Friday, March 5, 2010

"Creature Creations" 3rd Grade

Third grade students have been working on a big project in Art class. They are creating sculptures of new species that combine the qualities of two animals. They create an illustration of their animal, build it, and write an article about it in their classroom.

They start by sketching and planning their animal. They have to take the shapes of their animals body and figure out how they could make them using twisted, crumpled or folded newspaper. For example, folded newspaper works great for flat shapes like fins, wings and feet. When they have a plan for their sculpture, they answer 5 questions about their animal. They use this information for the article they will write. Finally, they create a color illustration of their new species.


They construct their sculpture by creating the shapes of the body by twisting, folding and crumpling newspapers. They use masking tape to hold the forms together and attach them. This creates an "armature" of their animal.

The students cover their armature with two layer of newspaper strips dipped in papier mache. This toughens and solidifies the surface of the sculpture. A third layer of colored paper strips dipped in papier mache is added to give the piece a solid color and extra toughness.



The students add color and detail to their sculptures using acrylic and tempera paints. When the paint dries, they outline their designs using sharpies.






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