Tag Archives: artsy dork

Printables, Sculpture, Uncategorized

Sculpting Giant Paper Mache Heads

You haven’t lived until you’ve made a giant paper mâché head. Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but it is pretty exciting. I’ve found that teaching 3D art in a school without a kiln forces me to think outside of the box and embrace some slightly goofy and larger-than-life ideas, and these paper mâché heads definitely fit into that category. My students are loving this project because it challenges them but also allows them to be a bit kooky and playful. Plus, they’ll end up with a wearable paper mâché head at the end, and who wouldn’t love that?

sculpting paper mâché heads that you can wear

Planning Paper Mâché Head Sculptures

We started this project by choosing a notable person that the students would like to sculpt. I had the students collect a range of photos of the person so that they could use those as references for the head shape and facial features. We also studied standard facial proportion to help us determine the size and placement of facial features on the head.

Paper Mâché Head Construction

Once planned, we started on the construction. You can see the detailed instructions for the construction of this project in the handout below and you can download a free .pdf file at the end of this post.

paper mâché head tutorial
Download the free .pdf file of this handout at the end of this post.

Basically, each student needed to make a cylinder of cardboard that fit around their head, without going over their shoulders. The cylinder should cover their entire head and extend around 4-5 inches above the top of their heads, when worn. We created the cylinders by using an Xacto knife to score lines in cardboard to make it curve. We then formed it into a cylinder and secured it with tape.

The remaining construction steps involve using cardboard and newspaper to secure the form and sculpt the face. The sculpting consists of crumpling the newspaper into different shapes and securing it on the head with tape. We then cover the entire form in tape to give it a smoother surface on which to add the paper mâché.

Steps for making large paper mâché heads.

The students are just now starting on their painting. We are discussing trompe l’oiel painting techniques to add the appearance of texture and details in areas like facial features and hair. This style of painting tricks the eye into perceiving painted details as three-dimensional objects, so it can be used to enhance the form of our sculptures. I’m excited to see how they turn out and I’ll be creating another post for the finished products so check back soon for that.

Interested in trying this project in your classroom? Download the handout below.

Paper Mâché Head InstructionsDownload

Update: Check out painted and finished heads here!

2D Art

Handmade Artist Books with Watercolor Pages

I’m so excited to share one of my all-time favorite art class projects: handmade artist books. I love using handmade artist books in my classes because they provide a way to practice techniques and address new concepts in my class throughout the year. They also are works of art in their own right, and I find that students take greater ownership of artist book assignments than they do with sketch book assignments. All in all, handmade artist books provide a great way to frame each of our art projects and to get greater engagement out of my students, and what teacher wouldn’t want that?

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From the standpoint of a busy teacher who preps for five different classes, artist books also allow me to start the year with a little more wiggle room in terms of planning time. We start our books off by creating watercolor washes on all of the pages and that usually takes up three to four class periods right at the start of the semester. This allows me to have more time to prep and plan for our larger projects while students are painting. Students also enjoy this time as it allows them to ease into the year with a fun and low-pressure art activity.

In terms of teacher prep time for this project, it’s quite minimal. I cut the railroad board to size and then I show the students how to fold and rip 18 inch x 24 inch pieces of watercolor paper so that they get 10 sheets of 9 inch x 12 inch paper (they have to split their last large sheet with another student). I then show them how to create a watercolor wash on their paper and let them loose. The more challenging part comes when students need to prep their covers and complete their binding. Luckily for you, I’ve created a tutorial video that will walk them and you through this process, which I’ve included at the end of this post.

You do need some specific supplies to create these books but you can change up some of the materials to save money. For instance, instead of railroad board use old cereal boxes. You can also substitute high-end watercolor paper with a cheaper version or even drawing or construction paper. You can also skip the ribbon altogether or substitute it with a braided yarn. The standard supplies for this project are:

Book making supplies. Supplies to make artist books.

Check out the video below to learn how to bind the pages and finish off the covers to create your own handmade artist book.