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!!! 

Carved Drywall Stamps and Textured Boxes

This project happens in two parts.  First you'll need a section of drywall (it's great to grab scraps from anyone who's doing a remodel project).  Then you need to get the paper off of one side of the drywall, if you soak it in a shallow container of water for about an hour, you should be able to peel the paper right off.  Next, you're ready for the carving.  I use clay tools to carve into the drywall and its rather easy to carve if its still wet from the soaking process.  HINT:  Make sure you clean your tools well before using them in clay again, plaster can make your clay explode in the kiln! 

Start by dividing up your drywall into sections so that that you have 6-8 different shaped areas, then choose a different texture to carve into each area.  When you've finished carving, let the drywall dry and if you get lots of little crumbs stuck from carving, use a paintbrush to clean them out. These carvings can be very interesting in their own right and can be painted with watercolors if you wish or you can use them as handmade texture stamps for clay.

Now for the second part, roll out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick (about as thick as a pancake) and about 12"x 12" across. Lay your clay on top of your textured drywall and gently press the clay into the texture, if you need to move the clay to texture another area, just peel it off, move it and press again until your clay is completely textured.  This is when students will see the negative and postive shapes of their carving.  Any spot that they carved deep in the drywall will be popping out of their clay.  HINT:  The drywall may crack if you put uneven pressure on it but the paper backing will hold it together and your stamp will still work fine.  HINT:  If you see lots of pieces of plaster in your clay, you'll need to pick them out carefully with a tool, as they can make your clay explode in the kiln! 

I give students a paper template to trace and cut out the 4 walls for their textured box, this helps make sure that their walls will be straight.  The boxes that I'm showing here are about 6" tall by 3" wide, but you can make your box any shape you'd like. HINT:  Shorter cube shaped boxes are easier for small hands!  If you run out of room on your slab of clay to cut all your pieces, just combine all the little pieces together, roll out another slab, texture it and continue cutting the pieces.  Scratch-to-Attach all of the edges of your walls and carefully start to build them together making sure that the corners are attached really well here.  To make the bottom and the lid, trace the perimeter of your box on top of your slab and cut out one of these shapes for the bottom and one for the lid.  Scratch-to Attach the bottom on making sure that the edges are well attached.  Using your extra clay pieces create a handle for your lid (any shape or size you'd like) and scratch-to attach it onto the lid. 

Let the boxes completely dry, then bisque fire.  When you're ready to glaze, I like to put a glaze on and then use a sponge to wipe some of the glaze off of the surface which really enhances the texture.  The glaze will pool and be deeper colored in the texture and lighter on the surface.  

!!!B CR8IV!!!