Halloween Crazy Cats

Here is a easy Halloween cat project you can put up in your window to show off those glowing eyes.

It also looks nice up on the bulletin board.
























MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- heavy white sketch paper
- black and white tempera disk paint
- black paper
- coloured tissue, streamers, and/or coffee filters
- glue
- scissors
- white pencil crayon
- orange paper
- big button.
- black felt marker

PROCEDURE:

Paint your heavy sketch paper grey, Just swirl a little black onto your white tempera disk.  Use short sideways strokes with a large paintbrush.  I buy a class set of those cheapo ($1.00-$2.00)  brushes at the hardware store.  They are meant for one time only use (applying sealer),  but I keep them for years.

Let paper dry for a few minutes.  I get the kids to flap them or use the hair dryer.  (An art teacher can never have too many hair dryers!)  Then dry brush on a little extra black, you are going for that fur texture.

Take the black paper and draw out your cat face using the white pencil crayon.


Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth.  Save your scraps for later.

We are going to fill in those eyes, nose, and mouth with either tissue, vellum, painted coffee filters, or even streamers.

Something translucent.

Cut a piece large enough to cover the opening and glue into place.

To help the kids measure have them place the tissue over the opening and then using a pencil mark  the shape required.  Then cut.

Turn the face back to the front.  Using those scraps cut the little pieces you need.  Glue into place. 

Your face will now glow with a light source behind it.






Add details with the white pencil crayon, whiskers too.

Take your painted paper....should be dry now, turn to the back.

Draw a cat body shape.


Cut out.


You can use the scraps to make the tail.

Glue into place.  Be careful not to glue the head to far down the body or it will show thru the mouth.

Cut out a bow tie from the orange paper.  Glue into place and add the button.

That's it.  You can tape it to the window looking in or out.

Mixed Media Pumpkins

I'm going to show you 2 ways to do a mixed media pumpkin, both have lots of texture going on.



This is a mixed paper collage.

and this is made with masking tape.


















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- base paper, can be wc, heavy sketch, or posterboard
- mixed papers like kraft, tissue, streamers, book pages, newspaper
- masking tape
- paint, disk tempera for the paper collage and acrylic for the masking tape version
- scraps of white and black paper
- scissors
- glue
- black buttons

PROCEDURE:

For the paper collage version gather up your assorted papers.


I love using white streamers, you can create some incredible texture with a streamer.

Pour a little white glue into a container.  Tear your papers into strips.  Brush some white glue on your base paper.

Start adding your strips on top of the glue.  You can have spaces where there is no strips, it will just add another variation in your collage.

Let the base paper dry, or use a hair dryer to speed it along.


Paint with disk tempera varying the colour from yellow to orange.

For the masking tape version you need regular old masking tape, whatever size you have on hand.

Rip off some lengths and tear them into strips.  Stick on your base paper.


Leave some spaces bare.

I find it helps if you turn the paper upside down as you work on it to ensure a good mix.

Paint with watered down acrylic.  The acrylic will paint over the masking tape, disk tempera only beads up on the tape.


Let dry.

An optional step is antiquing.  I use a little black and raw sienna acrylic paint and a squirt of float medium.

Now I don't want you buying special materials but you can get a little bottle of float medium and it will do a whole class as you only need a little bit.

I mix with my finger and then add a little here and there.

I did an extra piece of paper with just white streamer glued down to make the stems.


Paint with disk tempera green and brown.

When your painted papers are dry turn over and sketch out your pumpkin shape.


Cut out.

Glue onto black paper, add a stem.

Cut some circles out of white paper.  Root around your button bin for 2 black buttons, mismatched sizes look especially cute.


Glue on the eyes.

Add a mouth and some teeth.  Then you can add some text and stamps if you want.



A good display idea is to just do the pumpkin (a pumpkin patch grouping) and then when you get closer to Halloween add the faces. 







 See you next time.

Happy Thanksgiving

So I'm off to the cabin for a few days but before I go I want to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving and if you are looking for something to do this long weekend you can always try one of these projects from the archives.


Fall Inchies

Paper roll Squirrels

Fall Banner (Grade 1 does this next week!)

Forest Gnomes

Paper bag Pumpkin


I have lots more Fall projects, just click on the word Fall at the top of this blog for a full listing and then click on the title of the project for full directions.

Before I leave let's pull the winning entry for this week's giveaway for "How to Make Stuffed Animals" by Sian Keegan.  Thanks again to my friends at Quarry Books for sponsoring this giveaway.  We had 83 total entries.

By random draw:

Here are your random numbers:

59

Timestamp: 2012-10-05 20:09:49 UTC

and the winner is

Melissa Roy Goodman who entered on Facebook.  Congrats!



See you next week with some spooky projects in time for Halloween.

 

Paper Embossing with Rubber Stamps

Sometimes your art journal page just needs a little extra.

Why not make your own embossed accents.














MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- rubber stamps or anything sturdy with texture, printmaking items
- kleenex
- water
- paint brush
- glue

PROCEDURE:

I'm always buying rubber stamps.  Michaels puts different themed stamps on promo all the time and I can pick them up for a dollar or less.

But you can also use anything with a sturdy surface that has texture, things you would use for printmaking, even bubble wrap.

Take a few tissues from your box and cut about 1 inch larger than your stamp.

Have a little water close by and a paintbrush.

Your stamps should be clean, if they have ink on them give them a scrub.

Lay a piece of tissue on top of your stamp.

Wet your paintbrush with water and paint over tissue.  Use the bristles of the brush to push the tissue into all the spaces.

Lay another tissue on, I like to alternate them, and repeat.

Continue for at least 5 layers.  On the last layer brush on a coat of white glue.

Put aside to dry overnight.

When you pull them off the stamp you will see the design embossed on the paper.

Trim the excess.


Now you can use your embossed accent on either side.

Paint with watercolors or acrylic.

Then glue into place.

That's it.

You can create your own accents for scrapbooking, mixed media compositions, etc.

Don't forget to enter for the "How to Make Stuffed Animals" By Sian Keegan giveaway before 11:59pm on Thursday.  Check out my last post for details on how to enter.




Take care everyone and I'll see Friday.