Alesia’s Art Activities
Alesia Lacina has a long history of arts education in Grinnell. Here are some of her favorite art activities for you!
Make a Simple Book About You
Illustrate and write your story. (Have fun--there are no mistakes!)
Materials:
paper
pencils + markers
glue
yarn, string or pipe cleaners
Instructions:
Fold heavy paper and two plain pieces of paper in half, and then unfold. In the middle crease, poke three holes through all the pages.
Starting from the outside of the book, poke a string through the middle hole.
Then poke the string back through hole one, back through hole three and finally back through the middle hole.
Tie the string ends coming through the middle hole together. Add beads or feathers etc.
Attach head, wings, arms or legs to your book.
Begin to illustrate and write your story.
Optional: Make a series of books about animals, pets, friends or family members.
PLAY DAY | CAST OF CHARACTERS + THEATRE BOX ARTBOX THEATRE PUPPETS
Thanks to Studio 6 Students + Mary Emge!
Supplies: plastic bottles + markers + glue stick + clear tape or masking tape + scissors + fabric, old gloves or socks + pipe cleaners + glue gun + aluminum foil + beads + white glue + buttons + bells + dried beans + tissue paper + pom poms + magazines + googly eyes + fun art supplies around the house
How to:
1) Find a plastic bottle.
2) Make aluminum foil horns, nose and/or hat. Attach them to the bottle with masking tape or glue gun.
3) Glue tissue paper or magazines to bottle. Or you can paper mache and then paint.
4) To create the body, make a pattern using your hand. Using the pattern, cut out material and sew or glue. Or use a glove.
5) Glue or tape the body to the bottom of the bottle.
Write a play. Add music. Entertain your family.
Optional: Find a large box similar to the one in the photo. Cut out a rectangle in front. Open the back so the flaps support the theatre upright. Set the box on a table. You now have a theatre. Color and/or decorate the theatre.
Make a Self-Portrait (Without looking in a mirror or photo!)
Supplies: glue stick + scissors + magazines or colored paper
+ markers
How to:
1) Imagine yourself.
2) Start with plain background or picture from a magazine.
3) Out of colored paper or magazines, cut out your head, nose, mouth, eyes, hair, hat, bow tie, horns, whatever you imagine.
4) Glue to background paper.
Examples: Alesia’s self-portrait + Studio 6 students’ self-portraits
Emotion Cylinder
How are you today? Express how you feel through the language of drawing. Make a changing emotion cylinder (or just free draw on paper!). Examples: Happy, Sad, Sleepy, or Angry (just draw--there are no mistakes!).
Supplies: Glue stick + clear tape or masking tape + scissors + heavy paper or cereal box cut open + markers + Optional: Magazines
How to:
1) Lay out two sheets of heavy paper or two cereal boxes cut to 11 ½ x 8 ½ inch rectangle.
2) On one of the pieces of paper, draw a small (about 2” diameter”) circle in the upper third of the paper. Make the circle using a circular container cap or by free hand.
3) Cut out the circle.
4) Draw a figure or glue a figure from a magazine around the cut out circle, pretending that the circle is the head.
5) Use the paper with the figure as a pattern. Lay it on top of the second piece of paper and draw a circle where the cut out circle is. Repeat this twice—once to left of your first circle and once to the right of you first circle so you have 3 circles about 1” apart.
6) You now have 3 circles. Draw your feelings or find faces from a magazine and cut out and place in the circle.
7) Attach a small tab to the top of the page with the three faces. This will help you turn the inside cylinder later on.
8) Make the first cylinder with the page with the faces and tape.
9) Make a second cylinder with the page with the figure by going around the first cylinder. Tape it.
Set the cylinder somewhere so everyone can see. This will warn them as to how you are feeling today!!
Silly Springtime Tree
Supplies: Recycled materials + plastic bottles + toothpaste boxes + cereal boxes + paper towel rolls + masking tape + scissors + colored paper + magazines + paint + glue + paper sacks
How to:
1) Collect materials to be recycled. (Make sure they have been cleaned.)
2) Build a tree sculpture by taping the recycled materials together.
3) Paper mache with colored paper, magazines, paper sacks or tissue paper.
Or you can paper mache with newsprint and then paint.
Brown paper sacks work well for the trunk of the tree. Make tree blossoms using the instructions from Bouquet Helmet Flower Power project.