Over the past few years my experiences have included teaching
Family Learning course for families at Richmond Adult
Community College
(Shaftsbury Arts Centre), papier mache street workshops at
Twickenham Festival and at the
RACC Art tent at Richmond Fair in 2004, workshops in schools and private
parties. I have worked with local primary schools, GCSE students and local
clubs and groups.
My workshops are extremely
successful and families or children can work together
on a range of projects from constructing The London Eye to
the FA Cup, a pair of ballet shoes and bugs. see
>>Learning
Papier Mache .
I am very happy to
visit your school,
hall,
college, library or home to run a papier mache
workshop. This can include a demonstration. Ideally there should be
2 visits to allow the newspaper to dry. However a simple shape or
animal covered in tissue can be achieved in 2-3 hours.
I will show you how to make
your own glue and take you through the various stages required to complete your
piece.
This is the best craft for kids available. I have produced papier mache
workshops at many London and Surrey and have put on private birthday parties and
workshops.
Anyone can do this art form. Some children as young as 4 or 5 can start
papier mache, but for an entire class of all
abilities,
6 or 7 is an ideal age
to get to grips with the technique. It is only really from the start of Junior
school that children can paint a design with any accuracy. However if
younger, dots and sponges can complete any piece very effectively.
This
art form can be a wonderful therapy for older people who have diminished
sight or are losing their manual hand
dexterity through arthritis. Many
have found this craft a wonderful way to come back to art. Any age,
any ability - this art technique does not need the traditional artistic
background.
Indeed, many people who are now selling papier mache say that
they were no good at art at school but have found a new talent.
Surprise
yourself and give it a go! The materials cost nothing and you are recycling as
well!
If you want a workshop for a party then I may need to prepare bases
ready to paint. It depends on the time you have available. Why not
have a couple of sessions? Craft for kids that ends with a stunning wall
hanging, angel fish or butterfly.
It is possible to cover with tissue in
the one session to produce a finished item.
Here are some examples of previous workshops:
London Eye Workshop
This was an full day workshop for Year 6 students (10-11 years
old). I constructed the frame prior to the lesson and the children created
and attached the pods, ticket office, bridge and Houses of Parliament.
I also provided information about the London Eye along with
handy hints on how to create papier mache sculpture.
This was loaded onto a special CD and given as part of the
workshop.
Fairy and Sprites Workshop based on Spiderwick
This was held over one day with two sessions each for two
Primary school groups of girls. Although we used the school paints, I provided
wire for the armatures and all the tissues, glitters, feather and other
embellishments to create the diverse and creative sprites.
Arts Workshop
This was with an secondary
school art club in arts week over 2 afternoon sessions. The workshop was
celebrating art, music and drama. I did prepare the shaped blank bases ready for
papier mache of the items prior to arriving at the workshop.
Fish Workshop
This project was also with a group of girls and boys from Year
6 Juniors.
The fish were built up from a cut out cardboard base. The children researched
and chose their fish from school resources prior to my visiting. We
managed to get the framework and papering done in under 2 hours. The
teacher supervised the children to put a white base coat and a plain
colour 2nd layer on their fish before I returned to show them painting
techniques. The 2nd lesson was completed in under 2 hours also.
This project was done as an art activity in the summer term after the exams
were over and to present to parents on their final achievements day. It
made a spectacular display. This could also be done to decorate a school library or hall.
The fish
look great hung in a large net or from the ceiling.
Greek Pot Workshop
Another project was designed to fit in with
the school curriculum for Year 3. A mixed class of girls and boys aged 7
and 8 designed their own Greek pots researching traditional designs,
patterns, shapes and colours. A series of four or five one hour periods were
used to achieve these finished pots. It is advisable when dealing with
this age span to allow more sessions of a shorter time allocation. The
teacher can work with the children on these pots between visits so all the
children reach the same stage at the same time.
The children were thrilled with the results and so were the parents. The
styles, colours and designs were all absolutely authentic
and had taught the
children a lot about Greek history and art.
Click to enlarge
Butterflies, Seaside and Solar System Workshops
I also have taught courses with holiday and after
school clubs and produced many lovely items such as these beautiful butterflies.
The children were aged between 5 and 10. The course was over 2 x 3 hour
sessions. This craft for kids session was at an after school club where I
have taught in Richmond, Surrey.
A further course recently taught was to get the children, aged
9, to produce a solar system and man in the moon. A discussion on relative size
of the planets and an adherence to proportion was an important feature of the
exercise. The children worked in
groups of 2 or 3, so the whole class was
involved. Each child designed their own man in the moon and the more
advanced put their moons against a night sky with stars.
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These items were also created on small group
workshops.
If you are based in or around London, you can commission a workshop.
Treat your class to a special session of craft for kids
with a papier mache display lesson.
Courses start at as little as £75.00 if your provide all the materials.
Day courses and distances to commute may increase charges.
Email me
for more details.
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