This is a classic make-your-own-mask project and is especially good for younger kids. Don't forget to look at the articles on Venetian Masks and African Masks if you need some inspiration!
Supplies Needed:
Paper plate
Elastic
Many colors of construction paper
Paints, Crayons, etc.
Glue
Scissors.
Anything else you might want to add, such as feathers, sequins, buttons, jewels
Begin by painting the back of the paper plate. You can paint it any color you want or use more than one color. Use your imagination.
When the mask has dried, cut out eye holes and a mouth so you’ll be able to see and breathe.
Use the construction paper and other materials to decorate the paper plate. You can try making a beak out of construction to create a bird mask. Or you could add construction-paper horns to be a rhinoceros or a dinosaur. Add just one horn to make a unicorn mask.
Poke a hole in each side of the mask and attach the elastic.
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Here’s another interesting mask-making technique. It requires a computer and is a bit complicated, but it’s worth a look. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/morefun/createmasks.mspx
For another Mask project, check back tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Venetian Masks and Carnevale
Venice, Italy is a city built entirely on water. Instead of roads, there are canals and instead of taxis and buses, boats. Venice was once its own country, the Venetian Republic, until 1797, and during this time, masks played a large part in the culture.
Masks were especially important during Carnevale, a two-and-a-half-week celebration in February that leads up to Ash Wednesday. Masks allowed all people to be equal: a peasant woman could be mistaken for royalty if her face was covered by a mask.
When the Venetian Republic ended, so did the popularity of Carnevale and the wearing of masks. Carnevale has made a comeback in the last 30 years and today there are mask shops on every corner in Venice.
Venetian masks come in many different styles. Some cover the entire face and are decorated by enormous plumes of feathers. Others are plain white and only cover the eyes and nose. And you can find everything in between. Click here for some great Carnevale mask pictures.
Later in the week, when you make your own masks, maybe these pictures will inspire you. Also look back to the African masks from Friday's post.
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Masks were especially important during Carnevale, a two-and-a-half-week celebration in February that leads up to Ash Wednesday. Masks allowed all people to be equal: a peasant woman could be mistaken for royalty if her face was covered by a mask.
When the Venetian Republic ended, so did the popularity of Carnevale and the wearing of masks. Carnevale has made a comeback in the last 30 years and today there are mask shops on every corner in Venice.
Venetian masks come in many different styles. Some cover the entire face and are decorated by enormous plumes of feathers. Others are plain white and only cover the eyes and nose. And you can find everything in between. Click here for some great Carnevale mask pictures.Later in the week, when you make your own masks, maybe these pictures will inspire you. Also look back to the African masks from Friday's post.Return to main page.
Friday, October 19, 2007
African Masks
In Africa since the Stone Age, and in some parts of Africa even today, masks are used as representations of spirits of ancestors. During various celebrations and during the harvest, one person would be named the chosen “dancer” and would wear a special mask. These Africans believed (and some believe today) that the mask would be inhabited by the spirit it represented and the wearer of the mask would be possessed. This is why the dancer fell into a trance during the ceremony.
When the dancer is in the trance, he communicates with the spirit of the mask. The dancer relays messages from the spirit but they are usually just grunts and screeches. Sometimes a wise man will translate the grunts so that the other people at the ceremony can understand.
African masks sometimes cover the dancer’s face the way we usually think of masks, but sometimes they cover the entire head, like a helmet, or just the top of the head, like a flat hat. The masks can be made of leather, metal, wood, and fabric.
Because these ceremonies have been going on for so long, there are a lot of African masks spread around the world. They are considered objects of art and most major museums have a few in their collections. Look for them next time you visit a museum.
When the dancer is in the trance, he communicates with the spirit of the mask. The dancer relays messages from the spirit but they are usually just grunts and screeches. Sometimes a wise man will translate the grunts so that the other people at the ceremony can understand.
African masks sometimes cover the dancer’s face the way we usually think of masks, but sometimes they cover the entire head, like a helmet, or just the top of the head, like a flat hat. The masks can be made of leather, metal, wood, and fabric.
Because these ceremonies have been going on for so long, there are a lot of African masks spread around the world. They are considered objects of art and most major museums have a few in their collections. Look for them next time you visit a museum.
Click here for pictures of African Masks. Notice the three types of masks listed above.
Click here for an easy tribal mask project.
Return to main page.Thursday, October 18, 2007
Fresco Project
Since I posted about Michelangelo and frescoes, I’ve noticed a lot of people have come in search of a fresco project. I did not originally post one because frescoes are complicated and involve toxic materials. When you mix plaster it gets hot and gives off fumes and this would not be a fun project or a very safe one.
That being said, I remember a project I did when I was in elementary school that was a modified fresco project, using plaster of Paris. If you are really interested in creating your own fresco, try this.
Supplies Needed:
Plaster of Paris
Watercolor Paints
Paintbrush
Clay (recipe below)
Thin cardboard (cereal boxes)
Purchase some plaster of Paris and mix according to the instructions on the package. You’ll want to let it set for a few minutes before pouring it into a mold. I recommend making a mold out of clay and thin cardboard.
Follow the directions for clay:
Supplies Needed:
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly stir in the water and the oil until there are no more lumps. The mixture should be smooth. That’s all there is to it; you have homemade clay.
Mold the clay into a thin, smooth sheet (about half an inch thick). Cut some strips of thin cardboard (try using a cereal box) and stick them into the clay to create a wall. You can make your fresco any shape by just arranging the cardboard into that shape. Make sure to tape the edges where the pieces of cardboard meet. If you want your fresco to be rectangular, just cut the two large sides off the box and use the remaining pieces.
Alternatively, you could use a tupperware container as a mold but you may destroy the container and will certainly not want to keep food in it again.
Pour the plaster of Paris into the mold and let it set. Plaster of Paris will heat up as it sets but it will not be dangerous; it will only reach about 80 degrees. If you want to paint on the plaster as it dries feel free to try it but wait until it hardens a bit. If you try to paint on it while it still looks like pancake batter your paintbrush will sink in and leave blobs of paint in the plaster of Paris.
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That being said, I remember a project I did when I was in elementary school that was a modified fresco project, using plaster of Paris. If you are really interested in creating your own fresco, try this.
Supplies Needed:
Plaster of Paris
Watercolor Paints
Paintbrush
Clay (recipe below)
Thin cardboard (cereal boxes)
Purchase some plaster of Paris and mix according to the instructions on the package. You’ll want to let it set for a few minutes before pouring it into a mold. I recommend making a mold out of clay and thin cardboard.
Follow the directions for clay:
Supplies Needed:
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly stir in the water and the oil until there are no more lumps. The mixture should be smooth. That’s all there is to it; you have homemade clay.
Mold the clay into a thin, smooth sheet (about half an inch thick). Cut some strips of thin cardboard (try using a cereal box) and stick them into the clay to create a wall. You can make your fresco any shape by just arranging the cardboard into that shape. Make sure to tape the edges where the pieces of cardboard meet. If you want your fresco to be rectangular, just cut the two large sides off the box and use the remaining pieces.
Alternatively, you could use a tupperware container as a mold but you may destroy the container and will certainly not want to keep food in it again.
Pour the plaster of Paris into the mold and let it set. Plaster of Paris will heat up as it sets but it will not be dangerous; it will only reach about 80 degrees. If you want to paint on the plaster as it dries feel free to try it but wait until it hardens a bit. If you try to paint on it while it still looks like pancake batter your paintbrush will sink in and leave blobs of paint in the plaster of Paris.
To turn your fresco into a wall hanging, cut a piece of string and bury the two ends in the plaster before it has fully set. You'll be able to hang the fresco from this string once the plaster of Paris has set.
When I did this project in art class in elementary school, the art teacher created the molds ahead of time at let them dry completely. This allowed us to draw the outline of our picture onto the dried plaster with a pencil. The project also took several hours to complete and art class was one hour at the longest. We couldn’t have finished it before the plaster of Paris dried.
Maybe you should make two molds and paint on one as it hardens and the other one after it hardens. Let me know which works best.
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Though not an art-related book, Lois Ehlert’s Leaf Man does relate to the projects of the last two days, Make Your Own Leaf Pressing and What to do with All Those Pressed Leaves.
Leaf Man, the star of this picture book, is a man made out of fall leaves. Leaf Man goes on a journey, letting the wind take him where it pleases. The book’s illustrations are pictures of fall leaves arranged into shapes such as fish, and turkeys. These are the things Leaf Man sees on his journey. Do you have a leaf man living the pile of fall leaves in your yard?
This book will give you inspiration when creating your own leaf man, as I have done here:
Leaf Man, the star of this picture book, is a man made out of fall leaves. Leaf Man goes on a journey, letting the wind take him where it pleases. The book’s illustrations are pictures of fall leaves arranged into shapes such as fish, and turkeys. These are the things Leaf Man sees on his journey. Do you have a leaf man living the pile of fall leaves in your yard?
This book will give you inspiration when creating your own leaf man, as I have done here:
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