Alexander Calder, American sculptor and inventor of the mobile, also invented the "stabile", a freestanding sculpture with similar qualities to the mobile. Since his stabile sculptures are quite large, many are installed outdoors.... so we "planted" our stabiles in florist foam complete with growing grass to get the full effect!Materials:4 Pipe cleaners in assorted colors4 … [Read more...]
Paper Sculpture Inspired by Alexander Calder
This wonderful sculpture was created at my last Teacher Workshop.... I don't know who to give credit to, so if this is yours, please let me know!Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was an American artist who was born into a family of artists and sculptors and became one of the 20th century’s most influential modern artists. He is also known for inventing the mobile and the "stabile", … [Read more...]
Toothpick Sculptures – 3D Pyramid Stars
Kids love any opportunity to work in 3D and are surprised to discover all they can make using just toothpicks and some modeling material. After practicing a few basic forms, let their imaginations run wild and see all the creative ideas they can come up with! First, let's begin with some basic vocabulary.... Tetrahedron - a pyramid with four faces that are all triangles … [Read more...]
Animal Sculpture with Air-Dry Clay
Kids LOVE using clay, maybe more than any other art medium, yet most schools and homes do not have a kiln for firing. If this is your situation, don't let this stop you from sharing the experience of working with clay with your students! Crayola Air Dry Clay is a good alternative to the traditional clay that requires kiln firing. We used the art of French sculptor Francois … [Read more...]
Art Demo ~ Crayola Model Magic
Here are a few scary (and sadly, out of focus!) monsters from a product demo I did yesterday for Crayola, using their Model Magic modeling material. These imaginative creatures were created by an 8 year old boy who couldn't get enough of this stuff!Before being asked to teach this demo, I always thought Model Magic was more of a pre-school type of thing, but after spending a … [Read more...]
“Catch of the Day” – Ceramic Fish
Clay fish platter by AllisonKids love clay! There's just something about getting your hands covered with mud that kids can't resist! Clay is a great medium for learning about texture and form, and its possibilities are endless. Here are my directions for this fun fish platter.... a perfect summer project!Directions:1. Draw a fun fish design on a piece of 9x12 construction … [Read more...]
