Tag: craftit

Drawing with a Difference #3

We are continuing with our new Drawing with a Difference series today, promoting the idea of drawing without traditional mediums or tools.

For this instalment we are exploring pixel art further, by using paper collage as our drawing method.

You can find our live video here:

https://www.facebook.com/Heathlands.Cumbria/videos/738797261074582

What you will need:

  • Colourful paper cut into equal sized squares
  • Card to paste your collage to
  • A glue stick
  • Squared paper
  • Pencils or felt tips to plan your design

How to make your pixel art collage:

  1. Plan out your design using the squared paper and felt tips. You can always use google for inspiration!
  2. Cut enough squares of equal size to complete your artwork.
  3. Find the centre of your design, then mark the centre of your card.
  4. Starting with the centre 4 squares, begin gluing your design.
  5. Continue working outwards until you are done!

Drawing with a Difference #2

To follow on from our first drawing with a difference session we recorded a short video of continuous line drawing, but with a difference!

Instead of using traditional drawing tools, we played with PVA and wool.

What you will need:

  • Slightly watered down PVA glue
  • Pasting brush for glue
  • Colourful yarn, wool or string
  • Colourful cards
  • Scissors
  • A glue stick

How to make your continuous line drawing:

  1. Create a background for you picture using coloured card and your glue stick. We made a very simple landscape.
  2. Paste PVA over the entire area you intend to draw on.
  3. Cut lengths of wool and draw your shapes, subject or objects by laying the wool into the glue.
  4. Your fingers may get messy, if you are struggling to not lift the wool by accident as you lay it, use the end of a pencil or paintbrush to help position the wool.
  5. Adding extra glue on top may also help.
  6. Once dry, paste over the entire picture again.
  7. Your picture is done!

You can find the video instructions here:

Drawing with a Difference #1

Here at Heathlands we love to explore new and exciting ways we can express ourselves with Arts & Crafts.

With this in mind we are starting a new series of live demonstrations, short videos and blog posts, for you to have a go at “drawing with a difference”. So, what do we mean by this? Quite simply we mean drawing, with anything but pencil and paper.

Our first session went live yesterday, Monday 27th February 2023 and the link to the video can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/Heathlands.Cumbria/videos/1359988764543889

Drawing with a Difference Session #1 – LEGO!!!

The inspiration for the first of our sessions is pixel art, a method for creating images with small squares or pixels.

For this activity we decided it would be really fun to use Lego Dots, as our pixels as they are movable and easy to use. We also decided to draw a polar bear, Monday was international polar bear day!

What you will need:

  • A Lego base plate
  • Lego Dots
  • Your imagination!

How to make your dot / pixel picture:

  1. First you need to decide what you are going to “draw”.
  2. select your colours and start with key features or if you prefer an outline of your idea.
  3. Fill in your work, moving your pixels if needed.
  4. Repeat as much as you like!

Below are some examples of pixel pictures we have made, including a few step by step images of the polar bear.

Step by step polar bear, you can also find a stop-motion here: https://youtu.be/3QcqkYIWqNU

Origami Ninja Star

We thought for this weeks 5 minute craft we would have a bit of fun!

The origins of the bo-shuriken or ninja throwing star in Japan are still unclear, despite continuing research. This is partly because shurikenjutsu was a secret art. Thankfully the art or origami is an easy and accessible way to make your own stars!

What you will need:

  • 4 pieces of 15x15cm origmai paper
  • A work surface to fold on

How to make your throwing stars:

  1. With wrong side up, fold your paper in half diagonally and unfold.
  2. Fold each edge of the square into the middle fold line. Repeat for all four sides creating a squashed diamond.
  3. Fold in half along your original fold line, making a long triangle.
  4. Fold this in half again so that both sharp points come together.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 for all 4 pieces of paper.
  6. Slot each point over the next forming a square and pull the points out.

Origami Witch

It’s been a while since we shared an origami fold, so here is a video of Helen T making an origami witch.

You will need:

  • Lightweight coloured papers
  • Black felt tip pen
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

How to make your witch:

Witches hat and face:

  1. Take your first square of paper for your hat. Fold it in half diagonally and unfold.
  2. Fold each side inwards to form a kite shape, aligning the outer edges with the diagonal fold. Unfold again.
  3. Next fold in the out corners to match the new diagonal folds. See the video for more clarity.
  4. Now fold the side in again to make the kite shape once more.
  5. Fold the sharp point down to meet its opposite corner.
  6. Then fold the sharp point back up with a little less than a cm difference. Then fold this over again. This forms the brim of your witches hat.
  7. Turn your work over, fold the bottom point up to meet the fold on the reverse.
  8. Fold in either side to form the shape of your witches face.
  9. Trace around the shape of your witches face on a scrap of paper. It should be a trapezium.
  10. Tuck this into the folds of the witches face / hair and draw on a face.

Witches body and broom:

  1. Take your second square of paper. Fold it in half diagonally each way, unfold, then fold in half edge to edge one way.
  2. With the paper in half, fold down the folded edge toward the centre, creating a triangle.
  3. Next take the folded flaps and turn the the edge in the centre up to the edge of the triangle. Do this on both sides.
  4. Turn your work over. Fold down the the outer top edges to form a square, turn your work over again.
  5. To form your witches feet, turn the bottom two points up and out over.
  6. Next make your broom, cut a small square of brown paper and cut multiple slits into it to form bristles. Cut a strip of paper and using a glue stick, wrap the bristles around one end.

Assemble your witch!

  1. Using your glue stick, stick your witches head to the body.
  2. To complete, stick the broom to one of your witches arms.

And you’re done! Make multiple to create origami bunting or change the size of your paper to create a witch / warlock family.

https://fb.watch/gc2Kmv0Rkp/

Origami Pigeons

We love to break a stereotype here at Heathlands, and today we thought we look at the common and much unloved pigeon.

Commonly thought of as a pest and carriers of disease, nothing could be further from the truth. The pigeon is an intelligent animal, with excellent recognition skills, as well as superb navigation abilities.

There are 5 regognised pigeon / dove species in the UK with the “feral” pigeon being a decendant of the now rare Rock Dove. You can find out more here:

https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/birds/guide-to-pigeons-and-doves-of-the-uk/

Today’s craft activity is how to make origami pigeons and doves.

What you will need:

  • Pale blue / grey / cream origami paper
  • A black felt tip pen

Instructions:

Standing Pigeon / Dove
Flying Pigeon / Dove

Finger Puppet Penguin

Today is world Penguin Day!

World Penguin Day is celebrated on the 25th April each year, as this is roughly the date of this amazing creatures annual, northward migration. The day is a celebratory and educative initiative, that encourages people to learn more about penguins and their environment, how important they are to our ecosystems and the threats they face.

World Penguin Day is the perfect chance to learn more about these fantastic and fascinating creatures. Read up on the different species of penguin around the world and dig out some fun facts to share with your friends and family.

Did you know that there are 18 species of penguin and of these 11 are considered to be globally threatened?

For fun, we thought for World Penguin day we would make a cute finger puppet!

What you will need:

  • Felt in black, white and yellow
  • Black embroidery thread
  • PVA or Copydex
  • Needle
  • Scissors
  • Pencils
  • Googly eyes

How to make your penguin:

Please refer to the photos below.

  1. On the black felt using a white pencil, draw around your index finger with a cm space all round.
  2. Fold the felt over and cut out two shapes at the same time.
  3. On the white felt using any pencil, draw around you index finger again up to you middle knuckle.
  4. Cut one shape out.
  5. Cut a small triangle for a beak out of the yellow felt.
  6. Choose two googly eyes.
  7. Glue white felt, beak and eyes to one of you black felt pieces.
  8. Using black mercies cotton or embroidery thread, sew the two black pieces of felt together around the edges. Leave to bottom open.
  9. You can use blanket stitch or whip stitch.
  10. Your puppet is complete! Happy World Penguin Day!
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A Sunflower for Ukraine

We are devastated by the awful events unfolding in the Ukraine. At Heathlands we have always strived to support others who need help, whether this is fundraising for Children in Need, staffing the local Poppy Appeal table or raising awareness through our activities here and online.

To show our solidarity with the Ukraine, this week we are making paper sunflowers, to display in our windows both at Heathlands and at home. Below are the instructions for you to make your own.

What you will need:

  • x1 sheet of A4 yellow card
  • x1 sheet of A4 bright blue card
  • x1 sheet of A4 blue sugar paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Pinking shears (optional)
  • 2-3cm large circular whole punch (optional)
  • Pencil
  • Something circular to draw around, about 10cm in diameter

How to make your Sunflower:

  1. On your yellow card, draw around your circular object and cut disc out.
  2. Draw an elongated petal shape, cut out and use this as a stencil. Draw around in 16 times and cut out.
  3. Fold all of your petals in half.
  4. Using your blue card and paper cut out approximately 8 small discs in each colour. These will be your sunflower seeds.
  5. Cut a long wiggling stem for your sunflower from the blue card.
  6. Cut a heart shaped leaf or two from your blue card or paper. You can use pinking shears to do this to give a realistic leafy look. This is optional.
  7. Glue your petals around the edge of the large yellow disc like the rays of the sun.
  8. Alternating between blue card and paper, glue the “seeds” in the middle in a spiral pattern, working from the outside, in.
  9. Glue your leaves to the stem and glue your stem to the back of the flower head.
  10. Your sunflower is complete!

Bonfire Night Pinwheels

Bonfire Night is a beloved event here in the UK but Fireworks are not for everyone. Here at Heathlands we have a number of individuals who do not enjoy the loud bangs and whistles that come with Bonfire Night.

With this in mind we thought we would share a fun craft activity to make a Catherine Wheel full of sparkle and no noise.

You will need:

  • Shiny card – we used gold
  • A ruler
  • Scissors
  • Drawing pin
  • Paper stick or paper straw
  • Loose tinsel (the kind you throw on your tree)
  • Sellotape

How to make your pinwheel

  1. Measure your card along the short side.
  2. Using your ruler, mark the same length on each long side. Join the marks up and cut to make your card into a square.
  3. Again, using your ruler, mark the centre of your square by lining up the opposite corners.
  4. From each corner draw a line towards the centre 10cm long.
  5. Cut along each of these lines.
  6. In the centre and on every other point on your card make a small hole with your pin.
  7. Bend each point with a hole into the middle, using your pin to join them all up, and put the pin through the middle and into your straw.
  8. Gather 8 pieces of tinsel and tape together in the middle. Fold this bundle in half and tape to one of the points of your pinwheel. Repeat this for all four points.
  9. Your silent Catherine Wheel is complete!

Firework Printing

This week we are really looking forward to Bonfire Night!

To go alongside our Firework Pinwheels, we have made this printing activity for you to make your very own indoor fireworks display!

You will need:

  • Large black paper
  • Acrylic / poster paints
  • Cardboard tubes
  • Scissors
  • Glitter (optional)
  • A paintbrush
  • Paint tray

How to make your fireworks display:

  1. Using your scissors, cut your cardboard tubes down from one end in narrow strips, between a 1/4 to a 1/3 the way down.
  2. Fan your cut tube out.
  3. Spread your paint evenly on a paint tray. Dip the tube into the paint and press onto your paper.
  4. Sprinkle with glitter.
  5. Repeat until you are happy.
  6. Using your paintbrush, paint “trail” lines for the rockets shooting up into the sky.

Everlasting Jack O’lanterns

We love Halloween at Heathlands! Dressing up, carving pumpkins and caramel apples are all favourites.

The thing about pumpkins though… they don’t last forever. So! We thought we’d share with you how you can make an everlasting pumpkin!

You will need:

  • 1 piece of A4 orange card
  • 1 piece of A4 green card
  • Two split pins / paper fasteners
  • Scissors
  • A ruler
  • A hole punch or something to make holes in your card
  • A pencil
  • A black felt tip pen

How to make your pumpkin:

  1. Along the long sides of your orange card make marks in 3cm intervals and join them up using your ruler.
  2. Cut 8 strips of orange card.
  3. Cut a piece of green card for a stalk. We have put a picture below to show the S shape we used.
  4. Put holes in each end of every strip of card and in one end of the stalk.
  5. Put the stalk onto a paper fastener first and then thread all of the card board strips on at one end. Spilt the pin and flatten it out.
  6. Use the other paper fastener to connect together all the other ends.
  7. Twist / turn the layers out to form your pumpkin.
  8. Use your felt tip to give your pumpkin a face!

Spooktacular Halloween Lantern Jars

We are getting in a spooky mood here at Heathlands with the run up to Halloween. Today we’ve mean making tealight jars, inspired by Helen W’s tissue paper lantern jars that can be found here!

You will need:

  • A glass jar
  • PVA Glue watered down. Around 50:50 is perfect.
  • A paintbrush
  • Tissue paper. White and black for a ghost and orange and black for a pumpkin.
  • Scissors
  • A pencil
  • Some scrap paper or newsprint to work on.

How to make your Halloween jar:

  1. Decide what style of jar you are making and pick appropriately coloured tissue paper.
  2. Water down your PVA and mix well.
  3. Cut your tissue paper into 2-3cm squares.
  4. Paint a little of your jar at a time and make one even layer of tissue paper all over. Making sure there are no gaps.
  5. Use a hairdryer if you want to speed up the drying process, or leave overnight to set.
  6. Fold a small piece of black tissue paper in half and from the folded edge draw a mouth. Also draw an eye shape. Cut these out, the mouth should be one piece and symmetrical, you should have two eyes that match.
  7. Glue these on and paint another layer of glue all over. Leave to dry.
  8. Put a tealight in your jar and place it in your window!

Origami Zebra and Tiger

Here is another origami instruction from Monday Arts Live, this time a zebra and tiger!

You will need:

2 squares of paper and a surface to work on
Pritt Stick
Paint, palette & brushes if you are decorating your paper with paint, or you can use pencils, felt tips or ink.

How to make your lion:

  1. For your zebra decorate two of your squares of paper with black wiggly stripes and the same on orange paper for your tiger.
  2. Follow the instructions below for how to fold, or follow the link to our Facebook Art Live video for how to decorate your own paper.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=968214173923580&ref=watch_permalink

Eva Stamps!

This week at Heathlands we have been making stamping blocks! These are really simple to create and are a great way of getting creative and decorative with your crafts.

We’ve made our stamps to be interchangeable, meaning that the number of stamps you can create are only limited by the scale of your imagination.

To make your stamps you will need:

  • Eva foam / funky foam
  • Sticky back velcro / hook and loop tape
  • A block of wood
  • Staple gun
  • Scissors
  • Pencil / pen

To use your stamp you will need:

  • Flat paint tray
  • Poster paints / acrylics
  • Paper / material to stamp on

How to make your:

  1. Stick the hook side of your velcro onto your wooden block.
  2. Staple to secure at each end.
  3. Draw your desired shapes for your stamps onto the eva foam making sure not to make them any larger than the block of wood.
  4. Cut out your shapes and add the loop (soft) velcro tape onto the back. Remember that your stamp shapes will reverse or “mirror” when you are stamping. So draw letters and numbers the wrong way round.
  5. You are ready to print! Pick your favourite paint colours and add an even layer to your stamp and get printing. You may need to gently rock your stamp to get it even.
  6. Remember not over load your stamp or it will slide.
  7. Have fun!

Other idea’s for simple stamps include: leaves, flowers, simple shapes, birthday balloons, snowflakes and Christmas tree’s.

Minion Memo Board!

Here at Heathlands we will soon be opening our brand new and renovated portacabin! It was designated “blue bubble”, however we wanted to make the space as warm and cheery as possible. So, the space will be decorated with both blue and yellow. Thus Minnion Bubble was born.

With that in mind, I thought for this weeks craft we would make something for our new space. A memo board inspired by minions! We’re using lightweight denim and yellow ribbons for our theme, but you can use any colours or patterns you like.

What you will need:

A wooden board or piece of MDF

Fabric

Ribbon

Quilt wading

Decorative upholstery tacks

Picture hanging fixings

Staple gun

Scissors

Screwdriver or cordless drill with phillips head bit

How to make your memo board:

  1. Make sure your board has no sharp edges and sand off anything you think might snag your fabric.
  2. Place your board on top of your wadding, leaving a gap around the edge so that you can wrap the wadding around to the top.
  3. Cut the wadding to size.
  4. Cut your fabric to the same size or every so slightly larger.
  5. Wrap the wading and fabric around the board, and starting from the centres of the sides, working out, staple them down. Periodically check that the fabric is stretching evenly.
  6. Starting from one corner, staple your ribbon from the back, and wrap it diagonally around the front of the board. Cut the ribbon after each wrap. Work along the board, making sure to leave even gaps.
  7. Repeat step six in the opposite direction to create a diamond pattern with your ribbons.
  8. Use your decorative upholstery tacks to pin down the ribbons at each point where they cross.
  9. Attach hanging fixtures to the back, put up on your wall and enjoy!

Beaded Suncatcher

A few weeks back we decided to follow up our #30dayswild nature dreamcatcher craft from The Wildlife Trusts with a suncatcher.

The craft was for one of our Facebook art live shows, so I thought I would write a blog post with instructions on how to make your own.

What you need:

A sturdy stick to hang your beads around
Wire
Glass beads
Twine
Small pliers / wire cutters
Scissors

How to make your suncatcher:

  1. Cut 5 lengths of wire, x1 30cm, x2 25cm and x2 20cm
  2. Place a small bead about 2cm from the end of each wire, turn the wire back on itself and twist together.
  3. Thread each wire with your favourite glass beads, leaving 4cm to wrap around your stick.
  4. Arrange your wires: small, medium, long, medium, small, along your stick, around 3cm apart.
  5. Cut a length of garden twine around one and half to two times the length of your stick and tie it to either end of your stick.
  6. Hang your suncatcher in a window and enjoy.