When it comes to Mommy & Me projects, this one is at the top of my list of cool ones. Cameron (age 5 at the time) and I created this project together last year. It now hangs in a prominent area in the living room. We named it Cameron's Zoo for obvious reasons. Just so you can have an idea of the size of this project, the canvas measures 20x16 inches.
Here are a few close-ups so you can see the well-executed animals. Cameron is gifted, that's for sure.
This project may appear to be difficult, but it is actually quite simple and the materials list isn't too extensive either. Cameron drew and colored all of the animals while I cut them out (the crocodile was especially challenging with those spikes! And the tiger tails, don't get me started...). I arranged them (with Cam's approval) and painted the background. It probably took us about 6-10 hours total and we divided it up over a few days so neither of us would get too tired.
This project is perfect for the animal loving child. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Materials:
acrylic paint (I used DecoArt Americana in Foliage Green, Milk Chocolate and Spa Blue)
canvas (16x20 inches)
cardstock (white and tan)
charcoal pencil (You can find these in the fine art section of your local craft store.)
colored pencils (I prefer Prismacolor, but any brand will work.)
decoupage glue (I prefer DecoArt.)
pencil
Portfolio water soluble oil pastels (optional) (Portfolio is the brand name. They can be found in the art
section of your office supply store.)
small scissors (There is a lot of fussy cutting involved.)
spray fixative (I prefer matte. You can usually find this in your local craft store in the spray paint section.)
Step 1: Decide on the desired size of each animal and cut your white cardstock down to size. To give you an idea of the sizes of the animals at Cameron's Zoo, the killer whale measures about 4x5 inches so the cardstock that I gave him to use measured about 5x6 inches. The elephant measures about 3x3.5 inches so the cardstock piece measured about 4x4 inches. Cameron had full creative control over which animals appeared in the zoo, I simply cut pieces of cardstock into various sizes and he chose which animal to draw. I gave him specific pieces of cardstock because I wanted all the animals to be relatively the same size for the project.
Step 2: Using colored pencils (or markers or even crayons) have your child draw as many animals as he/she desires. I noticed after a few animals that Cam's heads were always on the left side, so I encouraged him to try a few right-sided heads. This seemed to even up the orientation.
Step 3: Carefully cut out the animals. If you have an older child who feels comfortable using scissors, he/she can do this step alone.
Step 4: Decide where each animal will live on the canvas by placing them down (don't glue yet!). Once you are happy with placement, use a pencil and lightly draw where the paths, pond, and grassy areas will lie.
Step 5: Paint the canvas. Allow each color to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next one.
Step 6: Glue down the animals. Create a zoo sign and glue that down too. Dry completely.
Step 7: Using a charcoal pencil, outline the animals and the areas where two different paint colors meet. (For example, the edge of the pond, or the border of the grassy areas.) Smudge the charcoal pencil with your finger or with a q-tip or with an official charcoal pencil smudger. (They look like paper that is rolled into a pencil shape. You'll find them near the charcoal pencils in the fine art section of your craft store. I know they probably have a name other than official charcoal pencil smudger, but I don't know it.)
Step 8: If desired, use coordinating colors of Portfolio water soluble oil pastels to add interest to the painted areas. (If you look closely, you'll see that the grassy areas are two shades of green, the pond is actually two shades of blue and the paths are two shades of brown.) Add a border of black to the edges of the canvas and smudge, if desired.
Step 9: Spray a few coats of fixative to keep the charcoal and oil pastels from rubbing off.
Step 10: Praise your little artist, praise yourself and hang your creation with pride!
I hope that this project leads to many hours of creative fun with your little artists!
xoxo
Bethany
Here are a few close-ups so you can see the well-executed animals. Cameron is gifted, that's for sure.
This project may appear to be difficult, but it is actually quite simple and the materials list isn't too extensive either. Cameron drew and colored all of the animals while I cut them out (the crocodile was especially challenging with those spikes! And the tiger tails, don't get me started...). I arranged them (with Cam's approval) and painted the background. It probably took us about 6-10 hours total and we divided it up over a few days so neither of us would get too tired.
This project is perfect for the animal loving child. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Materials:
acrylic paint (I used DecoArt Americana in Foliage Green, Milk Chocolate and Spa Blue)
canvas (16x20 inches)
cardstock (white and tan)
charcoal pencil (You can find these in the fine art section of your local craft store.)
colored pencils (I prefer Prismacolor, but any brand will work.)
decoupage glue (I prefer DecoArt.)
pencil
Portfolio water soluble oil pastels (optional) (Portfolio is the brand name. They can be found in the art
section of your office supply store.)
small scissors (There is a lot of fussy cutting involved.)
spray fixative (I prefer matte. You can usually find this in your local craft store in the spray paint section.)
Technique:
Step 1: Decide on the desired size of each animal and cut your white cardstock down to size. To give you an idea of the sizes of the animals at Cameron's Zoo, the killer whale measures about 4x5 inches so the cardstock that I gave him to use measured about 5x6 inches. The elephant measures about 3x3.5 inches so the cardstock piece measured about 4x4 inches. Cameron had full creative control over which animals appeared in the zoo, I simply cut pieces of cardstock into various sizes and he chose which animal to draw. I gave him specific pieces of cardstock because I wanted all the animals to be relatively the same size for the project.
Step 2: Using colored pencils (or markers or even crayons) have your child draw as many animals as he/she desires. I noticed after a few animals that Cam's heads were always on the left side, so I encouraged him to try a few right-sided heads. This seemed to even up the orientation.
Step 3: Carefully cut out the animals. If you have an older child who feels comfortable using scissors, he/she can do this step alone.
Step 4: Decide where each animal will live on the canvas by placing them down (don't glue yet!). Once you are happy with placement, use a pencil and lightly draw where the paths, pond, and grassy areas will lie.
Step 5: Paint the canvas. Allow each color to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next one.
Step 6: Glue down the animals. Create a zoo sign and glue that down too. Dry completely.
Step 7: Using a charcoal pencil, outline the animals and the areas where two different paint colors meet. (For example, the edge of the pond, or the border of the grassy areas.) Smudge the charcoal pencil with your finger or with a q-tip or with an official charcoal pencil smudger. (They look like paper that is rolled into a pencil shape. You'll find them near the charcoal pencils in the fine art section of your craft store. I know they probably have a name other than official charcoal pencil smudger, but I don't know it.)
Step 8: If desired, use coordinating colors of Portfolio water soluble oil pastels to add interest to the painted areas. (If you look closely, you'll see that the grassy areas are two shades of green, the pond is actually two shades of blue and the paths are two shades of brown.) Add a border of black to the edges of the canvas and smudge, if desired.
Step 9: Spray a few coats of fixative to keep the charcoal and oil pastels from rubbing off.
Step 10: Praise your little artist, praise yourself and hang your creation with pride!
I hope that this project leads to many hours of creative fun with your little artists!
xoxo
Bethany
No comments:
Post a Comment