Tag Archives: amy

Multi Media Flower Vases

Posted on by Jaimee

Collaged Multi-Media Flower Vases

Hi everyone!  Amy here. I have a fun lesson on collaged multi-media flower vases with a few variations that are easily done with at-home materials!  I did an example with oil pastel, watercolor and fabric scraps. But, there are plenty of things to use if you don’t have any of the supplies I mentioned.  We’ve done these around the studio a few times, so I have some kid examples to show as well. Let’s get started!

Supplies:  

  • Watercolor paper 
  • Oil pastel or crayons
  • Fabric scraps, magazine cut outs or coffee filters
  • Watercolor paints 
  • Scissors
  • Glue 

Step 1 – Drawing the Vase:  

(If you choose to make the coffee filter flowers, do that step first so they have time to dry while you create your vase—instruction at the bottom of the post)

First, let’s start by drawing the vase we would like our flowers to be in.  I chose a round, short vase, although you can choose whatever you would like.  I drew a few vase shapes as examples to choose from. After you draw your vase on the bottom half of the page, place it on a surface (like a table) by drawing a line behind it.  

Step 2:  Color the Vase

I always like to put some patterns onto my vase, and I encourage you to do that too!  Some simple repeated shapes, lines or dots really give the piece an elevated look and complement the collaged aspect nicely.  I love oil pastels, so that’s what I’ve used for the example. Crayon is the next best thing if you don’t have any oil pastels.  I started by drawing a few simple patterns, chose a nice terra-cotta color and oiled everything in. After I finished the pot, I colored in the table. Notice the shadow behind the pot at the top of the table.  The shadow gives it some dimension so it looks as if the pot is sitting in front of the back edge of the table.

Step 3:  Add the Stems

Still using pastels (or crayon), I drew some stems coming out of the pot and added some leaves to give the stems a fuller look. I used a couple of different greens in the stems and leaves to create some more dimension here.

Step 4: Painting the Background

One of the reasons I love oil pastels so much is because of the way they repel watercolor paint. Since oil and water don’t mix, you can paint right over the top of the pastels, and they will show right through.  So, I quickly did a light blue wash over the background covering the rest of the paper that has been left blank.

Step 4:  Adding the Flowers

Lastly, I decided to use some fabric scraps to cut out the flower shapes for my piece.  I had originally planned to use the tie-dye coffee filters I had made, although after seeing how my piece turned out along the way, I decided everything looked much too bold to have the coffee filters on top. You never know how things will end up when you start, and it’s always good to be open to changing your mind along the way!  That’s the beauty of art. 

Cut out a few flower shapes (fabric scraps, coffee filters, magazines, other paper you may have painted) and lay them out over the stems until you have them placed in a way that is pleasing.  Glue them down, and then if you want to add anything in the centers of them, great! I added some yellow oil pastel centers.  

And that’s it!  Woohoo!  

Here are some student examples:

Fabric, colored pencil and watercolor

Oil pastel, tie-dye coffee filter heart flowers

Instructions for the coffee filters:

Materials:

  • Coffee Filters
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Water

Making flowers from filters is super simple! First, cut out the shape you would like to work with from the filter in a few different sizes and then color them with markers.  Add multiple colors on each piece so that they will bleed into each other and give it a tie-dye effect. Try some with patterns and some random! You don’t need to be very precise, because the marker will bleed and cover the whole filter.  Once you’ve colored the filters, simply drop water on top of them and watch the marker bleed (you will definitely want to do this on a protected surface). Move them to a paper towel to dry.

Hope you guys enjoyed this lesson!  Make sure to share what you come up with.

Weaving at Home

Posted on by Jaimee

Cardboard Loom Weaving

Hi everyone!  It’s me, Amy. Trying to stay busy by making things in my home all day long and excited to share a ‘how to’ on this cardboard loom weaving I made! Not only is it awesome, but the actual weaving is quite relaxing and satisfying, I find. Hope you all enjoy!

Materials: 

  1. Cardboard
  2. Yarn
  3. Tape
  4. Scissors
  5. Yarn Needle (Optional)

Step 1 – Make Your Loom

Grab an old box and cut a piece of cardboard to a size and shape that you would like your weaving to be.  Cut slits in each end of the cardboard like so:

Then, starting on a far side of the loom, tape down a piece of yarn to start winding into the slits.  After you have wound the yarn through the entire piece of cardboard, tape down the other end of the yarn, and you’ll be good to go!

Step 2 – Starting Your Weaving

Choose a yarn you would like to start with, and if you have a yarn needle, thread the end of the yarn through the needle and weave through your first line by going under, over, under, over, and so on.  Leave a small amount of yarn hanging off the edge.  We will take care of that later. When you turn back the other direction, make sure you are going under and over the opposite pieces that you were the time before.

Lightly pull your weaving down as you go so that the yarn stays close together.

When you finish your first color, trim off the end of the yarn leaving just a bit hanging off the edge of the loom.  Again, we will take care of this later. Begin with your next color the same way. You will see in the pictures coming that I used two furry yarns together at one point to mix some colors together. (This mainly worked because of the texture of the yarn).

Step 3 – Cleaning the Edges

This is where a needle is useful, but if you don’t have one, you can simply tie the edge of the yarn in a tight knot around the outer loom yarn.  If you are using a needle, simply thread the edge of the yarn, and pull it through the outer loops of your weaving. It’s best to pull it through the section of it’s own color to hide it best. Once it’s through, just cut and trim the rest!

Step 4 – Removing the Weaving

Turn your loom over, and cut through the center of the yarn on the back.  Then, start by pulling off just one end of the loom.

Take the yarn pieces two by two, and double knot them together.  This will keep the bottom of the weaving in place. Then, do the same to the other side of your weaving.  

Voila!  Your weaving is now fully secure and removed from the loom!

Step 5 – Finishing Touches

Now, this part is really up to you!  Depending on what you want to do with your weaving, you can either trim the edges of the loom yarn to make them even if you are making, say, coasters or a miniature rug for a pet or something that will be sitting on a surface.  I’ve decided to attach mine to a found branch so that I can hang it on my wall.

I flipped my loom over, chose which side I wanted to be the top, and laid the branch across it.  I used my loom yarn, again two by two, and knotted it around the branch so that the knots would be hidden in the back. Then, I trimmed the excess.

For the bottom of the loom, I decided to add in some more of the yarn I used to create the loom so that it would look much more full.  I simply tied pieces of the yarn through the bottom of the weaving and in between each knotted piece that was already there. Then, I cut all the hanging yarn so that it was even across.  This could be a fun place to experiment with different length fringe at the ends, or even add in some hanging beads!

Lastly, I tied a piece of yarn to each end of the branch so I could hang it on a wall!  How adorable, right?  

Make sure to share what you guys come up with! ☺