3D Fluttering Butterfly

Looking for something bright and fun for your last bulletin board....why not these fluttering butterflies.

Made from 2 butterflies to look like it's fluttering off your display.
















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- nice painting paper for background, I use Sunworks white construction paper.  It's not really construction paper but a great drawing paper.  You could also use 90lb wc paper.
- white cardstock
- disk tempera paint
- green, red, white and yellow acrylic or liquid tempera
- paper scraps, book pages, brown kraft paper, recycling
- coloured cardstock scraps
- pipe cleaner
- tacky glue
- oil pastels or crayons
- optional: rubbing alcohol and eye dropper

PROCEDURE:

Tape background paper to art board.

Draw in a rough horizon line.

Paint in your sky with blue disk tempera.  I wanted to give it some texture, like all the fluff flying around right now from trees and dandelions.

So while it is wet I take an eye dropper and some rubbing alcohol.

Drop onto your wet paint.  It creates this effect.  Don't panic if it looks a little brown or grey in the center of the drop.  That will dry and go away.

This technique also works with acrylic paint but the secret is having wet watery paint.  Brush on a little bit of water to your wet acrylic to get it to work.

Paint in the green grass.  Set aside to dry.

Take your scraps of paper and tear some strips.

Glue onto a sheet of white cardstock.  This will be your extra grass.

Let glue set up for a while.

When set,  paint with acrylic or liquid tempera.  You want the paint thin enough you can still read the words of the text.

Set aside to dry.

While your papers are drying take a 1/2 sheet of copier paper and a 1/2 sheet of cardstock.

Sketch your butterfly shape.  You want 2 the same size. You could draw one, cut it out and then trace around it or use a template.

I added some oil pastel.  You could also use wax crayon.

Paint with disk tempera.

Paint the back of the cardstock one as well.

When the background and grass paper are dry start cutting out strips (pointy at top) and glue onto your background.

I added some extra details to my butterflies with scraps of coloured cardstock and.....

a little extra paint just to jazz them up a bit.

Glue the copier paper butterfly into place on the background.

Bend 1/2 a pipe cleaner and glue in place for the antennae.

take the cardstock butterfly and fold in half.

Run some glue on that fold line.

Stick into center of other butterfly. Let it set up for awhile and then close the fold a bit again.  You want to keep a nice flutter to it.

That's it.

See you next time.

Gail

Spring Chickens

I can't believe that Easter is in a week and I haven't posted for over a month!

Well,  I have been neck deep in residencies at several schools but I finally have reached spring vacation time.

Here is a new spring project.  The inspiration came off of pintrest but there is no link just a picture. Thank-you whoever you are!   I have changed it up and tested it with 2 classes of kinders.

They turned out great so I thought I would pass it on to you.










MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- blue paper or you can paint some white paper blue
- rectangle of white paper about 4x6
- brown, black, white, yellow, green, and orange paint. I used acrylic but you can use liquid tempera.
- pencil and wooden skewer
- small piece of corrugated cardboard
- glue
- googly eyes
- coloured feathers
- sponges
- paintbrush

PROCEDURE:

At school we used blue construction paper but it also looks great on painted blue paper.

I gave the students some black and brown paint and had them paint the 4"x6" piece of paper.

Using a pencil and end of a skewer I had them stamp dots all over the paper with white paint.

Put the 4"x6" paper aside to dry.  With the leftover white paint take a small piece of sponge and sponge on a few clouds on the blue paper.

With a piece of corrugated cardboard dipped in green paint have the kids stamp on some grass.

When the spotted paper is dry have the kids turn it over and draw a line from one corner to the other making a diagonal.

Have them cut on this line.

Glue one of the pieces on the paper just above the grass.  This is the body of the mother hen.

Cut a wing out of the other piece of paper.

Glue into place on the body of the mother hen.

I gave each group of kids 2 sponges. 1 large circle and 1 smaller one.  These are they same sponges I use for stamping snowman.

The kids got to make 2 chicks but here I only added one. Stamp on the body and the head.

Using a triangular piece of sponge and orange paint we stamped on the beaks.

Using a small paintbrush and that same orange paint we painted on some chicken legs.

Glue on the googly eyes and then add a couple of feathers to the top of the mother hen's head.  I cut the ends off so they would fit better.


That's it.

Here is some more recent student work.


Some of the spring trees done by kindergarten.

A few of Grade 4's Inuit whales.

and some of their mixed media owls.

Grade 3's Peruvian masks.  We made our pieces from air dry clay so a bit different from the original post.

The work was just amazing and I can't show it all.  I think it was a record for me as well :
1 month,  702 students, 27 classes, and 37 different projects by the time I was all done.


I'm off to paint in Maui and will hopefully have some great photos for you next time.

Take care everyone and Happy Easter!

Gail

Rainy Day Watercolour

This is for those April showers we are supposed to be having.....yesterday in Calgary we got snow!
I always love how a pop of colour on those grey days can cheer you up.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- watercolour paper, at school I use a nice 130lb Fabranio we get in bulk
- green painter's masking tape
- disk tempera paint or watercolour paint
- water spray bottle 
- foam plate for palette
- sand from the playground or garden centre, optional
- kleenex
- my template, optional
- glue
- coloured paper
- craft foam or vinyl, optional
- small button

PROCEDURE:

Place your paper on your art board.  Tape off edges with Painter's masking tape.

Gather your painting supplies.

Brush some water over your entire paper.

While the paper is still wet start adding colour.  The colours you need for stormy skies are black, blue, and purple.

You want very diluted colour so this is where the foam plate comes in.  Add paint and then extra water to get a nice wash.


Paint over entire paper.  You want variation in your colour so some areas have more grey (diluted black) or blue than others.

You can even splatter on some diluted paint.  You want the paper to stay moist so use your water sprayer if it is getting dry.

Not finished yet.......

Crumple up a kleenex and begin lifting off some of the paint to create clouds.

Storm clouds are dark on the bottom and lighter on top so you can add a touch more grey if needed.  Use your spray bottle to keep the paint moving if needed.

A further effect you can add is using sand.  Unlike salt it will not bloom but the paint will collect around the particles leaving a nice texture, like raindrops.

Sprinkle a little on the painting and leave until fully dry.

While the painting is drying you can work on the umbrella and person.



You can use my template or sketch out the pieces freehand.

The umbrella was traced on watercolour paper and then painted.  You can see the pencil lines try the paint.

Cut out when dry.

Glue a button on the top of the umbrella.
You can also add a few lines.

Cut a handle out of black paper.

Use a bright colour for the slicker, a neutral for the head and hand.

I have some nice yellow vinyl for the boots, you could also use craft foam or just paper.

Glue all the pieces into place.

Paint a little puddle for your person to stand in.  I used the tape again to maintain that white border.  At school I will just make sure not to remove the bottom tape till it is completely finished.

That's it.