Picture book illustration

Students of grade 6 made this illustration. After a good study of the original illustration in a Dutch picturebook, they made a list of required materials to use for this artwork. The faces and arms are painted, the clothes and curtains are cut out of fabric, the wallpaper comes from a sample book for wallpaper and the flags are from scraps of paper.

The princess and the pea

You need:

1. coloured construction paper
2. fabrics
3. a pea
4. glue
5. scissors
6. scraps of construction paper, including gold and silver
7. markers and/or colour pencils

Read the fairy tale 'The princess and the pea' of Hans Christian Andersen. Discuus after this what a princess bed would look like. The students make the bed of the princess in this story. The bed has to be made of stripes of paper. At the bottom of the bed is a real pea, of course. Cut strips of fabrics for the matrasses (use special scissors for fabrics) and make a princess on top of this whole pile. Maybe the bed has even curtains or a little golden crown?

Made by students of grade 1

Inchies

Inchies are small matching artworks that make one artwork together. The name is derived from the original size of the inchie, one inch (2.54 cm). By choosing a theme, a material or a colour, you ensure that your inchies match nicely together. Inchies can also be used to learn certain skills, like embroidery or sew on a button. Variatons are endless.

The base is an MDF board or canvas on a frame. The inchies are cut (measure carefully) from a shoebox lid or other cardboard and then covered with coloured paper or fabric. Little things have to be pasted or sewn on these squares.The inchies are pasted on the background with double-sided tape.

Of course those squares don't really have to be an inch. Let the size depend from the size of the background. All examples in this lesson are made on a canvas frame from 20 by 20 cm with squares from 4 by 4 cm.

This artwork is made on a canvas frame. It is covered with white wallpaper. The squares are covered with different kinds of wallpaper too (ask for a pattern book in the wallpaper store). Different things in matching coloures are pasted on the inchies.

On the artwork above you'll see inchies that are covered with different materials: wallpaper, lunchbag paper, embroidery linen, rope and teddybear fabric. Skills that are practiced: embroidery, sewing a button and wire wrapping.

This artwork's theme is 'shells'. The variation lies in the background here: ribbed cardboard, painted sandpaper, plastic, wrinkled paper, fleece line etc. A list of things you need isn't easy to give! Ask children to take things from home to paste or sew on their inchies. Ask a patternbook in a wallpaper store for nice backgrounds.

Basic supplies:

1. mdf board or canvas frame
2. shoebox lid or some other cardboard
3. ruler and pencil
4. scissors and glue
5. several sorts of paper and/or fabric
6. doublesided tape
7. decoration supplies
8. needle and thread

By letting kids make one or more inchies in a specific theme or colour, you'll make a terrific group work!

Chilly penguin

You need:

1. grey construction paper A4 size
2. black shiny paper
3. white wallpaper
4. glue
5. white tempera
6. q-tips
7. leftovers of coloured paper
8. fleece fabric

Children cut a penguin body and wings out of black shiny paper. The belly has to be cut out of white textured wallpaper. The earmuffs and scarf are cut out of fleece fabric. Eyes and noses are cut out of coloured paper. Snowflakes are stamped with a q-tips and white tempera paint.

Made by children of grade 1.

This lesson is done by Lilia Bezemer and based on examples found on Artsonia.

Winter coat

You need:

1. pattern winter coat
2. fabrics
3. buttons, straps
4. needles
5. sewing thread
6. textile glue
7. cardboard

Pattern winter coat

Make a copy of the pattern, enlarge it if you want to and print it. Cut the coat out of paper. Fold the fabric and pin the pattern on the fabric with the middle of the pattern against the fold. Cut the coat out of the fabric. Avoid fraying and use a lock or sewing machine.

Time to decorate the coat by sewing pockets, sewing buttons, embroidery, etc. When finished, paste the coat on cardboard.

Wrapped art, like Christo

A wrapped globe

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, Christo (1935-2020) worked on large art projects. His artistic strategy ais to wrap buildings or landscapes with fabrics. The wrapping of buildings or objects leads to the abstraction. 

Examples of his work are the wrapping of Pont Neuf in Paris (1985), the Reichstag in Berlin (1995) and The Gates in Central Park New York (2004). Christo wants his work to be seen by lots of people. The result is intended purely aesthetic. People will look at the environment "with new eyes". All work from Christo is to be seen on his website.

Wrapping like Christo

Ask students to take an object from home that:

1. is larger than a soda can;
2. fits on a table;
3. is not breakable;
4. is not expensive;
5. may stay in school for some days;
6. has a particular form (not just a box)

Discuss with the children why people wrap things: to protect, to surprise (presents), to ship. Why has Christo wrapped things? What is the effect of the wrapped objects? Look at some Christo projects and discuss them.

A wrapped easel

You need:

1. an object for each kid
2. big fabrics, pieces of plastic, garbage bags, wrapping papier, toilet paper, aluminum foil and plastic wrap
3. materials to tie, like rope, yarn, tape, wire, fishing line, painter tape and fabric strips
4. materials to decorate, like feathers, paint, markers, coloured paper, textile markers, glitter glue, buttons etc.

The goal for today: wrap your object to hide details; tie it, to make the form visible again. When your ready earlier than others, you may decorate your artwork using different materials. When children go to work, walk around and stimulate them. Each kid wraps in his own way, nothing is wrong. Stay mentioning the goal: wrap to let disappear details, tie to recognize the form again. When everybody is ready and the classroom is tidy again, ask children to exhibit their work. Are the goals achieved? Finally children make some digital photo's of their own work.

A wrapped Christmas decoration

Lesson and photo's received from Linda Vroemisse

Polka dots from Staphorst, Holland

Table cloth, group work

Staphorst is a a town in the eastern Netherlands. The town is famous for about 600 women who are still wearing traditional dress. Until now, utensils and cloths are designed with characteristic 'Staphorster Stipwerk', translated: Staphorst polka dots. Staphorster stipwerk is made by nails stuck in corks and then tipped in paint. The stipwerk is mostly done on a dark surface.

Benodigdheden:

1. black fabric
2. textile paint
3. nails in different sizes

Show some examples of Staphorster Stipwerk (Google image searcher). Discuss what you see: colour use, size of the dots, motives, patterns etc. Let children practice first in making patterns. Use a scratch paper and colour pencils for this. If they understand the principle of making flowers out of polka dots, they can start stamping with the nails. This lesson can be done individually, but making a group table cloth is maybe much more fun! And: in stead of stamping on cotton, it is also possible to stamp on wooden utensils, like a small chipboard box or a wooden plate. Before stamping, the box has to be painted black of course. And, don't use textile paint but use tempera. Lacquer with vernish for shiny result.

Part of the table cloth