By ALDONA BIRD
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
School is starting and everyone is busy. Which makes this a great time to clear a little time in your schedule to spend some quality time crafting by yourself or with the kids in your life.
With supplies you probably already have you can create fun wall art — to take it a step beyond regular painting, take inspiration from a favorite story and add a 3D element or two.
To make stepped-up paintings, you will need:
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Cardboard egg cartons
- Paint and brushes
- Favorite storybook
- Pencil
- Glue
- Ruler or other straight edge
First, read some stories. Look at books you love, and illustrations that catch your fancy. Consider which characters you (and anyone crafting with you) love, and how you would represent them in your own art work.
Choosing characters with elements such as large snouts or noses and hats can make adding 3D parts simple.
Cut out cardboard canvases in various sizes and shapes — squares, rectangles, circles and ovals. Using your ruler mark borders around the edges to paint in for a frame.
Cut apart the cardboard egg carton. Cut the bowls and peaks out, and experiment with visualizing them as the 3D elements of your characters. These pieces are great as noses, or even as whole faces for animals.
Once you have some ideas for how to depict your characters, use a pencil to sketch the portrait. Gently fold in any extra cardboard along the cut edge of the egg carton piece. Add glue along the edge and gently press into place.
Start painting details not on the 3D elements while the glue dries. Once dry, you can paint on and around those as well.
Any thick paint will work well for this project. Avoid watercolors or other transparent paints — full coverage over the cardboard looks best.
Have fun and be creative with the painting. Once your characters are painted, paint the edges of the canvas to look like a frame. Keep them simple or make them fun, fancy or funky.
Once you’ve created portraits of your favorite storybook characters, let them dry and then hang them up — these can decorate a child’s room or any place in your home to add some whimsy.
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