Paper Bead Necklaces

In a tent city called Delmas 33 in Port au Prince Haiti, workers were busy creating beads from garbage papers they had found.  On a recent trip there, HOPE Art was lucky enough to learn how to make them and watch as they turned trash into necklaces, bracelets and earrings to be sold in the states which would in turn provide income and employment to Haitians.  I made the ones in the picture using a combination of magazines, postcards and food packaging.  


Collect your materials and  cut them into long skinny triangles.  The widest width of the triangle will be how wide your bead is and the length will determine thickness of your beads.  The thickness of the material you're using will also change the thickness of the bead.  Experiment with a few different sizes to gauge what kind of beads you want to make.  Next using a skewer, start to wrap the paper around the skewer tightly, starting with the widest part of the triangle.  When you get to the end, use a bit of glue to keep the bead from unwrapping.  Continue making your beads this way, you can keep them on the skewer if that's easier.  Once you have all your beads made you'll want to coat them with a clear lacquer to protect the paper, you can use clear spray paint, clear nail polish, modpodge, what ever you've got on hand.  You'll probably want to do a few coats and just keep the beads on the skewer the whole time until they dry.  Once dry, use some fishing line and other colorful beads to assemble your found art jewelry.   

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Paper Roller Coaster Sculptures

These roller coaster sculptures are super fun to make and a way to teach the art of  line to any age level.  You'll need a lot of drywall shims, they are available at hardware stores and are basically thin strips of cardboard that are about 2 inches wide by about 4 feet long.  The bonus is they're cheap too!

I start by giving examples of lines found in artwork both 2-D & 3-D, we may practice a few on paper as well.  Next I give students at least 3 cardboard strips and a selection of oil pastels.  You can use markers or paint here, but I like the brightness of the oil pastels on the dull cardboard surface and I don't have to wait for paint to dry.  Another option is giving them a coat of white paint first and then painting or drawing on them with your chosen material, if you have the time.  Have students use the oil pastels to color in the strips with 6 different types of lines (one for each side of the 3 cardboard strips), using lots of colors and experimenting with lines.  Once all of the strips are colored, let students experiment with 3-D lines by bending, twisting and folding the strips.  Eventually connect them with a stapler.  You'll need at least 2 well positioned staples at each connection point, maybe more.  Some of the younger students need help with this part, but I've done this with kindergarten and it worked just fine.  Encourage students to look at how they are connecting them together and what their overall sculptural form is becoming.  Have them play with what is the bottom of their sculpture, sometimes they look more interesting turned upside down.

HINT: Some of the little guys like to turn these into sculptural hats by making a loop in the strip that fits their head, it's a little crazy looking but fun!
HINT:  You can have students connect all of their individual sculptures together to create a group classroom sculpture and they are light enough to hang from the ceiling if you need the space.

!!!BCR8IV!!!