Can you ever have enough
bookmarks? Store several in baskets in your bookcases to pop into a book
before reading it. When the supply runs low, you can always make some
more.
Collage bookmarks
are easy to make. Incidentally, a bookmark session is a wonderful activity
for a multigenerational group.The examples for our project were made by
three artists: an eleven year old and two adults over 21. Can you tell
which one was done by the youngest artist? (The answer is given on the
bottom of the page.)
Supplies
- scraps of paper
-- for example, gift wrapping paper, aluminum foil, used paper doilies,
cancelled stamps, paint samples from the hardware store, candy wrappers,
and colored dots from the paper punch
- poster board (or
heavy water color paper from an art supply store)
- Elmer's glue or
a similar adhesive
- ruler
- pencil
- hole punch
- craft knife or
paper cutter
- sharp scissors
- embroidery thread
The following supplies
are optional. We used them to create a speckled texture on uncut paper
before starting the collages
- three different
colors of acrylic paint (a metallic color is optional) and a separate
mixing dish for each color (for example, a cleaned tuna fish can)
- paintbrush (either
bristle or foam, flat or pointed)
- large grocery carton
- newspaper
To
prepare paper:
Place carton on a table or floor which has been partly
covered with newspaper. Place poster board in the bottom of the carton.
Thin acrylic paint with water to the consistency of a raw egg white. Dip
your brush into the paint but don't overload it. Holding the brush above
the paper, flick your wrist so the paint spatters. When that is dry, add
additional colors sparingly. Try to leave a great deal of white space
between the drips. Allow the poster board to dry.
Poster board may curve
during this process. Straighten it out by placing it under several heavy
books for one-half hour or until straight before beginning the collage.
To
make the bookmarks:
Turn the paper right side down. Measure the size of your
bookmarks (ours are 2-1/2" x 7") and cut them out. Paint a border on the
front of your bookmark before beginning the collage (optional -- you don't
have to have a border). Cut or tear scrap paper into interesting shapes
and move them around on the poster board. When you find a pleasing design,
paste it down. Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark. Take four pieces
of embroidery thread cut into 9 inch lengths. Place them together so the
ends line up and then fold them in half so the top ends meet the bottom
ends. Place one inch of folded thread through the hole so that it comes
up the back of the bookmark and pull the long tail of the thread remaining
on the front through the loop. Then tie an overhand knot one inch below
the cut ends of the thread.
Answer: "b" was done by
McEndre Jay, 11 years old.
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