Day 1: Playing with Clay
Using botanical inspiration and a load of mark making tools, the young artists were given the chance to simply play with clay! Making marks and shapes – which included pressing plants, Lego, screws, lace and letter stamps into the surface of the clay – they had fun creating patterns and textures. Some of the clay pieces were cut into shapes to make hanging decorations, others were left with ‘raw’ edges. After a while playing and experimenting with the materials and exploring all the different mark making tools, the young artists chose to make either a bowl or a tea light holder. Once the simple shapes had been made by moulding the clay around their chosen object, they got to play with their favourite mark making tools again to complete their vessel… now all they have to do is wait for the clay to dry…!
Day 2: Decorating Birdhouses
Continuing with playing with pattern, we moved onto another nature love of mine – birds! I have long been promising the young artists that we would one day make decorative birdhouses – we have made birds in a variety of different media and on quite a few occasions, so it seemed only fitting to make a little habitat for them! Focusing on the patterns we had been playing with during the previous day, we took these ideas and used pencil and pen and went crazy with creating beautifully decorated cardboard bird houses. Each one was embellished further with paper collage, buttons, ribbons and all sorts of other bit and bobs.
Day 3: Hand Stitched Birds
To conclude the summer workshop block and to complete the birdhouses, we spent the final day making little hand stitched birds. Each one made with gorgeous scraps of fabric, carefully and painstakingly sewn with tiny little hands!! This was quite a tricky activity for some of the little artists, but with guidance and encouragement (and the occasional cheat with fabric glue!) everyone made a cute little bird to fix to the perch of their house! I hope you agree amazing results for this mark-making and pattern-mad workshop 🙂
