Paper Mache Masks and More, Lesson Plan

Paper Mache Masks and Beyond--Grade school (with help) and Up This is a wonderful technique that can be used in so many ways. I use art paste (methyl cellulose) which doesn’t get moldy or stinky like flour and water does. Aims: To make an original, wearable mask To explore the use of paper mache Materials & Tools newspaper (lots of it) masking tape scissors odds and ends to use for the underbody (styrofoam cups, cardboard pieces, egg cartons, foil, etc. etc. art paste bowl or bucket for “slime” For painting: tempera paint (or acrylic) brushes Optional: pipe cleaners, feathers, raffia, yarn, tissue paper, fabrics and other decorative items Procedure: Motivate your students with pictures of masks from the culture you are studying. There are numerous examples from all over Africa, New Guinea and Oceania, Eskimo, Asian Indian, American Indian, etc. To construct the mask, form a loose bunch of newspapers into the size you want the mask and tape it together. Tape on objects to make the form three dimensional--eyes might be egg carton pieces or coffee cup bottoms. Make sure it is very three-dimensional. Add ears, horns, a beard, etc. with cardboard or styrofoam. Use scrunched-up foil to form shapes, too. It doesn’t have to look good at this stage; it just has to hold together for the covering process. Look at the mask in profile and make sure you have enough things sticking out to make it sculptural. To paper mache, cover your work area. Mix several tablespoons of art paste into water. A little will go along way. Use you hand to mix and get rid of any small lumps. It will thicken in a few minutes and you may then have to add more water. Rip lots of newspaper into strips, along the grain. Make them mostly medium-sized--about 1-1/2” by 4 or 5 inches. You’ll need tons of them. When you are ready to paper mache, dip each piece in the art paste mixture, scissor off with your fingers so it doesn’t drip too much and smack down, going over the piece a few times to make sure it conforms to the outline of your shapes. You’ll need about 3 or 4 layers for a strong mask. Go every which way, not just in one direction. Patting down is key for the surface to look good. When dry, take out the “guts”. Sometimes you’ll need to cut around the back edges with scissors to pull out the form. You can use an exacto knife to cut out eye slits or nostrils, which you only need if you are going to wear it. If you are painting you mask a light color, putting on a coat of white first will help block out the newspaper print. References of painted masks will help your students paint their masks more beautifully. Details are important to add at this point. You may use hot glue to add decorative items like yarn, tissue paper or feathers. Variations can include covering balloons or other objects to make bowls or constructing free-standing figures or animals.

Accordion Book Lesson Plan

Accordion Books (Grade school (with help)- adult] This is a book arts technique from Japan, that works well for all ages of elementary students. It could be a stand-alone art project or be have a cross-curricular aspect to it. Aims: •To create an original book •To learn about cultural connections (Japan) •To integrate academic curriculum into your art lessons (optional) Materials & Tools: Scratch paper for planning 2 pieces of chipboard or heavy cardboard a bit bigger than the folded page size of your book white paper cut, folded (and glued by overlapping if necessary) to make even numbered folded stack with correct number of pages (see below). Rice paper is another, more expensive possibility. Paper for covering cardboard covers--4” larger on top and bottom (for an 8 x 10 cover, you’d want 12 x 14” cover paper) pencil, eraser, scissors, tape, white glue Sharpie markers, watercolors, watercolor brush, water can Colored pencils Ribbon or string for tying Procedure: Decide the theme for your lesson. It could be a book without words, a book about one’s family, a creative story, etc. Have your students work out their stories on scratch paper (4-6 folds is a good number). You need to have a long, folded sheet have 2 more sections than your story, so for a 4-panel story you need six sections and for a 6-panel story you need eight. Keep the numbers even so the book glues together well. Fold the panels to make equal sections, gluing on extra paper if necessary by overlapping slightly (The seam will disappear once the panel is colored, so don’t worry about it). It might be easier if you give your class the same specifications--say 6 panels for everybody, because then the construction will be the same for everyone. Draw, sharpie and color the insides as desired. Next, make your covers. The cardboard should be a little bit bigger than our folded pages for the best possible look. Cover the cardboard by cutting your paper 4” each way (2” per side). Draw “envelope” flaps on all four sides, directly from the corners. You are making angled lines going inward on each side--not outward!!!! Cut out the odd-looking corner shapes which will resemble a triangle with a drooping bottom. Fold over each flap and tape down. This side will be the inside of your front and back covers. Tape ribbon on the left side for the cover and the right side for the back. Glue the end “extra” pages over the inside covers, tie your book closed and you have an accordion book. Reflection Share your books, as always. Variations: Use other materials such as collage. Books can open up and down, too.

Repousse Demo On Wednesday: What You Need to Know

Adam will be doing a sculpture project with us on Wednesday. Please read below and come prepared with a small 6 x 6 inch drawing to repousse on copper. FROM ADAM: "I got my demo pieces ready for Wednesday's repose demonstration. I wanted to email the class to ask them to bring in a drawing on 6"x6" piece of paper of anything they'd like. The only drawing guidelines are that they use as few lines as possible (they'll see why later) and big shapes. They drawings can be representation or abstract, but everyone should just understand that tiny details and too many lines won't come out nicely on the copper sheet, which is why it's best to stick with large shapes and few lines. I borrowed pieces of felt for everyone to work on and I'm cutting the copper out tonight (6"x6!). If you or anyone else has needle-nose pliers, please bring them since I only have two pair. Worst case scenario we could share, since it's simple enough shapes with just squares (things get complicated if the copper is rounded). So aside from my plea for needle-nose pliers, everyone just needs the 6"x6" drawing for Wednesday to transfer to their piece of copper that I will provide. p.s. - I just realized after I finished writing this whole thing that round tipped objects like soft pencils, the backs of thin paintbrushes, boxwood ceramic tools, anything soft and wooden, are all good tools to use. Metals scratch the copper ...and the noise also irritates me. Also optional: steel wool, which can be used to create a kind of brushed metal effect, but again, it's not necessary."