Copy Avian Arts and Crafts Me

Bark Paintings Sketching and Painting he Maya were the first people to make paper ketching and painting birds are activities Tfrom trees. They learned to peel bark from Sthat can be structured or left open to the fig tree and pound it very smooth using individual interpretation. Invite an art teacher water and stones. The Mayan and Aztec people or local artist to instruct or facilitate this made books called codices. Today artisans in activity. Have a variety of art materials Mexico and Central America still make bark on-hand, as well as bird field guides, bird paper and paint designs of animals, plants, or posters or brochures, or live birds if possible. village scenes using bright colors and fantastic Be sure some resources are available to help designs. Now you can create a replica of a bark participants paint the appropriate habitat painting of birds with paper sacks and paint. surrounding the bird. Materials: Brown paper grocery bags, Consider the following ideas: newspaper, fine-line black markers, pencils, ■ Watercolors of landscapes and birds found paintbrushes (fine- and wide-tipped), brown or in: wetlands, rainforests, woodlands, deserts, black liquid tempera paint, bright tempera paint boreal forests, or the seashore (magenta, turquoise, yellow-green, yellow, pink, orange, purple, white), water-based fluorescent ■ Charcoal or colored pencil sketches of birds paint. Wax paper and an iron are optional. If ■ Acrylic and pastel possible, obtain an example of a bark painting. paintings of birds Directions: ■ Chalk drawings of birds 1. To prepare the paper, get grocery bags and Materials: Sketch and/or cut rectangles (about 5” X 7’’). watercolor paper, a variety 2. Wet the sheets of paper and squeeze each of paints, paint brushes, piece into a wad. Open the wad and smooth chalk, charcoal and colored out the wrinkled sheet on newspaper. pencils, and other drawing and painting tools. 3. While the paper is still wet, brush on thin brown or black tempera paint over the entire sheet. You can crumple up the paper again Origami and rub the paint into the wrinkles to give it rigami, the ancient more texture. Let the paper dry and iron it out OJapanese art of paper folding, is a if desired. You should be able to see darker wonderful way to create a three-dimensional paint in the wrinkles of the paper. art project for your festival. Paper folding 4. When the paper is dry, use a pencil to make a can be enjoyed by everyone and materials are fanciful and decorative design on the paper. cheap. Penguins, cranes, ducks, eagles, hens, Outline it with a fine-line black marker. and roosters are among the many origami 5. Fill in the pictures with colored paint in the shapes under the theme of birds. Leaders brightest colors available. Add fluorescent for this activity should practice making a paint for detail. Keep the background (around variety of shapes before the festival so they the edges) as textured brown paper. have examples to show and know how to help 6. Create a nice finish by ironing waxed paper participants. Find out whether your community over the bark painting. Note: Make certain an has an origami group, with members who can adult is present to operate the iron (protect it offer expert assistance. by covering it with aluminum foil). Materials: Provide squares of thin, strong paper.

208 aVian art © Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

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Directions: Cut colorful wrapping paper into squares ahead of time. The squares must be cut perfectly so the paper can be folded correctly. Provide a selection of examples and instructions for folding simple origami birds. Many excellent books and resources teach how to create origami shapes. Instructions can be found in a variety of books on origami or on various websites. (Take a look at Paper Pandas and Jumping Frogs by Florence Temko, China Books & Periodicals, “Cake” Decorating Inc., for ideas, history of papermaking, and step- by-step instructions for origami shapes.) tudents and festival participants will have Slots of fun decorating suet cakes. (Suet is a nutritious mix of fat, flour, seeds, and other Bird Art Mural appetizing bird foods blended together.) Why or this project, participants create an original not have a cake decorating contest and award Fbird art mural to build a feeling of cooperation a blue ribbon to the best cake at the festival? and community. Participants can look at pictures Have fun and be creative—the birds can or posters of birds for inspiration. You may take delight in your creations! Suet attracts want to provide a theme to work with, such as woodpeckers and other types of birds that you “rainforest birds” or “birds in my neighborhood.” might not see at a seed feeder. Have several large pieces of mural paper ready; Materials: Suet, peanut butter, cornmeal, bird as one piece gets full, you can replace it with a seed, sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried raisins, blank piece. Secure the mural paper to tables or cranberries, and plastic mesh (like the plastic a wall space with tape. If painting, provide items mesh bags that onions are sold in.) for clean-up on a separate table. Display the finished murals at the festival. Directions: Check if your local supermarket or butcher shop will donate suet for this activity. Materials: Large pieces of mural paper Either cut or mold the suet into squares or rounds. (butcher paper works well), paints, paint The number and size of cakes depends on how brushes, pencils, markers, and crayons, tape, many people you anticipate doing the activity. wall space or a large table for mural design, one or two tables for supplies, and images of birds Use the “Materials” list, above, to provide an from posters or books. array of ingredients that can be pressed into the Variation: Students can help to make a big cakes. Encourage participants to be creative and sidewalk chalk bird art mural. Provide buckets colorful in their decorating scheme. (Note: Always of chalk and mark off a large flat sidewalk mix cornmeal or flour with peanut butter or soft or asphalt area for participants to work on. fats to absorb the grease. Peanut butter or soft fats You may want to start this project by having alone may choke a bird or clog its nostrils.) an artist begin the mural with a few outlines Provide plastic mesh to transport the cakes or sketches of birds for participants to color. home with participants. You can cut the mesh (Note: Most people are not concerned about from potato or onion bags. Participants can writing on the sidewalk with chalk; however, then hang their suet feeders from a branch or be aware of where you are using the chalk tie them securely to the trunk of a tree. The and make certain to ask permission if you mesh allows the birds to pull the seeds and suet think anyone may be concerned.) through the holes.

AVIAN ART 209 Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds

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