patterns. Of course, you don’t need to keep to the regular patterns I demonstrated. Some adventurous children deviated from the patterns with strips of different widths, as well as colours which did not…
Week 2 and this week we made paper mosaics. But we weren’t limiting ourselves to the simple, regular square types, oh no. We had strips, rectangles, dots, the lot! And used magazines as well as coloured card. A really simple technique, ideal for the younger ones, is to cover a piece of paper in strips and then on the reverse draw the outline of an animal (remember to choose an animal that is recognisable from its silhouettes – so generally this means side-on).…
Welcome to our new term! This term will be all about paper! Each week a different activity using paper (or card).. First up was tissue paper – surprisingly versatile. While of course you can make some lovely collages with tissue paper, especially using its translucency to create different colours where they overlap, and coating in diluted PVA to bring out those colours. But you can also use bleeding tissue paper to stain the paper you are working on – as one child said,…
Last week of term this week so yes, it’s time to paint the modroc sculptures! Everyone came with brilliant ideas of how to paint the sculptures they’ve been making the past two weeks. We used acrylic paint which is easy to paint details or corrections on top, once dry. Some even added other elements such as tissue paper wings or paper clothing. Love the results!
