Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tissue Paper Dragons

Here is a fun and very easy art project for any age and for anytime of the year. You can vary the subject matter to feature anything you like (flowers, boats, cats, dinosaurs, etc.).

The supply list is simple: tissue paper and some liquid starch.
The challenge here is to have the children think visually, not worry about creating a perfect dragon and basically, have fun with the cool textures of tissue paper and the starch.

To start, tear a piece of tissue paper in the shape of a dragon head. Of course, everyone's shape will look different. Now, dip a paint brush into a bowl of liquid starch (yes, the kind you find in the detergent aisle of the grocery store) and apply a little bit to the paper where you intend to place the head. Set down the "head" and brush again with the starch. Continue along this route with the body, tail, legs, spikes, etc. Smooth down any dry or rough patches with more starch.
Once dry, you can place the artwork between two heavy books to flatten out the piece.
If you want, you can draw a black line around the figure to create a more distinct picture. You can even add details like eyes or scales.


4 comments:

Sue said...

Hi,
I was going to get the kids in my class to do one of your pattern filled cats but I think this dragon activity may be the perfect solution as to what to do to fill in another rainy afternoon. I know my boys will love this one. My little girl will be making a cat for sure!
Sue
Victoria
Australia

Hannah Castello said...

Hi...I really love your art lessons. i'm even using some of them in my class. I was wondering if you have art activities or crafts that campaign about saving the earth..thats the thrust of our school this year ;) More power!

shbook said...

Love the blog and have made sure my kids' art teacher knows about it! I saw this project on a blog that I follow. It's an art project involving a picture book called Wabi Sabi and it made me think of some of your work:
http://thelongthread.com/?p=4290

It's not my blog, so please don't think I'm being self-promotional!

Patty Palmer said...

Thanks for the link shbook. I loved the post. I'm always looking for art projects based on children's literature, so this is a perfect one to model. Thanks again!

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