Stencilling with Children

I quite like using stencils, especially with spray paint.  I makes me think of the amazing stencilled street art done by talented folks such as Banksy.  

Stencilling on skateboards is also a favourite workshop of mine.  We watch these great YouTube videos of talented artists producing stencils and spray painting them on skateboards.  I've started collecting quite a few stencils over the years and each time we do a stencil lesson I usually cut a few more of my own.  I sometimes let the older kids have a go and make their own if they want yet quite frankly I find stencil cutting hard work and I would rather they concentrated on the fun stuff.

In this lesson we used stencils on wood boards.  I just go to Bunnings (Aussie hardware store) and get them to cut a big sheet of MDF into smaller bits for me.  These boards are great for any projects that require something thicker than paper and are tonnes cheaper than using canvas.

I had children aged 5 to 12 produce these.

Scroll down for some other options and variations if you don't want to use spray paint.

What you need:

• Wood boards
• Spray paint (we use sugar spray, made from sugarcane and low toxic)
• Outdoor space, drop sheet and masks
• Stencils
• Posca markers

How to:

• Lay out drop sheet outside, get children to put on masks
• Demonstrate how to use spray paint
• Get them to practice by doing a background covering the board
• Whilst drying get them to choose their stencils and work out their design
• Demonstrate technique for stencils (lightly, moving hand)
• Get them to add stencils, spray, overlap until finished
• Once dry add further detail with Posca markers

The Results:

Some future street artists in this lot..

 

    

 

Variations:

My preschoolers and school class produced their own simple stencils by tracing their hands, cutting them out and then dabbing paint around them.  

 I didn't want to use spray paint with the school lunchtime class as it's too big (30 kids) so we used liquid watercolours in spray bottles instead.  These also worked out really pretty..

  

Cheers

FIONA

Robots

There are so many good robot art projects out there.  Here are a few we have done recently..

Robot puppets.  Inspired by Meri Cherry.  There is a great tutorial on her blog.

These were done with my preschool class.

 

 

Drawn robots with silver and gold paint.

Done by my preschool class and lunchtime class (which is mainly prep -2)

 

 

Collage Robots.

Done by my preschool class, lunchtime class and Prep lunchtime class.

I had a lucky donation of foam bits so I spray painted these gold.  I also put out paper scraps, dot stickers, black markers etc and then left them too it.

 

 

Cup Robots

Done by my preschool class.

Just turn a small cup / shot glass upside down.  Hot glue on a polystyrene ball.  Give the children matchsticks, toothpicks, beads, google eyes / sticker eyes etc to add.

 

 

Cheers

FIONA 

String Art

Every time I go to IKEA I look at the cork trivets and think "how can I use them in my art lessons?"  I've been wanting to do string art with the children for ages yet getting enough hammers and wood was going to quite a task.  Finally I spotted someone using the cork trivets to make a geoboard on Instagram and thought I could take this to the next level and use it for string art.  I also have the Klutz String Art book which we used for some of the designs.

I love how these turned out.  I have children aged 5 to 12 in my classes yet I was able to complicate or simplify the process to suit.

What you need:

• IKEA cork trivets (white spray paint optional)
• Embroidery thread 
• Map pins (I got big ones and little ones)
• Scissors
• Tracing paper for designs

How to:

• Get the children to draw or trace their design onto tracing paper
• Place tracing paper on cork trivet
• Place pins over outline of design
• Rip off paper (carefully on an angle)
• Tie first thread to a pin, wrap around pins going back and forth, continue until design is completed.  Change threads when you need a colour change.  

TIPS: I found a blob of hot glue was easier than knotting the ends.  For younger children they skipped the design stage and just pushed pins into the cork trivet without the tracing paper.  Then they randomly wound the thread around the pins.  Some children added extra design with permanent markers.  I sprayed some cork trivets white with spray paint, I like this look yet some children preferred the natural look.

The Results:

Stunning! Great work kids!!!

 

   

Cheers

Fiona 

Kelsey Montague Wings

I have a little obsession with Kelsey Montague.  I just love her work. I love the "what lifts you campaign". I love how it's about positivity and what inspires you in life.  Her little video about how it's good to be different or peculiar (part of a series to promote Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children) was so inspiring for some of my students.

I had been planning a lesson based on her work for quite a while, yet it took some time to finally do it.

First we watched the videos about her work.  We also looked  at various wing shapes and talked about pattern and zentangle designs.

What you need:

• Black paper
• White markers
• Pencils and erasers
• Camera, printer 
• Blue tac

How to:

• Take a photo of each child with their arms stretched out as if posing in front of a wings mural
• On a black piece of paper get them to draw their wing shape and go over with white marker
• Fill in wings with pattern and zentangles
• Print out photo, cut out and blue tac (or you could glue) on.
• Admire

The results:

So so love these too.  I have my children's up in our house.

 

 

 

For my school class where I couldn't take photos of them they added a printed dog, as Kelsey often takes photos of dogs posing with her wing murals.

 

Preschooler Wings

 

Since these wings would be too hard for my preschoolers I came up with an alternative.  I pre cut wings out of black paper, got them to decorate them with white paint and glitter.  Once dry I added some cardboard to the back with sting attached to it and some bamboo skewers to hold up the paper.  They children then wore their wings home the following week...

 

    

Cheers

FIONA

Wool Wall hangings

I just loved these wool wall hangings produced by my after school classes.  They were inspired by one of my blog idols, Meri Cherry. 

They are pretty simple to make, just loop wool onto a stick or wooden dowel rod.  Meri has great instructions on her blog.  The key is to have a great selection of chunky and interesting wool.  I went on a bit of a mission for a few months prior and collected up anything I could find on sale.  I must admit I got a bit addicted buying wool all the time.  I also made some glitter feathers by dipping white feathers in gold glitter so the children could add these and some gold tassels I found at the $2 shop.

Some children loved this, some were not so keen.  I think they all turned out great though and would look so great hanging on a bedroom wall.

 

    

Mother / daughter Pom Pom night...

I ran this workshop back in October & November last year, yet I'm so far behind in my blog posts I'm only just posting now.  Expect lots of posts coming your way in the next few weeks as I make an effort to catch up!

I thought this was a good one to start with as it's been on my mind with Mothers Day coming up.  I think I will schedule one for early June, a great Mother's Day present ( hint hint to any Dads reading this)..

The idea of the mother daughter night came from Edva Sims whom I follow on Instagram.  She ran one and it's looked so fun I just had to try. 

The process is pretty easy.  You just need lots of wool, forks, scissors and sticks.  I also supplied after dinner treats and hot chocolates as I ran them in the evening.

I demonstrated how to make Pom poms, we just used our hands as it's so easy.  I also showed the fork method and how to make a simple tassel.  Each mother daughter worked together to produce lots of Pom poms.  When they had enough they yarn wrapped a stick and worked out where each Pom Pom went.  The Pom poms were attached by threading wool through each one with a plastic needle.  Finally a piece of wool was added at the top for hanging.

I loved every single one.  What great work mother daughter teams!

 

    C

Ceramic Cake Boxes

Loved how these turned out!

Yummy cake slice boxes that look good enough to eat...These were actually pretty easy to make, I had children from Prep - Grade 5 make these.  You don't need to fire them or glaze them.  I had a few children that painted them immediately so they could take them home.

What you need:

• Clay (we use white EW paper clay - I use paper clay as it then gives me the choice to fire or not and it also holds up well for transporting to the kiln)
• Skewers
• Water
• Template
• Cake pictures 

How To:

• Roll out clay into slabs (I did this prior to the children arriving and then handed out the slabs as I had quite a few young children doing this).  You could get the children to roll their own.
• Hand out paper templates for box (I made my own, it just had a lid & bottom (the same, triangle with curved back), two sides (rectangles) and a back (small rectangle), I photocopied it onto office paper).
• Get the children to trace the template onto their clay by going over all the lines with a pencil
• Remove template and then cut out the shapes
• Demonstrate how to join two slabs together (scratch and attach) and how to assemble the box
• Get the children to do this to theirs
• Check lid fits (you might need to adjust base slightly by squishing in the sides)
• Decorate lid and sides of cake with extra clay and drawing with skewer
• Dry and fire in kiln
• Glaze (we used brush on glazes and then fired again)
• Admire!

The Results - so impressed, the kids in my classes are the best!

Cheers
Fiona