Simple Stick Puppets

Simple Stick Puppets

ARTS 130

Professor J. Healy

Time Period: 1-2 Periods

Aims:

•To create original puppet characters

•To use puppets in student-produced puppet show

Materials: Bristol board or oak tag pieces/scraps, art materials of your choice that work on paper, scissors, tape, popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, short kebob skewers

or stubby pencils.

Motivation: There are many ways to approach this lesson with children. If you have a few puppets already made, you could start the lesson with a puppet show about making puppets. Kids adore it when you make different voices for the characters. Or you could talk a bit about how plays are written and have your students write playlets (either in groups or individually) of their own. The important thing is to have at least two characters that can interact.

Teach your students how to make a beginning, middle and end to their plays and have them keep it short. (Kids’ plays can go on forever. A little editing here will be a good thing.) In any case, the students should know ahead of time what character or characters they are making.

Vocabulary to use: character, dialogue, villain, hero/heroine, shape, three-quarter view, frontal view

Procedure: Gather your students around a large table, making sure that everyone can see. I have everyone take a step backwards to make the oval big enough so no one is blocked. (If kids lean forward, people behind him are blocked.)

Discuss the importance of shape and show students how to make a frontal or side view of their characters. After drawing in the details, the flat pieces should be colored. You may want to use the old standby of sharpie followed by watercolor. At the end, gluing on feathers, glitter, eyeballs, etc. is also an option. Use Elmer’s Glue’all—not School Glue or a glue stick.

The last step is to cut out the character and tape it on a stick for use.

Reflection: Follow-up: Make a puppet theater out of a large appliance box for students to use in the classroom. Add a real curtain.

130--Finger Puppets--Grades 3 & up

Note: I’ve made these at childrens' birthday parties, making them at beginning, playing games while they dry and then painting them before the cake. They’re ready to take home by the end of the party. If you set up the lesson correctly, it’s really not messy.

If you or other grade teachers are teaching writing or drama to children, making puppets of characters can be a strong curricular addition.

Aims:
To explore the use of plaster craft
To create original puppet characters
To use puppets in student-produced puppet show

Materials: First Session: plaster craft cut into strips (do this over a garbage can, if possible to avoid dust); coffee cans filled with water 1” from top; vaseline; thick styrofoam from packaging with old pencils pushed in for easy drying; optional: aluminum foil/pipe cleaners or other easily bendable wire
Second Session: paint (tempera or acrylic); brushes; water cans; optional: feathers, googley eyes

Motivation: There are many ways to approach this lesson with children. If you have a few puppets already made, you could start the lesson with a puppet show about making puppets. Kids adore it when you make different voices for the characters. Or you could talk a bit about how plays are written and have your students write playlets (either in groups or individually) of their own. The important thing is to have at least two characters that can interact.

Teach your students how to make a beginning, middle and end to their plays and have them keep it short. (Kids’ plays can go on forever. A little editing here will be a good thing.)

In any case, the students should know ahead of time what character or characters they are making.

Vocabulary: character, dialogue, villain, hero/heroine, three-dimensional

Procedure: Gather your students around a large table, making sure that everyone can see. I have everyone take a step backwards to make the oval big enough so no one is blocked. If kids lean forward, people behind him are blocked.

I put a bit of vaseline on the finger I’m going to make the puppet on--usually the non-dominant index finger. Dip a plaster strip in the can and stroke it to remove the holes. Wrap LIGHTLY around finger and repeat two more times. Don’t make it too long on your finger and don’t make it too tight. It will harden quickly and you don’t want it to get struck! Explain this to your students. (So far, I’ve never had a student get one stuck.)

Scrunch a dampened piece or two or three into a ball to make a head and press it down. You have to be very patient doing this, since until it dries, it will tend to fall off. Add a snout, ears, paws, hind legs, a tail, etc. Work quickly so that wet sticks to wet better.

If you want to make something more complicated such as a butterfly, you need to use pipe cleaners to wrap around your form. Fold a piece of aluminum foil over the shapes to make it more solid and then cover with the plaster pieces. Make sure that you “activate” the pieces as you work.

When ready to paint, encourage the students to make a base coat on the sections and then to add details. You don't want little flecks of white showing through. When dry, students may use sharpie markers to draw fine details, if you like. Gluing on feathers, glitter, eyeballs, etc. is also an option. I use a hot glue gun for this, monitoring the students well, depending on their age.

Reflection: Follow-up: Make a puppet theater out of a large appliance box for students to use in the classroom. Add a real curtain.

130-Paper Sculpture

Paper Sculpture (K- adult)

Aim: •To explore the possibilities of paper as a sculptural materials

Materials & Tools:
multicolored construction paper
scissors
cardboard piece to act as base
glue, glue brush, glue container
scotch tape

Procedure:
Cover the cardboard bases, book cover style. Briefly demonstrate to students some of ways paper can be made three-dimensional. Tell them they are going to find their own ways of working and let them loose.

Reflection:
These can be hung on a wall to great effect.

130-Stuffed Sculpture

Stuffed Craypas Resist (K- adult)

Aims: •To create 2D Paper
•To turn that paper into 3D sculptures

Materials & Tools:
white paper--(18 x 24 or 12 x 18 works well)
craypas or crayons
watercolor paint, brushes, water cans
scissors
pencil
stapler, staples
newspaper (for stuffing)
Yarn or string

Procedure:
Have a theme in mind when you begin this project. Some themes I have done in the past have been owls, fish, butterflies, flowers and strange creatures.
The first part is the making of the paper. Show your students how to use craypas-especially the light colors--pressing hard on the paper to make lines. Then the oil resists the watercolor and the lines appear. Have each student make two pieces of paper.
When dry they can begin the project. Have your students draw their shape on the white side of the paper and cut out. I get them to make big shapes by touching both sides of the paper.
Place the next piece under the cut out shape and trace, but be sure to have both painted side together. You have to make opposite shapes or it won’t work. Read the last two sentences again!!!
Staple around the edges, leaving a pocket for stuffing. Crumple up newspaper and stuff. Staple closed and punch a hole for a string or staple over a string and knot.

Optional: Add glitter, googly eyes or feather to jazz up your sculptures.

Note: Skinny shapes won’t stuff well.

Reflection:
Hang up in your room.

Make a Cover for Your Sketchbook

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment

ARTS 130-Professor J. Healy

Make a Cover and Amaze the World!

On your Sketchbook/Journal, front and back, you are challenged to create an artwork that will use some of the techniques, art elements, materials and ideas you have explored this semester. Your work might be collaged. It might be painted (especially if you have your own acrylics). It could be mixed media of any kind. It might have words. It might not. It might be an optical illusion. It might fool us as to what might be inside. Tear and rip. Drip. Splash. Cut. Fray. Use a 000 brush. Use a piece of clothing. Give it a pocket. Or zipper. NO RULES EXCEPT THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE FUN WITH THIS.

Do note is that you should NOT use any material that will smear or blow off. No pastels, no oil pastels, glitter, and nothing that will end up sticky or gross to touch!

Due next class.

Sketchbook Assignment-Change the Scale

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment

ARTS 130-Professor J. Healy

Change the SCALE!

In your Sketchbook/Journal, you are challenged to create an artwork that will use the concept of SCALE. Your work should clearly depict out-of-scale images within a setting. You may make things bigger or smaller or both within the same page.

You may use collage, or draw or paint or work in a mixed media format.

If you wish, you may make more than one for extra credit.

Due May 6, 2020.

Accordion Book Cover Images

Frottage Examples

Zoom meeting tonight, Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.

The Zoom information was sent to you yesterday!

Make a Cut-Through Page in Your Sketchbook

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment

ARTS 130-Professor J. Healy

Cut Through a Page (or two if you like) to Reveal____?

In your Sketchbook/Journal, you are challenged to create an artwork that will use the idea of cutting through and revealing something else when you  turn the page. Maybe we could look through a window and we see that it seems something is outside, but when we turn the page, we are in for a big surprise.

If you like, you may make this project more than two pages and continue the shenanigans!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Think surprise. The opening could be a big crack, a door that opens, a cabinet that opens, a monster’s mouth, the pupil of an eyeball, etc., etc.

Due next class.

Make a One-Page Zine

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment

ARTS 130-Professor J. Healy

Make a One-Page Zine

In your Sketchbook/Journal, you are challenged to make a one-page Zine depicting “How to Do Something.” It could be how to boil an egg, tie your shoes or use a rotary phone. Whatever. Have fun with your idea. If it takes more than one page, go ahead.

Materials: A sketchbook page or two, a pencil, sharpie marker and optional colored markers, colored pencils or watercolors.

Divide up the page in panels of any size. The format can have only illustrations (and no words), be word-heavy (with speech bubbles, banners or text at the bottom of each panel or a combination of all three. Make it graphic and visual!

Due next class.

Accordion Book Lesson Plan

Accordion Books [K (with some help)- adult]

This is a book arts technique from Japan, that works well for all ages of elementary students. It could be a stand-alone art project or be have a cross-curricular aspect to it.

Aims:

•To create an original book

•To learn about cultural connections (Japan)

•To integrate academic curriculum into your art lessons (optional)

Materials & Tools:

•Scratch paper for planning

•2 pieces of chipboard or heavy cardboard a bit bigger than the folded page size of your book

•white paper cut, folded long (and glued by overlapping if necessary) to make even numbered folded stack with correct number of pages (see below). Rice paper is another, more expensive possibility.

•Paper for covering cardboard covers--4” larger on top and bottom (for an 5" x 5" cover, you’d want 7" x 7” cover paper)

•pencil, eraser, scissors, tape, white glue

•Sharpie markers, watercolors, watercolor brush, water can or colored markers or colored pencils

•Ribbon or string for tying

Procedure:

Decide the theme for your lesson. It could be a book without words, a book about one’s family, a creative story, etc. Have your students work out their stories on scratch paper (4-6 folds is a good number). You need to have a long, folded sheet have 2 more sections than your story, so for a 4-panel story you need six sections and for a 6-panel story you need eight. Keep the numbers even so the book glues together well.

Fold the panels to make equal sections, gluing on extra paper if necessary by overlapping slightly (The seam will disappear once the panel is colored, so don’t worry about it). It might be easier if you give your class the same specifications--say 6 panels for everybody, because then the construction will be the same for everyone.

Draw, sharpie and color the insides as desired.

Next, make your covers. The cardboard should be a little bit bigger than our folded pages for the best possible look. Cover the cardboard by cutting your paper 4” each way (2” per side). Draw “envelope” flaps on all four sides, directly from the corners. You are making angled lines going inward on each side--not outward!!!! Cut out the odd-looking corner shapes which will resemble a triangle with a drooping bottom. Fold over each flap and tape down. This side will be the inside of your front and back covers. Tape ribbon on the left side for the cover and the right side for the back. Glue the end “extra” pages over the inside covers, tie your book closed and you have an accordion book.

Variations:

Use other materials such as collage. Books can open up and down, too.

Put a Secret on a Page

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment-ARTS 130

Put a Secret on a Page

Professor J. Healy

Grades: 3 and Up

Aims:

To develop creative thinking and problem-solving

To explore mixed media and student choice

Materials and Tools:

Page in sketchbook

Materials and tools of your choice (markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue, etc.)

Vocabulary:

Mixed media, problem-solving

Motivation and Procedure:

If you are teaching this to students, you might open with a class discussion about secrets. How easy is it to keep a secret? If you had to hide a secret in your artwork, how might you do that? One way might be to write down your secret and put it in a sealed envelope which you glue into or hide in a collage. Or you could draw a “Hidden Picture” and put your secret somewhere in your picture or design (if you have every seen Highlights Magazine for kids, you’ll know what this is).

The idea here is to not jump in immediately just to finish this page and get it over with. Think a bit. Mull over various ideas. As you brainstorm with yourself, you will develop your creativity and problem-solving skills.

Make your page extraordinary!

Reflection:

Always share work and try to circle back to your vocabulary and goals.

ZOOM Meeting, April 7

Check your email for details.

130 List of Work Due This Semester

!30 Art Methods List of Work Due This Semester

Professor J. Healy

Name________________________________________ 

Sketchbook Journal:

­­___Name Project (melting, exploding, etc.)

___Story for pop-up book

___Sketches for pop-up book

___Take a Line for a Walk

___Put a Secret in Your Sketchbook/Journal

___Zine Page: How to DO Something

___Cut-Through Page

___Out of Scale Collage

___Covers—collage, painted, mixed media

___Set Design for Your Finger Puppets

___Extra Credit

Assignments:

___Ripped Construction Paper Collage

___Surrealist Collage

___Watercolor/Oil Pastel Resist-2 pages—will be turn into sculpture eventually

___Finished Pop-Up Book (with cover)

___Finished Accordion Book (with covers)

Three Frottage Assignments:

___1-Frottage Picture

___2-Frottage Collages (4-6 pages to be made into accordion book)

___3-Sneaker or Shoe Rubbing and Transformation

___Finished Accordion Book (with covers)

___Styrofoam Print Unprinted Plate

Clay:

___Pinch Pot

___Coil

___Pulled Animal or Figure

___Stuffed Fish

___Paper Sculpture

Frottage Lesson Plan

Frottage/Frottage Collage/Sneaker Fun

Grades: 2 and Up

Frottage is French for rubbing. This is a printmaking process that is clean!

Aims:

To explore the technique of frottage

To create a thematic print

Materials and Tools:

Paper such as copy paper, bond or fadeless. Thick paper will not work well.

Crayons—Big ones work well.

Texture Plates (available in art stores; one brand name is Shade-Tex)

For Collages: Scissors, glue sticks, phone book sheets for gluing, 12 x 18” colored or black construction (background) paper

Vocabulary:

rubbing, frottage, print, multiple, texture

Motivation:

If you want to show visuals, you can find some rubbings from the Surrealist Max Ernst, who used floorboards and other objects for texture.

Procedure:

Choose your theme. It may be something as easy as shapes or something based on your curriculum, such as animals, cities, the plant world, etc.

Talk with your students about texture and ask where we might find it. Introduce the word “frottage” and explain and demonstrate the process.

Frottage Picture: Have students draw an outline of their idea and outline in sharpie markers. Next, let them find textures around the room (or school) to rub or use texture plates. Each area might have a different texture or else they can use the same texture again and again. You might also try adding a second color over the rubbing without moving the paper or moving it just a bit.

There are many variations to this process, among them:

Frottage Collage: Have your students make many sheets of textures in different colors and patterns. Demonstrate cutting and proper gluing techniques (glue around the edges, not in the middle—unless it’s a small piece; use several phone book pages to do the gluing on, so desks don’t get sticky, letting students crumble up the sheets as they are used.  Next, after giving them the theme, students will cut out shapes and arrange them on construction paper. (Don’t hand out glue right away—let them try different compositions and learn to move pieces around in a thoughtful way. Encourage overlapping!)

Sneaker Rubbing: (Ages 8 and Up) This is a one-period lesson. Students make a rubbing of their sneaker bottom on a large (11 x 17” sheet of copier paper. (They will groan and laugh about “stinky feet” but love this idea in the end! If the student is wearing a shoe without a texture on it, they should “borrow” someone else’s.) Ask them to turn the shape into something such as a car, building, alien, butterfly, etc. They then should make a believable background.

Reflection:

Always share work and try to circle back to your vocabulary and goals. Always be sure to display it if possible.

Latest, Newest Syllabus 3.0

Art Methods—Arts 130—Spring 2020 

Coronavirus Version 3.0(Times to be announced: I will try for Wednesdays)

Professor Julia Schmitt Healy 

jhealy@qcc.cuny.edu text/cell: 646.285.7976 

http://artforteachersofchildren.blogspot.com 

     

This is an even-newer, NEW, IMPROVED (NOT REALLY!) INTRODUCTION: I have changed several assignments for this semester. The    Paper Mache Mask is out and I have eliminated any painting in acrylic. I have also changed the printmaking work and we will not fire and glaze our clay until the school is again open. Should the buildings be reopened, we would have much more access to materials, but I seriously doubt that is going to happen.

I have added weekly assignments to do in your sketchbook/journal, since that is now going to be 25% of your grade. I will be making a list of all assignments I expect to be finished by May 13 and give that to you shortly.

Introduction: This hands-on course will explore art materials and techniques for K-6 teachers.  Students will learn how to develop age-appropriate lessons using collage, drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture.  Both stand-alone art projects and projects that integrate art with other subjects will be emphasized.  Students will create a portfolio of their work and keep sketchbook/journals during the semester. 

Course Objectives: 

At the end of the course, students will: 

•Be comfortable with a variety of art materials and techniques 

•Understand how art lessons can drive academic learning 

•Be able to analyze their own work and the work of others 

•Have a broad understanding of art education concepts 

•Know what is age-appropriate for the various elementary grades 

•Have knowledge of the art elements, visual arts standards and principles of design 

Attendance and Lateness: TBA

Grading:  Individual grades will be given for projects and averaged together to make up 65% of your grade.  Your written work and sketchbook/journal will count for 25% and attendance and participation at online meetings will count as 10% to total 100%. NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO MUSEUM TRIP OR PAPER.

     

Supplies: I handed out materials* (see below) to all students present on March 11. If you were absent, please contact me individually. You may want to choose receiving an INC and making up the assignments when you can, or you may want to use your own materials. The school has eased its incomplete rules and you have until December 23 to finish all work. I could not leave extra materials for you to pick up as they were closing the building.

CLASSES ALREADY GIVEN:

1/29      #1-Introduction and Syllabus 

             Group Lesson.

             Medium: Oil Pastels. 

                   2/5       #2- Bats by Jane Bates.              What are the art elements? 

             Medium: Collage and Watercolor Resist
 
NO CLASS 2/12—QCC CLOSED.

2/19      #3-What are Visual Arts Standards? 

             Medium: Drawing Project—Shape Books—colored pencils                           

2/26      #4- Book Arts: Using Art for Academic Learning

Medium: Pop-Up Books—Mixed Media—sharpie marker, watercolor 

3/4       #5-What does a Lesson Plan and Art Unit look like? 

             Medium: Pop-Up Books, as above 

3/11     #6-Medium: Pop-Up Books, as above 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

3/18   CLASS CANCELLED FOR INSTRUCTIONAL RECESS

3/25

WEEK #7- What are Rubrics/Grading/Assessment/Peer-to-Peer Assessment? 

           Medium: Continue and finish Pop-up Books and covers

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment-Take a Line for a Walk

 4/1

NO CLASS—RECALIBRATION PERIOD! Please work on any unfinished work, if possible.

4/7 (Tuesday)

WEEK #8- Classroom Management 

          Medium: Printmaking—Frottage & Collage      

                   Sketchbook/Journal Assignment-Put a Secret in Your Sketchbook/Journal

4/8-4/10

SPRING BREAK PERIOD Please work on unfinished work, if possible.

       

4/15

WEEK #9- Creativity and teaching for artistic behavior  

Mediums: Styrofoam Plate Drawing; Accordion Books Begun  

Sketchbook/Journal Assignment-Make a Simple Zine Page That Demonstrates How to Do Something—Tying your shoes, Blowing Up a Balloon, Making a Cup of Tea, etc.

4/22

WEEK #10- Process Versus Product 

         Medium: Accordion Books and covers

Sketchbook Journal Assignment-Make a Cut-Through Page--Using two or more pages, cut through in some way to reveal something on the next page.

4/29

WEEK #11-Safety in the Art Room

          Medium: Basic Clay Techniques—Pinch Pots, Coiled pots, Figures

Sketchbook Journal Assignment-Draw or Make a Collage in Which Something is Out of Scale

5/6

WEEK #12-Talking about Art, Sharing and Self-reflection

            Medium: Paper Sculptures: Stuffed Fish and Recycled Works

Sketchbook Journal Assignment-Make a Cover for Your Sketchbook/Journal:   Collage (or if you have Acrylic Paint), Paint or Use Mixed Media.

5/13

WEEK #13- Medium: Plaster Finger Puppets and Stick Puppets

Sketchbook Journal Assignment-Draw or Watercolor a Set Design for a Play Featuring Your Puppets

5/20

WEEK #14-Individual Critique by Appointment& Possible Group Share

"ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: 

As stated in the current college catalog, any student who needs specific accommodations based on the impact of a disability should register with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to be eligible for accommodations, which are determined on an individual basis. The SSD office is located in the Science Building, room S-132 (718-631-6257). Students should also contact their instructor privately to discuss their specific needs."

_____________________________________________________________________________

*This is the list of supplies I gave each student:

Bristol Board sheets, as needed

2- 9 x 6” cardboards (for pop-up book cover)

Several sheets of 12 x 18” white drawing paper and/or construction paper

1-gluestick

1-eraser

1-pencil

1-sharpie marker

1 set of watercolors and a brush

1 Texture Plate

2-3 crayons

2- 4 ½” x 4 ½” cardboards (for accordion book covers)

A stack of white copier paper

Colored bond paper

1-styrofoam tray

A bag of plaster craft

A ball of clay

2-3’ of ribbon

Their watercolor/oil pastel resists-2 sheets, 12” x 18” each