Submitted by: Kathy Douglas,
Laurie Anderson and Breanne Soviero
Unit: Dollmaking- Sculpture - Marisol Escobar - Recycling
Lesson: Bottle Dolls/Figurative Sculpture
Grade Level: elementary (adaptable to middle school!)
Objectives: Students will
- create a character of
their choice (person or animal)
- understand additive
sculpture process using an armature
- demonstrate
craftsmanship in paper mache and painting
From Kathy Douglas: Shown: papier mache sculptures my student teacher
Laurie Anderson helped her students make. Second graders used water
bottles with sand in them (to give stability) They added heads made of
crumpled newspaper with masking tape. They papier mache'd the entire
figure and made them into people, or in some cases animals. For most
students: week one, building armature and papier mache-ing, week two
painting with tempera paint and week three dressing the people with
cloth, beads, yarn etc etc. Some children chose to continue week four,
more of the same. It is the easiest and most open ended papier
mache we have experienced in our school. Our friend Carolyn Bonomi
shared the idea with us. I usually use the Pariscraft plaster now
instead of papier mache as it is faster and dries quickly, although it
is much more expensive. I have very little storage space and the
plaster sculptures stack without damage.
 |
 |
| See how TAB Choice Art Ed
works - sculpture center. This photo is
"Best Friends" |
Materials:
Water
bottles (or assorted plastic bottles)
Sand (to weight down bottles)
Newspapers - Masking Tape
Wheat Paste
(or watered down Elmer's Glue-All)
Tempera Paint
or Acrylic Paint
Yarn Assortment, Bead Assortment, fabric, buttons
, laces, Sequins,
etc
Preparation:
Collect assorted water bottles/pop bottles
(16 to 24 oz. size / .47 to .71 liter). Fill with sand to weight them down.
Motivation:
- Present a brief overview of dollmaking
- materials used - dolls around the world- cultural dolls
(collect images online and make a PowerPoint). Marisol
Escobar could be used for inspiration (magazine cutouts
could be glued on for faces)
- Demonstrate processes
Procedures:
- Make tennis ball size ball of newspaper
for head. Tape to secure form. Tape onto bottle. Ball can be
covered with aluminum foil to smooth it out.
- Apply two layers of paper mache. Tear
newspapers into approximately 2" pieces. One more layer
can be added of torn white newsprint to give a better
surface for painting.
- Allow to dry
- Paint with acrylics or tempera.
- Add yarn hair, embellishments.
Balloon Head Caricatures from Breanne
Soviero
Three examples of the bottle sculptures I
did with my first graders. I think that this
project would be excellent for high school
students .I think I was a bit ambitious for
first graders - as far as quality goes - but they had fun.
High school students could create 3D features with
celluclay, or add stuffed arms and legs, fabric
clothing... really go nuts. These were never really
"finished" - they don't have arms, hands or feet -but
the art show was looming around the corner - we had to move
on. I had my students sketch 3 ideas first, then
they picked their favorite one to create 3D. I have a
page I made on the computer for them to sketch ideas.
The body is a water bottle filled with
sand, the head is a paper mached balloon. A
paper towel rolls inside the head - and is hot
glued to the bottle - for support (although it could probably
be cut shorter - the neck looks too long).
Note from Judy: bodies could be large
cans. Cut off both ends and push to make oval. Cut a piece of
cardboard for the shoulders - tape in place and paper mache.
16 oz cans could be used for necks.
Susan from Long Island called her
project "Bottle Babies" (Heroes lesson):
I do "Bottle Babies", I call
them, because the armature is a two liter bottle for the
body. The head is a Styrofoam ball covered with tissues
soaked in art paste (Ross or Pritt). This medium is easily
pliable and the kids can form the features (works like a clay).
Or, if your budget allows, use Model Magic over Styrofoam ball.
(student can also make their own ball shape with newspapers and
smooth with aluminum foil) Assign each student a president
(or students select their own Hero) and have them create a
likeness. They will need a picture and references about
their president. Put one layer of papier mache over the
body and paint with tempera. Have them add arms and hands,
simply from construction paper (Wire may be used for arms -
padded with paper and paper mached). After they have painted the
body, I give the kids material and felt to embellish the
clothing. I give them that "real hair" stuff you
get in the craft store, or glue on yarn. Then, they make
"props" to go with their "Bottle Baby".
The props would be something that distinguishes each
president/person/hero. I actually do this project with 2nd
graders when they learn how to write biographies in their
classrooms. Each student has a famous person to create as
a bottle sculpture. The idea can easily be adapted for a
president sculpture, and much easier to execute at the fifth
grade level. The kids LOVE this lesson.
Susan called them "Bottle
Babies" - they were favorite famous people in history who
made a difference (heroes). Last year she had the kids do
them using (covering) a coffee can as the body. They made
soft sculpture faces and covered foil as armatures for arms
and legs, which she hot glue onto the can. They came out
even better than using the 2 liter soda bottles and Styrofoam
heads. They called them "Uncanny Characters"!
