Check out our Weaving Projects!

 Check out our Weaving Projects!

Our Decorated Tipi

 Work Station

 Polly's Split Stick Weaving

 Polly's CD weave

 Mac's CD Weave

 

 Dying Station

 Mac, Jude, and Polly's dyed stripes

Directions For Weaving/Textile Projects

Tipi

What you will need...

• Large and small straight sticks
• Twine
• Ribbons. plants, anything that can be used to decorate

 

1. Depending on the size of the tipi you want, gather no less than six sticks (Ours were 6 feet long at least)
2. Gather smaller sticks as well
3. Prop the larger stick up and tie them at the top (I used twine)
4. Stagger the smaller sticks horizontally to the larger ones and secure them with ties
5. Your tipi is ready to be decorated!

Split stick weaves

What you will need...

• Two pronged stick
• Twine or thread
• Ribbons, plants, anything you can use to weave

1. Find a stick shaped like a wishbone- one branch that splits into two relatively equal segments
2. Take yarn or a ribbon that will be used for the warp  (I found thinner material works better)
3. Tie the thread to the base of the stick, wrap the thread up the pronged stick using a figure eight motion
4. Once you secure the warp, you can use thread, plants, sticks etc as the weft

CD weaves  

Here's what you will need... 

• Old CD's
• Twine or Yarn
• Fabric and ribbons

1. Tie a string around a CD and loop it around the CD multiple times until you can tie it back around- this is the warp
2. Tie a string to the warp to hang it
3.  Chose a fabric or sting and tie to the inner warp
4. weave it in and out of the warp- to change the thread, just tie a new fabric or string to the old weft (I Left a Tail on mine)

Cardboard weave

What you will need...

• Cardboard (cut into a circle)
• Thread or twine
• Fabric and ribbons

1. Find or make a piece of flat, round cardboard
2. Cut shallow slits in the cardboard 
3. Take a string and wrap it through the slits on the cardboard and tie the ends together- this is the warp
4. Like the CD, tie fabric or string around the base of the warp to create the weave

Wire Weave

(very simple)

Here's what you'll need...

• Wire
• Thread, fabric, yarn

1. Create a closed shape out of wire
2. Wrap  a string around the outer edge to fill it in
3. You can even weave fabric or plants into the warp if you want

Dye

Here's what you will need...

• Berries, Flowers, Plants, Spices 

• I used- blueberries- raspberries- blackberries- red cabbage- turmeric- Queen Ann's Lace, cherries, and red onion)
•  Cotton or wool fabric
• Alum  

1. Soak fabric in pot of boiling water and alum for about an hour- do this in preparation for dying- the alum helps the dye adhere to the material
2. Mix a 1:2 ratio of material (berries, bark, vegetable) to water and boil
      -For spices like turmeric- 1 tablespoon to 2 cups ratio
3. Boil each mixture for an hour- the longer you let it boil, the more vibrant the color

Red Cabbage make this beautiful blue color- and when applied to cotton, it makes green!

Red cabbage, turmeric and red raspberry

*Only natural plant or animal fibers (cotton/wool) will take to the dye. Dye derived from natural materials will not adhere to acrylic thread.

Weaving Lesson

Weaving

Group: Decorate our Tipi

 Station: Split Stick Weaves

Station: Sound, Storage and Tie weaves (CD’s Cardboard and Wire)

Station: Dying with nature

Today’s Lesson

 Some people argue weaving is the oldest surviving craft- and like many other art forms it can be dated back to Neolithic times!

I personally believe that weaving can be considered a craft and an art because it is both functional and design oriented. 

Weaving does not just use fabric, but can be done with reeds, wood, paper and even metal.

Weaving may be done by hand or by machine. These machines are called looms and they can be as small as your hands or as large as an entire room!

There are two very important parts of the weaving process-

            The warp is the material that runs lengthwise and that is fastened down

            The weft is the material that is wrapped over and under the warp

History 

There is evidence that weaving dates back to at least 7000 BCE where fabrics and weaving tools were found in Egyptian tombs. 

Wall painting in the tomb of Khnum-hotpe at Beni Hasan (about I9oo B.c.)

See the large loom to to the left? Many Egyptians wore wool and linen fabrics created on looms.

In Ancient China, the art of silk weaving was a closely guarded secret for thousands of years. They used the thin fibers from silk worm cocoons and weaved them into beautiful silk garments.

The art of weaving evolved around the world. Below is a European painting that depicts the multiple stages of making cloth.

 14^th century painting, by Italian artist, Boccaccio. Title: Concerning Famous Women.

 

 At the bottom, the women are carding the wool, which means they are cleaning the wool of impurities. At the top right, the woman is spinning the wool- which makes strands and on the left a woman weaving the wool strands into a unified cloth on a loom.

Artist Unknown  Saddle or Child's Wearing Blanket  -1850

The Navajo people are famous for their beautiful woven rugs and blankets. They learned to weave from the Pueblo Indians and have been mastering the art every since. Their weavings are highly sought after for their beauty and rarity.

Today, we have looms that can weave very intricate patterns with hardly any assistance from a human hand 

Check Out Our Printmaking Projects!

Check Out Our Printmaking Projects!

Marbled Paper

Homemade Paper with Pressed Plants

Paper pulp

We found lots of little frogs on our search for plants

Mac and Jude's paper!

Veggie/Fruit and Plant Prints

Printing Station

Mac's Shirt (Front)- The blue design is a celery stalk, the yellow and red prints are a dried lemon slice, the purple is a mushroom, and the green is an onion!

Mac's Shirt (back)- Large leaves

Jude's shirt- Jude decided to scratch the prints and draw on his shirt with fabric paint to create this very cool design

Directions for Printmaking Projects

Homemade Paper

For this project you will need the following...

• Old paper (preferably from books or used printer paper- not newspaper as they make a muddy color)
• Large waterproof container with flat bottom
•  Blender
•  Corn or Rice Starch
•  A screen attached to a wooden frame (see picture below)
•  Rags
• Parchment paper
• Large Cookie sheet

1. Tear the paper into strips and soak in water overnight

2. Blend the paper- I found that adding half paper and half water to the blender make the blending process much easier. 

3. Add starch to the paper pulp- I added about 3 tablespoons, but I think I could have used a little more. The starch makes it possible for you to write on the paper without the ink bleeding

4. Lay the screen box on the bottom of the large waterproof container and add the pulp mixture on top

5. There should be no holes on the surface, but be careful of laying the pulp on too thick. A very thin, even layer is ideal. 

6. Lie any Flat flower, leaves, doilies etc. on the paper and press into the pulp, making sure not to create holes

7. Take a rag (or many) and press down on the wet paper to soak up the excess water

8. Take the bottom of a cookie sheet (flat side) and put parchment paper on top. place on top the screen box. Flip the screen box and paper upside down so it falls onto the parchment paper

9. Let dry in the sun! - I tried to dry the paper inside and it took a week to dry. I then took a second batch and placed it in the sun and it dried in a few hours!

This is where I got the idea, but I changed my directions a little

 http://www.mommy-labs.com/creative-kids/art_craft_projects_kids/how-to-make-recycled-handmade-paper-inlaid-with-leaves-and-petals/

Here is our screen box with wet paper. To make the box, you can use an old picture frame and staple in a screen (we used a metal screen from a window), or you can make a square box yourself, which is what we did. 

Sun Prints

What you will need..

• Cloth- lighter colors work better
• Fabric paint
• Paintbrush
• Flat objects found in nature or around the house (the more interesting the silhouette, the more interesting the print)
• Plastic Bags
• Old cardboard box
• Tape
• Spray bottle with water
• Sun! 

1. Cut the plastic bag so it's flat, and tape it onto a flattened cardboard box

2. Tape the fabric onto the plastic bag

3. Spray water onto the fabric in an even layer

4. Quickly paint the fabric paint onto the damp material (i diluted the paint with water and mixed it first)

5. Quickly place your flat objects on the material

6. Leave out in the sun for at least an hour- make sure you're objects don't shift during this time!

My test try

Tip- After the material had finished drying and you have a print, try outlining the design with more fabric paint or even sewing around the print to add more texture and a pop of color!

 

 

Vegetable/Fruit Stamps and Plant Prints

What you Will Need...

 

• Vegetables/fruits- Onions, Mushrooms, Potatoes Broccoli, Peppers, Apples etc 
• Plants- Flowers, leaves, stems, roots, everything!
•  Fabric print- for fun clothes, or decorative cloth
• Regular paint- for paper prints
• Mini paint roller (I used a scrapbook roller, you can also use a trip roller)
• Paintbrushes
• Paint trays

 

This project is pretty simple and open for experiementation

 Here's how I made some fun prints..

Use a roller to roll paint onto leaves and press them onto fabric and paper- leaving their inner details

Use a paint roller to roll over leaves and flowers in order to leave the negative space of the object

Combine the above to 

Paint objects and create a print this way

Dip the plants and veggies in paint and press on fabric or paper to create a desgin

 

What else do you think you can do with these materials?

 

 

Marbled Paper

 

What you will need..

 

• Whipped Cream (I just beat heavy cream for this project)
• Food coloring
• Paper - lighter paper works better
• Knife
• Fork
• Lots of napkins!

1. Create a flat area of whipped cream on an even surface (I used a sheet of wax paper taped to the table)

2. Add food coloring to the whipped cream

3. Using a fork or other device, swirl the food coloring into the whipped cream, but don't blend completely

4. Place the paper on top and press down gently so that all the paper is touching the whipped cream

5. Peal the paper off slowly and gently

6. Scrape the remaining whipped cream off the paper to reveal the marbled design!

Printmaking Lesson

Group Project and Stations for Printmaking Class

Printmaking

Group: Paper making

Station: Marbled paper

Station: Sun Prints

Station: Veggie prints/ Nature prints

Today’s Lesson

Printmaking is an art form that involves creating or using one image (matrix) that can be transferred onto a surface multiple times. An artist can create many prints off one original design. 

History

Hand Print from Chauvet cave, 28,000 BCE

Ancient people would place their hand on cave walls and blow crushed pigment over top so as to leave the relief image of a hand.

The first relief stamps (Other than hand prints and objects found in nature) were made of clay, metal, and wood and were used to mark peoples property, including animals and prisoners!. 

The first prints were made in China to transfer Buddhists text and images onto paper so many people could read the same text.

Frontispiece of the Diamond Sutra From the Tang Dynasty. China. 868 AD

 

The Japanese are credited with first creating woodblock prints. The large amount of prints that could be created using the woodblock technique spread all over Asia and even Europe.

 The Great Wave off Kanagawa - Hokusai

Woodblocks were very popular in Medieval Europe as well, they were used widely in religious book.

Peacocks represented the eyes of God and the Resurrection in The Book of Kells 

Prints became very popular in American pop culture. Do you recognize this print?

.Marilyn by Andy Warhol, 1962

Check Out Our Sculpture Projects!

Check Out Our Sculpture Projects!

Goldsworthy 

 

My Goldsworthy Example

Polly's Goldsworthy Piece

Polly created a beautiful abstract design and incorporated seashells she found on the beach

Clay

Polly's Clay Lizard

Instead of mixing the colors fully, she chose to create a marbled texture by leaving some white

Paper Mâché

 My turtle example (It took forever to dry- I think I put too many layers on at once- I should have waited for one layer to dry before adding additional layers on top)

                       Polly's Turtle (work in progress)

Box Sculpture

My Box Sculpture example (Polly didn't quite get to this one)

I just cut pieces of cardboard into different geometric shapes, painted them, and cut corresponding  slits in the connecting cardboard pieces--No Glue Needed!

Recipes for clay and paper mâché

Clay Instructions 

Air Hardening Modeling Clay

2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
1.5 cups cold water
(makes about 2 pounds - the recipe can be halved).

Baking soda and cornstarch make a smooth, pliable play clay that can be colored with everyday food coloring - or left white and painted once it hardens. When you have made your model, leave it to air dry - turning every 12 hours or so.

Place ingredients in a pan and stir until smooth. Set the pan over a medium heat and stir until boiling. Stir out any lumps and cook until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Turn out onto a plate and cover with a damp, well-wrung kitchen towel - let cool. Dust a work surface with cornstarch and knead until pliable.

My own note: As the clay dried, it cracked. I'll have to experiment with adding oil to the mixture, hopefully that will help

Paper Mâché Instructions

Paper Mâché

1/3 cup flour

2 tbsp rice flour

2 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

2 cups boiling water

1 cup cool water

Mix the dry ingredients

Mix in the cool water with a fork or whisk, adding the water a little at a time to keep it as smooth as possible

Stir the four mixture into the boiling water

Allow it to boil for two or three minutes

After a night in the fridge just stir it up with a fork

 

First Lesson- Sculpture!

Here is a list of the group project and stations for our sculpture lesson

Sculpture

Group: Andy Goldsworthy

Station: Cardboard sculpture

Station: Paper Mache

Station: Homemade clay

Today's lesson 

Sculpture is a type of visual art that involves creating three dimensional forms. Common methods of sculpting include carving, modeling, welding or casting.

Andy Goldsworthy

- Uses site specific art

- Photographs each piece right after he makes it

- He will work with anything! Leaves, dirt, ice, even thorns

- Interested in way light effect his pieces

-He often uses colors and shapes to create patterns and designs

Here are some examples of his art

Pebbles around a Hold- 1987

 Dandelion Flowers Pinned with Thorns- 1985

Ice Arch- 1985

Ceramics (Clay)

Ceramics have been around for thousands and thousands of years. The first ceramic pieces were made of animal fat and bone mixed with bone ash and a fine claylike material.

 Below is one of the most famous ceramic pieces from the Ancient World. It is a Greek created by one of the most talented artists of the time.

Ajax and Achilles playing a dice- Exekias- 540-30 b.c.e

Here is a representational ceramic piece that is made through molding and carving,

Denis Romecki- Power Curl

And here is a more abstract ceramic piece, 

Peggy Flower- Maybe

Paper Mâché

 

Paper Mâché  was created in Ancient China and was used to make Helmets! They would strengthen the paper mixture with lacquer (we now use glue and starches). Paper Mâché spread around the world and was used for decoration. Paper Mâché means chewed paper in French.

 

William Kurtz- Gallery Dogs

Kim Beaton Studios- Tree troll

Geometric Sculpture

Geometric sculpture is vary popular, especially in modern art, here are a few examples that inspired my box sculpture project

Geometric Mouse X- Oldenburg, Claes Thure

Embrace 1- Robin Antar