Eggshell Mosiac

This was one of the coolest projects I have done with my students. I found it on dickblick... AND it is even incredibly more beautiful than the pictures. I enjoyed teaching about the color wheel and the history of mosaics -- I loved this website.  It is also interesting to learn about the use of ostrich egg mosaics in Namibia.  Here is a little photo instructional:

Eggshells are "crushed" onto a canvas using white glue.

Once the glue dries, you add liquid watercolor -- undiluted! Use analogous colors for the best results.

Be generous... and quick. The inside of the shells absorb more color than the outsides.

This is where it gets tricky.... You have to remove the watercolor from the eggshell tops to expose them. Using the diluted gloss varnish, a paint brush and my best friend - a q-tip - move the color to the 'valleys'!

Finally, I found that Triple Thick was the best way to go to finish them off. They are beautiful! I will post photos of the students' finished projects -- I bet they will be really neat... 

Paper Clay Leaves

I just LOVE it! It is easy to work with clay... softer than Sculpey and retains the texture of the leaves very well creating all the small detail the watercolor will highlight. It does dry out, but reconstitutes well with a dab of water. It also sticks to itself like a dream!

DickBlick had a project on their website to make these clay leaves. I just had to do it with my art students. It allows me to teach about God's amazing design of leaves, the Elements of Design: Shape, Positive/Negative Space, and Texture, use watercolor paints, and to make something practical (a must in my book at least once/twice a semester!) These are very light and become beautiful necklaces (as you can see!) I suggested that they would be lovely and inexpensive gifts for their family this Christmas. 

• Start with a roll and place on bottom side of the leaf... cut the roll to the length of the leaf.   
• Roll it out gently to between 1/8" and 1/4" depending on how you will use it (how sturdy you need it to be -- thicker for more durability) 
• Keep the leaf on the clay until the VERY END! 
• Cut away the extra around the edges.
• Now smooth the edges with wet fingers.
• Finally, add any serrated edges the leaf may have by "denting" the clay with a straight edge tool at the same angle as the leaf veins. 
• Make one final pressing of the leaf and shape the leaf in a natural way.
• Remove the leaf -- add a hole with a toothpick if you want to hang it.  Vwallah!

I twisted and curved this leaf for a more natural look.

Before gloss varnish...

I can't wait to see all the student's creations... I will try to post pics for you to see how wonderfully they did!