Papier Mache Caterpillar

Grade 1 starts their "Life cycle of the Butterfly" unit next week.

We are making the clay butterflies but I needed something for the caterpillar stage.


I thought we could make a papier mache one.





SUPPLIES REQUIRED:
- paper tube from a paper towel roll or wrapping paper
- small balloon
- masking tape
- bubble wrap, optional
- paper towel cut into strips
- white glue
- recycled container
- water
- acrylic or liquid tempera paint
- packing peanuts
- coloured paper

PROCEDURE:

Blow up the balloon.  You don't want it too big about the size of a baseball.


Tape onto the end of the paper tube.

Stuff some paper towel into the other end to close the hole.

You can wrap the tube with some bubble wrap or newspaper.  This is just to add some bulk and decrease the amount of mache you have to add.

Mix some water and white glue in your recycled container (1 to 1 ratio).

Dip your paper towel strips into the glue mixture and start layering on your balloon and paper tube.  Criss cross the layers for strength.  Add a dry strip every once and a while to soak up the excess.

When you have about 2 layers all over the base set aside to dry in warm spot.  It will take about 2 days.

Rotate after the first day to get the underside to dry.

Paint the background colour for the body of your caterpillar.

Paint on your details.

I needed to add feet.  I had lots of these packing peanuts so I putting them to good use.

Glue feet onto bottom of the caterpillar.

You can add some paint to the feet.  You need to add a drop of dish soap to the paint to get it to stick to the plastic surface of the peanuts.

Cut 2 eyes out of coloured paper.  I also cut out a mouth and a few teeth.

Glue into place.

That's it.  Now I have to come up with the chrysalis stage, stay tuned.




See you next time.

Mixed Media Face

Grade 1 is studying the five senses.  Here is a face project that at least tackles 4 of them.  You could always add a hand coming off the side (traced on poster board) to make it 5.

I wanted to emphasize the 3D component.  The fact that you can touch the pieces also addresses the missing tactile sense.






















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- substrate, we used foam board, you could also use cardboard or primed canvas
- flesh coloured and pink paint, liquid tempera or acrylic
- pieces of corrugated cardboard
- cardboard egg carton
- paper towels cut in strips
- recycled container
- white glue, water
- wax paper
- black paper
- large glass gems
- small piece of rope or clothesline
- coloured burlap cut into strips
- sharpie, crayon, coloured pencils


PROCEDURE:

Cut your substrate into a square.  Mine is 10" x 10" or around 25 x 25cm.



Cut a piece of cardboard for the base of the eye. Place the gem on top to measure.

Cut out one of the cups from the egg carton for the nose.
Cut a piece of cardboard for the base of the nose and one for the mouth.  Cut an ear shape out of another piece of cardboard.

Take your recycled container.  Mix glue and water together at about a 1 to 1 ratio.    You will be working on wax paper.  Have your strips on hand.

Place the egg carton piece on your cardboard base.  Start papier mache.  You want to cover the cup as well as the cardboard.  Pinch it in as you work creating a nose shape.

When the nose is done start on the ear.

I added a roll of paper towel for the ridge on outside of the ear and a bump on the bottom for the lobe.


Set both nose and ear aside in a warm place to dry.

Paint entire front with flesh coloured paint.  At school I mix up a big batch.  I also reserve a bit so I can alter the colour if needed.

The substrate may warp a bit.  I tried both liquid tempera and acrylic and had equal warping.  If you have enough paint you could always paint the other side to help with this.

When the papier mache has dried (about 24 hrs) paint with the flesh tone.  Also paint the mouth and eye base.

Take the large glass gem.  On a piece of white paper trace around the gem. That circle shape will be the eyeball.

Do 2.

Draw in the iris and pupil.  Add the shape of the eye as well to one of the eyeballs.

Colour in the iris with crayon or coloured pencil.  Outline with black sharpie.

Cut them out.

 Attach the eyeball to the gem with mod podge .  Do not use glue as it tends to dry cloudy.

Podge dries fully clear.

Set aside to dry.

Cut the black paper to the same size at the substrate.

On that paper sketch out a face shape.


Cut it out taking care to save the outside area (negative space) not the inside.

Put some glue on that frame.

Stick on your substrate creating a face shape.

On the eye base trace around the eye shape that you drew for the other eye with sharpie.

Podge into place.

Take the small piece of rope/ string/clothesline and paint it with the pink acrylic paint.  You can add some pink to the inside of the ear and on the nose where the nostrils are.  When the string is dry glue into place on the mouth cardboard base.

Start to glue the pieces into place.  Add eyelashes to the eyes.

Glue in the ear and mouth and then finally the nose.

Make sure to add a neck line.

Add some hair using the strips of burlap.

Now you can add text to identify the senses.



You can also add shading with crayons or pencil crayon if you want.

Add a ribbon at the top for hanging and it's done.

Papier Mache Robin Eggs

 Kindergarten is studying "living things that come from eggs" right now.


We needed a few good art projects to tie into this theme.



First up is this Robin in a papier mache egg.

Now I know robins do not come from blue and pink spotted eggs but we wanted a bit more colour fun for the kinders.

















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- balloons
- paper towel cut into strips
- recycled container
- white glue
- water
- acrylic or tempera paint
- Easter grass, optional
- scissors
- cereal box cardboard
- template
- brown fabric
- red felt or fleece
- tacky glue
- googly eyes
- yellow craft foam
- feathers
- flower sprig
- glue gun (adult operation only)
- fishing line
- pony bead or washer

PROCEDURE:

Blow up balloon to the size of egg you want.

We kept ours on the small side.

Mix up your glue solution in the recycled container.  I use 1 part glue to about 1 part water.

Dip your paper towel strips into the mixture and start layering them on the balloon.  You want to criss cross the layers.  Leave a bit of the balloon bare, this will make cutting easier later on.

Every once and a while put a dry strip on to soak up the excess.

Put aside in a warm place to dry.

Turn every day until they fully dry out.  It will take about 48 hrs.

When they are dry cut a hole in each egg starting where you can see the balloon.

Paint with acrylic or tempera paint.

Paint on spots or stripes.

With an awl or knitting needle punch a hole at the top of the egg.

Cut a length of fishing line.  Tie on a pony bead or washer.

Thread the other end of the line thru the hole.  The bead or washer holds the line in place.

Using the template cut out the bird shape out of cardboard.  I've included a large and small template depending on the size of your egg.

Using the same template cut the body shape out of brown fabric.

Cut a red breast shape from the red felt or fleece.

Glue the brown fabric to the cardboard.

Glue on the red breast, 2 googly eyes, and a small beak cut out of the yellow craft foam.

Add 2 feathers for the wings.

Stuff a little Easter grass into the egg.

Bend the little tab at the bottom of the robin.


Add some glue to it.

Attach to the inside of the egg.

Finally you can glue a little branch or sprig of flowers to the bottom of the egg, just to dress it up a bit.

That's it.  You could make this project with different animals themes like turtles, dinosaurs, fish, etc.

I like the Robin as it is Spring themed, you could do a chick for Easter.



See you soon.