Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 56

YOU WILL
NEED:
EQUIPMENT:
– Pencil – Bowl
– Scissors – Ruler
– Paintbrush
– A4 plain paper
– Cardboard
– Masking tape
– Flour
– Water
– Newspaper
– Acrylic paint
– Chalk pen
1
Fold the A4 paper in half lengthwise.
Draw half a cat outline on one side, making
sure the middle fold is central.
2
Alexander Girard (Sandro to his
friends) was an architect and textile
designer most famous for his
contribution to American textile
design. Girard and his wife Susan were
both keen collectors of folk art and
their 106,000-piece collection (yes,
one hundred and six thousand!)
consisted of items from over 100
countries, spanning six continents.
Sandro’s love of folk art also inspired
one of his most famous pieces of work.
The Wooden Dolls was a large family of
human and animal characters made
out of wood. They were designed to
decorate his home in Santa Fe, New
Mexico.
Together with our friends at Let’s
Make Art we had a go at making
a Girard-inspired cat
(didn’t see
that coming,
ed) .
Cut out to create a symmetrical cat
shape. Use this as a template and trace two
cat shapes onto cardboard. Cut them out
carefully.
3 Using the excess card cut a long strip
approx 5 cm wide and long enough to go
all the way around your cat shape. This will
be used in between the two cat shapes to
make your model 3D.
4 Tape into position using masking tape.
5 Make your papier-mâché paste by
mixing together 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of
water (as long as the quantities are the
same the cup can be any size).
6
Tear or cut the newspaper into small
pieces and, using the flour paste, cover
your model until no cardboard or tape can
be seen. Leave it to dry overnight.
7
Using the acrylic paint colour of your
choice, paint your model all over. Leave to
dry. Using the chalk pen, draw your design
on one or both sides.
8
Et voilà, you have your very own 1950s
Girard-esque cat sculpture.
TAKING IT FURTHER
Why not try making additional dolls to add
to your ‘family’ – you could try different
ways of decorating them too. Use more
than one colour of acrylic paint, or try the
decoupage technique. Your options are
endless!
Don’t forget to send us photos of you with
your makes – they may even get published
in the magazine!