How to make the Life on Land Pinatas

1) Research Life on Land – Threats to animals, solutions to threats, and what makes this animal a treasure.

2) Find 3 images of your creature (from different angles). Attach one photo of your creature in profile (side view) to your TEAMS assignment, so Mx. Vittie can print it out for you.  Here is my example of the Red Deer.

 

Note-you do not have to use a Creative Commons image, as we will just be using the general shape.

 

3) Using another paper, trace out the shape of the body (this will include head). On another spot on the paper trace the legs all the way to the shoulders (this may overlap on the area that the body is). You may use the light table in room 107 to help you trace the shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Once you cut out your shapes, use these as templates to cut out cardboard. Note the direction of the lines in your cardboard, making sure to cut your legs out so that the cardboard lines go vertical with the legs. If you are not sure what this means, ask Mx. Vittie (or look closely at the photo below where you can see the lines of the cardboard horizontal on the body, but vertical on the legs.

5) Using lightly balled tinfoil as a spacer, glue your legs to your body using HOT GLUE.

6) Continue to add bulk where your animal is largest. You may want to cut more cardboard for some areas. I used cardstock to make the head (I just traced the head 2 more times, and added tinfoil in between.)

7) Make shaped details out of tin foil. This may be a tail, antlers, ears, or other details that are curved or require more finesse than the cardboard. All these elements can be attached with HOT GLUE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) Start applying newspaper strips with the paper mache paste (flour and water mixture). Do not apply more than 3 layers wet newspaper at a time, or it will not dry, and will just smell moldy.

9) Write out information that makes this animal, important, or “Treasured”. Cut or fold the information and slide it in to an opening in your mache creature.

10) Add ribbons to the ribs of your creature, or hot glue to the bottom center of your animal. Mache over the ribbons where they attach.

11) Mache over the opening you had, and begin to add the paper clay (made from blended paper, glue and joint compound). Make sure to add the paper clay in THIN layers or the mixture will not dry and your animal will mold.  The paper clay is to bulk up some of the areas that were previously flat. Round out your butt, shoulders, cheeks etc.

12) Your mâché creature may feel rough. You can add a thin layer of joint compound over your paper clay (once completely dry) to smooth it out. I also used a toothbrush to scrape a hair-like texture into the joint compound to give a more realistic texture.

13) Once your work is completely dry, you can add a layer of acrylic paint. If your creature is furry, I recommend starting with black, or a very dark version of the darkest colour of the fur. Then the texture you made previously will do all the hard work when each layer of lighter acrylic is dry-brushed on. BEFORE YOU PAINT you should do the COLOUR THEORY assignments with your class. Colours should be realistic.