Dale Chihuly "Stained Glass" Flower Sculptures

This is another art camp project and it was really successful with all ages (6-11). It uses papier mache to create flower sculptures that have a stained glass look to them. The 6 year olds needed a lot of help with this project but parents could easily do this at home with 2-3 young children. Art teachers would have a difficult time doing this project with a whole class (unless you were lucky enough to have a few parent volunteers) if the children were younger than 3rd grade. This is also a great lesson to couple with the Georgia O'Keefe chalk flowers because you can talk about two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. The students can use their chalk flower as a reference and now make the flower into a sculpture. 


When I do this project again soon, I will post photographs of each step because there are a LOT. These turn out great and it's another messy project so of course the kiddos dig it! Here are the materials you will need for this project:


Tissue paper in at least 2 different colors 
Mod Podge or watered down white glue (half and half)
Balloons
Large paint brushes that you don't mind destroying
Plastic plates
Pipe cleaners
Plastic Wrap
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Scissors
Sharp pencils


This is a messy project. Begin by covering tables and probably the floor in newspaper. The first thing to do for this project is to make the paper for the leaves. I did this in advance and just let the kids use the ones I made. To make the papier mache leaves I used two different shades of green tissue paper. First, lay out a sheet of plastic wrap. I used about 3 8x8 sheets but the size doesn't really matter. Apply one coat of the Mod Podge or watered down glue mixture to the plastic wrap. Then, begin tearing off pieces of the green tissue paper and placing them randomly on the plastic wrap. Cover the sheet of plastic wrap with pieces of tissue paper and then apply another layer of glue and repeat the process. You need to have at least 3, preferably 4, layers of the tissue paper. When finished applying tissue, make sure that there is a final coat of glue on every piece. Allow this to dry overnight.


To make the flowers, blow up a balloon to the desired size. Your flower will be half the size of your balloon. Have children put a plastic plate under their balloon and work on the plate. We use plastic plates instead of paper because the glue will stick to the paper when the flower dries. Have the children start covering the half of the balloon opposite the end where the knot is. I have to tell them many times that they want a bowl shape and are only covering HALF the balloon. The papier mache process is just way too much fun for some and they want to cover the entire balloon. The students must apply 3-4 layers of tissue paper. After they have applied a final coat of glue, they leave the balloons on the plastic plates to dry overnight. I usually check each one to make sure there are no holes and no place where there is not layering of tissue paper.


The next day, the leaf papers can be removed from the plastic wrap. It will peel right off and the  green paper that you've made will maintain the sheen from the plastic wrap. It is pretty cool so I usually let the kids do this part. Then, I let them use scissors to cut out their leaves from this paper.


Now, the kiddos can pop their balloons. This is by far their favorite part. Shocking, right? They use a sharpened pencil to pop the balloon and then they can peel the balloon out of their flower. When the balloon is removed, the students can cut the rim of their flower with scissors to create the petals. I remind them that they might use zig-zag lines or wavy lines. Next, I have them use that same pencil to poke a hole in the bottom of their flower. I let them pick a colored pipe cleaner for their stem and then I assemble everything myself using the hot glue gun. I pull the pipe cleaner through the hole in the flower and tie a knot on the inside. Then, I use a dot of hot glue to glue the knot to the inside hole of the flower. Then, I glue their leaves onto the stem. Some kids want to use multiple pipe cleaners to add curly vines or more leaves.


I am doing this with a large summer camp group next month. I think I am going to spray paint dowl rods green instead of using pipe cleaners for this next one. I am thinking if the flowers have sturdy stems, I could put them all together in a large piece of floral foam and then display them at our local library. If this works out, I will post the pictures along with the pictures of the process for this project.

The Obligatory Georgia O'Keefe Chalk Flowers

Pretty much every art teacher I know does these flowers. However, parents who are looking for some crafty ideas will love the ease of this no-fail activity. The images below were done by 7-10 year olds. Although, I have successfully done this project with 5-6 year olds too. I just have to take out the two pastel colors that they choose and not give them access to the whole box of colors. The whole box is just way too tempting! Most important in this activity is encouraging the kids to draw big and fill up the whole page. Size is what makes these flowers most striking. 
The materials you will need are:
Black construction paper
Chalk pastels (cheapo brands are fine)
Elmer's School Glue
Pencils
Photographs of flowers for reference
Fixative Spray


I let the children select their flower reference photograph and then encourage them to draw only one or two flowers that fill the page. If the flowers go off the page, even better. Then, the students trace their pencil lines using the glue. The glue needs ample drying time. I let them dry overnight just to be safe. When the glue dries clear it give the look of the leaded area on stained glass. The next day, the kids can use the pastels to add color in the areas between the glue lines. Regular chalk will not give the vibrant colors that you get from the pastels. I also tell them to stick to two or three colors and not to use black. The black over powers the other colors and if they use more than three colors, it starts to look "muddy". I show the kids how to lay down patches of color and blend the edges with their fingertip. Q-tips come in handy and help avoid little fingerprints but we didn't have any for these. Then, the pictures can be sprayed with a fixative. Test your fixative on your teacher sample first. Many hairsprays will leave dots on the artwork. I want to try this activity with other subject matter since so many people do the flowers. I will be doing Backyard Birds later this week so I will post those pictures when they are done. I also think this would be a great project to make abstract designs for Holiday Stained Glass Windows.