Mother's Day Picture Frames

I've been making these Mother's Day gifts with my students in the studio this week.  Its very sweet to see each students' work differ based on what they think their moms will like on their frame.

I have students roll out a slab of clay about 12" square-ish and about 3/8th's of an inch thick.  Then they cut the outside shape of their frame, which can be any shape they desire.  Next have them cut the whole for the picture which also can be any shape.  Now they are ready to decorate their frame.  I encourage students to push in textures and designs with tools as well as add on pieces.  In this example the mermaids hair, sea weed and the seashells are added on which give dimension & texture to the frame.  Some students added on flowers, their mom's name or animals their mom likes.  Make sure that all the parts you add on are scratched to attached on well.  Rubber stamps are also a great way to push in texture or spell out words with ABC stamps.  When you are finished designing the frame, use a tool to push two holes through the top of the frame so that it can be hung on the wall.  Once the pieces have been bisque fired, glazed and fired again, add a ribbon or twine to hang the frame by and tape a picture of the student in the back.  You can also have students wrap them up and make a card to go with their gift, so they're all ready to give out on Mother's Day!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Photo Collage

OK, so I know this isn't a clay project, so what is it doing on my blog you ask??  Well, it is a mixed media project and it could become a 3-D sculpture if you kept adding the boards together or created a cube out of multiple boards.  But the real reason I'm sharing this project is, I'll be creating these photo collages with my little artists in Haiti with Project HOPE Art in less than 2 weeks and I just wanted to share one of the projects we'll be doing there with the girls of OJFA (Young Girls In Action-in French).  If you'd like to donate to this amazing project click here: DONATE NOW!  Thank you and Happy Holidays!!

So here's how you do it!  Start by selecting and printing out a black and white photo of your choice onto plain white paper.  Use scissors or preferably an x-acto knife (if your students are old enough) to cut out the portions you are interested in using.  Think about the placement of the photo and glue it down onto a board (I used some scrap pieces of matte board I got for free at a framing shop).  Use a regular pencil to lightly sketch out what else you'd like to include in your piece and then use colored pencils to color the photo and enhance the area around the photo. Use your creativity to place the photo in a unique landscape or setting.

!!B CR8IV!!