Art Outline Unit 6

Literary tie-ins are some of my all-time favorite art lessons to do with the kids. There's already such a connection to the art style and imagery. So when my daughter's teacher mentioned the class had greatly enjoyed The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin (a folklore version of Cinderella), I knew right away what to do.

Time for a sculpture project!

Supplies:

• Coffee stir sticks
• Hot glue
• Brown paper grocery bags
• Markers
• Clear tape

Time:

• At home:
  -About two hours to glue the frames together (we made 30, enough for each student plus extra in case of any breaking).
  -About 30 minutes to prep the paper bags.
• At school:
  -30 minutes to design, draw, and color.
  -20 minutes to cut and crinkle page.
  -10 minutes to clean up.

Home Prep Steps:

Inspired by the vibrantly decorated wigwam of the invisible being in the story, we began by prepping teepee frames at home, using hot glue. This would have been too many steps/details to try and fit into the school day, though if you're planning a multi-day project, I have seen a really cool version with wrapping the sticks in string or embroidery floss.

I also prepped the paper grocery bags at home. cutting out the bottom and laying the bags out into one long strip, I divided them into 5 even strips, and cut 30. I then traced the template onto the strips so that the children could easily see where there designs would show, and what should be left blank because it would be cut away.


At School:

I passed out only the paper bag strips and hung up a small sign I created to discuss the art terminology of the week, "iconography."

We spent about two minutes discussing the connection to the story, and how the icons chosen were part of how the story communicates meaning to the reader. They were inspired by nature and personally important to the character. We also discussed how iconography is simplified or emboldened versions of ideas, and too many details would muddle the imagery.

I encouraged the students to choose icons important to them and like the invisible being, to boldly color their icons. I also warned them that the top corners might overlap when we wrapped our paper around our wigwam frames, so they should focus mainly on the area toward the front.

They got to work and soon had all designed and colored their strips. We used markers to ensure our designs didn't disappear later.

They cut along the lines given and then came the fun part: crinkling!

The more you crinkle and uncrinkle that paper bag, the softer and more malleable (and more tanned-hide-like!) it becomes. This is necessary if you want it to fit well around the frame. I crinkled a small sample piece so that I could walk around and show the kids just how soft it could (and should) become.

Once finished, all that's needed to secure the designed paper around the frame is a small piece of clear tape. A few students opted to tape directly to the frame as well, for a little more security, which is great but not necessary. The conical design means the paper sits atop the frame quite prettily.

These in particular will be part of the kids' Open House display. How fun!