Pictures of Projects Past

The following is a collection of finished projects done since February 2009. A best-of BGCC Art, if you will.

Abstract Scraps: Inspired by a recent interest in mosaic art, the kids and I made use of the large amounts of scrap paper left over from previous projects.  

 

Seriously! Who doesn't like tie-dye? 

With a little food coloring, a couple markers, some water and a few rolls of super-absorbent paper towels, everyone can be in touch with their inner hippie.                                                                                                                       

Flinging Paint at Summer Camp: This project was a HUGE hit (my mom, a third-grade teacher, actually accompanied me on the instruction of this one!)

Together, Mom and I drew and cut out patterns using old file folders. The kids traced and cut out their designs, splattered paint in contrasting colors, and then laid the cut-out right on top. Add some googly eyes and you're all set!

Love is in the Air (literally)

February 3, 2010

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, the kids and I made wreaths of hearts, inspired by a window display I noticed at a store downtown. When the wreaths were dried and tied, we hung them from the ceiling of the art room, giving the space a festive feel.

Prep-Work:

At home, I drew and cut out a several rings (eight inches in diameter) to be used as guides for the back of the wreath. Then, I drew and cut two sizes of hearts; the large one being three to four inches high, the smaller being about two inches high. Both the ring and the hearts were cut from used file folders we have here at the apartment.


Since there was painting (and drying) involved, we did this project a little backwards so as to allow the paint time to dry.

Step 1: We made some “big” decisions: Did we want our big hearts to be white or red? Which ever they chose, they had to start on that size first.

Step 2: Depending on whether they were going to paint their large or small hearts, the kids traced 10 of these ditties onto regular white computer paper (recycled, by the way). Once the tracing was done, they rolled up their sleeves and painted away. (Painting the hearts red instead of using red construction paper gave the wreaths a fantastic textured look. Plus, who doesn't like painting?)

Step 3: Giving our painted hearts time to dry, we moved them away to another table and began work on the rest of the wreath. The next step was to trace the white hearts. Whether they were traced from the big or the small patterns, we needed 10 of them as well. Once traced, these hearts were cut out and set aside.


Step 4: We traced the ring pattern on heavy card stock, cut it out, put our names on the back and carefully cleaned up our work areas. (By now, there were plenty of paper shreds dangerously mingling with heart cut-outs. To prevent disaster, we took a couple seconds to clean up.)

Step 5: The painted hearts are dry! We cut those out and glued the large hearts to the ring first. Snuggling them tight next to each other, all 10 will fit. Next, we glued the small hearts slightly below the large ones. They too were snuggled up nicely together.

 Step 6: With the help of a little glitter, the wreaths came to life.

Step 7: Paper punched and looped with red or white yarn, the wreaths were hung from the ceiling for all to enjoy!

Sun Catchers? Ummm, it’s Chicago. Let’s just call them “Light Catchers.”

January 27, 2010

In the cloudy gloom that is January in Chicago, the kids and I decorated “light catchers” made of gently used tissue paper left over from the holiday season. The varied designs, colors and personalization of the finished product added some much-needed color to the windows of the club’s art room.

Step-by-Step

To give variety to the project (for both girls and boys), I drew about ten different traceable patterns from used file folders. The patterns included hearts, lizards, the Chicago skyline, flowers, fish and saguaro cacti (inspired by a recent trip to Tucson).

I asked the kids to pick out their favorite pattern, a “background” color (two sheets of construction paper), and a contrasting color of tissue paper. (After the holidays, I had every color under the rainbow available for the taking, even some funky Christmas prints!) 

The kids traced their selected pattern on two sheets of construction paper, cut out the interiors of each, leaving a frame of sorts. Next, they laid the tissue paper between the two pieces of construction paper, gluing it down close to the shape’s edge. From there, we (gently) decorated the tissue paper with markers and, of course, glitter.

When finished, we cut the construction paper about an inch off from the shape’s edge, leaving a semi-translucent light catcher with a boldly colored outline and a decorated center. With the help of a paper punch and some string, we had some very fun window decorations!

Summertime is the time for BUGS!

What better use of old New Yorker and Vogue magazines is there than to be crumpled up and used as the innards of customized bugs?

During the summer, our Boys and Girls Club turns summer camp, hosting groups of “campers” who have a rotating schedule depending on the specific day of the week. The following is a class of “Cadet” girls I had one Friday afternoon. We constructed bugs…in the comfy comforts of the air-conditioned art room.

Pickin the palette 

Tracing a pattern I drew using an old file folder, the girls picked out two color palettes for their bugs: One color for the body and one for the wings. I used a simple black and red combo to make a lady bug as my example. I was extremely impressed with the color variations the girls created.

Wingless

After the pattern was traced and cut out, next came the fun part: Decorating

Some campers chose to forgo the wings and decorate their apterous (wingless) bugs with marker.

Glitter, Glitter and More Glitter
Others, however, went all-out with color combinations and various patterns used on the wings. And, of course, glitter was a much-used bug accessory.

And the results...

Using the pattern drawn on an old file folder, cut out of basic colored construction paper and stuffed with crumpled pages of old magazines, the bugs were a huge hit at summer camp. We paper-punched a hole in the top, looped some string through the hole and hung them up for all the club to see.
BUGS!

 

Group Shot!