Rizzi-Inspired Papier-Mache Vehicles!

In DragonWing Arts, our theme for the fall was "Let's Get Moving!", and I developed a brand-new papier-mache project, building a prototype to make sure it was going to work. Above is the that prototype.

I introduced my small class to the charming work of James Rizzi.  I don't always have internet access, so I purchased a Rizzi calendar and shared his work with my students through the images on the calendar.  We especially noted the goofy vehicles with passengers and drivers with big smiles, wide eyes, and lots of personality.  And birds, too!  We noted the black outlines on all the bright colors.  And the students set out to make their own happy goofy vehicles.

They began with an assortment of boxes and other odds and ends.  Students taped parts together to create the basic desired shape of their vehicle, (and tested them with CDs to see how they'd look with wheels).   

Then they were covered with a couple of coats of papier-mache.

Meanwhile, CDs were decorated with colored Sharpies to become happy wheels, and we determined wheel placement on the vehicles.  I marked the location of the centers of the wheels and used a drill to cut holes for axles (wooden dowels).

Students painted a coat of gesso on the dry papier-mache.  The bright white gesso makes paint colors show up more brightly, essential for the James Rizzi theme.

Then, the vehicles were painted with cheerful colors.  

When the paint dried, we used oil-based paint markers to add people in the windows, and to outline the people and the areas of color on the vehicles with black.  The wheels were assembled with a slice of pool noodle between two CDs.  The axle was inserted in the vehicle, with a wheel placed on the dowel on each side, and a bottle cap hubcap was glued on each end of the dowel, not attached to the wheel.  This meant the wheels could each turn independently.   You can see the wheel construction on these photos below of my prototype.  I still need to add my headlights!

We used various 'gems' as lights and other embellishments on the vehicles.  Here's the box of gems after the lid popped off while I was putting it away.  Oops....

Here's an adorable finished train car made by my youngest student, a 3rd grade boy.

And a funky race car made by a 4th grade girl.

The wackiest shaped vehicle was this, which was some sort of camper trailer contraption, made by a delightful 5th grade girl.  She missed one class out of our 7 classes, and tends to work slowly, so I'm glad she was able to get this project complete. With more time, she could have spent more time on her windows and people.

I wish we'd had more time for more details, but we did the best we could with the time we had. We had one emergency class cancellation, not a snow day, but a squirrel day!  Yes, we  had a squirrel invader making himself at home in our classroom, and making quite a mess.  Once he was trapped (and released far away, I hope) we were able to get back to class.  I'm pretty terrified of rodents so this was a traumatic incident!

I only had three students this fall; they are three of the nicest kids ever.  There was zero arguing or fighting, and they were so kind to each other.  They go to different schools and hadn't met before, but instantly formed friendships and by the end of the session, they often left class arm-in-arm and with hugs, and had exchanged digits and were planning play dates!  So the projects were successful, but there was this additional success as well!

By the way - this was, as I said, a very small class.  If you attempt this project with a larger class, there's one important adaptation I'd make.  I'd use a base box of the same size for each student, that then could be added to.  If the bottom footprint of each vehicle, whether a train, a taxi, a school bus, a fire engine, a taxi cab, a truck, or an airplane, was the same size, all the axles could be cut to the same size and save a LOT of trouble!! Otherwise, this project can be done pretty easily.  Have fun!

Birdhouse Assemblages

 Do you have a local picture framer that you go to, when you want a piece of artwork framed?  Your framer will almost always have scraps of mat board ready to be given away to art teachers.  When they cut mats, they rarely are able to use the odd-sized leftovers.  I recently learned that the framers also often discard their framing samples when an old sample is discontinued.  I asked my framer, and she had a full carton ready to take to the dumpster!  I asked for a few, and she told me if I wanted any of them, I had to take the entire box.  So I did, and my DragonWing Arts students recently used both mat board samples and frame samples to create these adorable birdhouse assemblages! 

 We started by painting a background (we used dollar-store foam core), using small sponges to dab and spread tempera paint as desired. 

Then we  used a colorful air dry clay and some feathers to make these sweet birds.  This is NOT Model Magic; I am not a fan.  I purchased this clay online and it was much moister than Model Magic, really stuck together well, and didn't crack when dry.  The brand: Sago Brothers Magic Clay.  The kids absolutely were smitten with it. 

My students then selected their mat board and frame samples, and began assembling their birdhouses.  The mat board could be decorated with Colorsticks and/or Sharpie markers and metallic markers.  Some kids chose to make two birdhouses, and others only wanted to make one.

Corks were used for perches for the birds, and black circles cut from construction paper became the entrances to the bird house.  I hot glued the birds (when the clay was dry) onto the perches. 

I felt that they still needed a little jazzing up, so I had planned for us to cut out leaves and flowers from felt and/or sheet foam, but with the class ending this week, I knew we wouldn't have time.  So I stopped at the dollar store and bought a big pile of fake flowers, and cut them off their stems.  Those were hot glued on the artwork as desired.  Some kids also chose to add fluffy clouds.   The girl who made the assemblage below is a bit of a minimalist.  She did not want any more flowers beyond her three foam tulips!  I love her bird house.  It says "All Birds Welcome (at the) Birdy Nesters Hotel.  Even toucans". 

 Oh my gosh, I have to admit I was smitten by the felt bee hive made for the assemblage below.  (And the bluebird is adorable too!) The bees are just little knots of striped pipe cleaner pieces.  So fabulous! 

 I love the rainbow birdhouse below.  It's hard to tell, but the bird is a "French bird" wearing a beret.  My young artists have great senses of humor!

 Another minimalist.  No flowers on the piece below!  But I love that perfect robin, and the windows in the red birdhouse.  The right-hand birdhouse is evidently a castle.

I've had a former student, now a 19 year-old attending the local community college, joining me as my "helper" this winter and spring.  She loves working along with the kids, and made this delightful birdhouse with a little owl.  She took some extra frame samples home with her, to invent some sort of crafty project over the summer. 

And here's one last student assemblage.  This was such a fun and easy project, and I would love to repeat it again some day!   Meanwhile, I still have a carton full of frame samples, and welcome your ideas for other ways to use them.  Maybe a big city, perhaps?  Let me know if you have a suggestion!