Tag: home school

Transparent, Translucent, Opaque. Making Paper!

 

Old is new paper sheets.

Handmade paper using tissue paper scraps and Mod Podge.

Hello everyone, it’s a stormy day here in NY and perfect for making some home made paper.

There are a few different ways to make your own paper using recycled materials, most of them involve making paper pulp and lengthy drying times. Although this version is not as versatile as conventional paper making techniques, it is a lot quicker and can be done with a few simple ingredients.

Our new paper will also help us to explore the properties of transparency (see-through), translucency (partially see-through) and opaqueness (not at all see-through).

Supplies – plastic baggie ( I prefer the gallon size), white glue or decoupage glue (like Mod Podge), brushes, water, container, paper scraps. Paper scraps can include tissue paper, newspaper, magazines, paper towels, parchment paper (used for baking), gift wrap paper, tracing paper. Any paper that is on the thin side will work. Copy paper, construction paper and the like will probably not give you the same results, although I always encourage experimentation with materials! Knowing what doesn’t work is just as important as knowing what does.

STEPS – 

  • cut the plastic baggie so you have 2 flat pieces of plastic. You will use one piece for now.
  • tear paper into strips and/or smaller pieces.

Glue method –

  • add some water to white glue in a container. The mix should look like thin pancake mix. If it’s too thick, it will take too long to dry.
  • Use the brush to “paint” glue mixture onto the plastic baggie. I do this in sections instead of covering the whole piece. This way the glue doesn’t dry out quickly.
  • lay down a layer of paper scraps on top of glue and “paint” another coat of glue on top of the first layer of paper. Place paper scraps on top of each other in different directions to make them bond to each other better. Think of a fabric weave, how the crossing threads bind the fabric together.
  • continue layering paper and coating with glue in between until you have at least 3 layers of paper and glue.
  • give the entire surface one last coat of glue mixture and set aside to dry.

Once dry, peel new paper off plastic baggie carefully. The glue method took a few hours to dry and produced a matte (not shiny), textured surface of new paper.

Opaque paper
Opaque and translucent new paper using newspaper, tissue paper and white glue.

Decoupage Glue Method –

  • follow the same steps as above, but do not dilute the decoupage glue.
  • this method dries much quicker (30-45 minutes) and produces a glossy (shiny), smooth surface.
Stained Glass paper
Translucent paper using tissue paper scraps and decoupage glue.

What can I do with my new paper?

Your new paper can be used to draw on, as collage materials for another project, as a window decoration even as wrapping paper!

Be sure to visit Art Out of Anything on FB for today’s complete video with step by step demos and more ideas to extend this project.

Here are some links to explore –

Free Stained Glass Patterns–  print out these templates and trace onto the plastic sheets with a permanent marker to make a design with your paper scraps. Once dry, you can trace over the design with the marker again to make a stained glass window effect.

Art Vocabulary for Kids – did you know art has it’s own vocabulary?

Making Paper at Home  – here’s a more traditional paper making technique you can try at home.

Don’t forget to check out Art Out of Anything on FB for the complete video of this project and follow us on Instagram @artoutofanything for more activities and resources!

Thanks for visiting, stay safe and keep creating!

Patty

 

 

 

DIY – Mural Wall

Rainbow Hand – Mural Wall

Happy Tuesday!

Today’s video features a very popular activity in my house – drawing on the wall!

No, I am not advocating drawing on walls BUT there is a way for your little ones to be able to feel a little subversive while keeping your walls clean.

There are also wonderful muralists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring that can inspire you. Excellent, age appropriate resources on these wonderful artists, just for kids, can be found here –

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Jean-Michel-Basquiat/628054

Radiant Child – youtube

Who is Keith Haring? – Tate Kids

Visit @artoutofanything on FB or Instagram for the complete video how-to.

Here’s what you will need to make your very own “mural” – 

Paper – any paper including, but not limited to; construction paper, copy paper, wrapping paper, drawings that have outgrown the fridge, old magazines, paper bags, recycling etc.

Tape – masking tape, scotch tape, first aid tape – you get the idea. 

A wall – I used the wall in my studio next to the guest bed (formerly my son’s room), but you can use any wall in your home that is easily accessible. 

Things to draw with – the usual suspects will work, but why not try out something new like old lipstick or chalk dipped in water for a new experience? 

Using things other than for their intended purpose, allows you and your kiddos to be creative thinkers and explore different approaches to problem solving. These are very important skills that are beneficial to understanding traditional subjects and navigating through life.

Process –

  • Attach all the paper together with tape so it resembles a quilt. You can make it as long and as wide (high) as you like.
  •  Tape the paper “quilt” to the wall. Experiment with taping it higher on the wall or lower.
  • Begin your mural! Have you ever noticed how children tend to draw small images, regardless of how big the canvas is? Encourage your child to experiment with scale/size and create larger images. What happens when the paper is high on the wall and they stand to draw as opposed to when the paper is low on the wall and they can sit and draw? What do they enjoy most?

This mural wall can be left up for children to add to whenever they need a break or feel like adding some drawings to it. This is a very popular activity at our summer camp, we usually end up with at least 5 or 6 collaborative murals by the end of the season.

In keeping with out motto – “work with what you have” we have also found a great use for our completed murals. Once the paper is full of your stunning artwork, you can take it down and use it as a tablecloth or drop cloth for more art play. You can also cut it up and frame smaller pieces of it or make cards out of them! Why not experiment with using an old tablecloth or sheet instead of paper?

A brand new mural wall is then only a few minutes and some paper and tape away 🙂

Have fun, stay safe and follow us on FB and Instagram @artoutofanything for more videos and activities.

Keep creating,

Patty