January: Paper Molas!

On these dark winter day, let’s bring a little light to the school and make a project with bright, bold colors!

This month, we’re making paper molas. This style of art developed when Kuna women in Panama used bright fabric to depict the Kuna culture with the influence of the modern world.

What you’ll need:

Dark colored construction paper (8.5×11) – black, navy, or dark gray

glue sticks

scissors

construction paper to cut out an animal or shape

small scrap paper for students to cut into small pieces to surround the animal or shape

The lesson:

For younger classes: you can either cut animal shapes beforehand or have students use their first name initial cut out of construction paper.

For older classes: have students draw their own animal or shape (flower, tree, cactus, etc). Once they are happy with their drawing, have them cut out the shape. Make sure their shape will fit nicely centered on their background paper.

Glue the shape into the middle of the paper. Make a border with construction paper that contrasts the shape cutout. Then have students fill in the background around the cutout (inside the border) with small rectangles until the background is completely filled.  Use the small rectangles to decorate the shape cutout.

Happy creating!

February: Block printing

This month, we’re using Japanese block printing for the inspiration for our project. Wood block prints from the Edo period in Japan are in the ukiyo-e genre.

What you’ll need:

scratch foam

pencil

white or light colored construction paper

scrap paper

tempera paint

brayers

The lesson:

Have students use the scrap paper to draw an animal. They are practicing the animal that they will draw into the scratch foam. A simple animal is a great place to start: fish, turtle, bird, etc.

Once they have practiced and are happy with their animal, have them “draw” it into the scratch foam. A word of caution: too much pressure when the kids are drawing on the foam will cause it to tear or poke through the foam. Too light on pressure, and you won’t be able to see the lines of the animal. They are looking to indent the foam.

After they’ve indented the foam with their animal drawing, use a brayer to roll into the paint. Then, roll the paint on to the foam. After the foam is coated in paint, place the light colored construction paper on top of the painted foam. Press down firmly and smooth with your hand.

Happy creating!

March: Painted Collages

This month, we’re using artist Rene Magritte as inspiration. In his painting Le Retour, you can see a bird symbolizing day, but flying in a night sky. 

To achieve a similar look, students will make two paintings: one that will be painted to look like a sky in the day time, and the other will serve as the background for the bird.

It’s a great project to talk with students about contrast – why making the bird look like the day sky makes it stand out from the colors of the background. You can also talk about color mixing, because laying the tissue paper will change the look of the tissue paper color too.

What you’ll need:

Two pieces of construction paper per student (8.5×11 each)

Blue watercolor

Oil pastels

Bird stencil

Tissue paper (cut or torn into long strip, the length of the background paper)

White liquid glue

The prep:

Cut a variety of colors of tissue paper to be as wide as the paper. Set the blue watercolor with a brush for students. Put the white liquid glue on a small pallet, and have a sponge brush for each student.

The lesson:

First, have students paint one piece of paper with blue water color. This will be their daytime sky for the bird. Once painted, set it aside to dry. As the watercolor paper dries, have students layer tissue paper on the second piece of paper. Ideally, the bottom would have brown or green tissue paper to be the ground, and the sky above it can be various shades of blue, or for a sunset sky pinks and purples. To layer the tissue paper, use the sponge brush to paint glue on the paper, then stick the tissue paper on top of the glue. Layering tissue paper on top of other color will give the sky dimension.

Once the whole paper is covered, set it aside to dry. The watercolor paper should be dry now, and students can use white and yellow oil pastels to add sunshine, clouds, etc. Then, have students trace the bird and cut it out. Once the bird is cut out, have students place it on their tissue paper sky, and glue it down.

 

Happy creating!