Doodlebug Dabblings: clay and watercolor butterflies

Friday, July 24, 2015

clay and watercolor butterflies

While on a journey through the jungle at the "Jungle Jive" art camp for North Vancouver Arts Council, we discussed the beautiful butterflies that make their lives in jungles around the world.

I thought it would be fun to "capture" our own colorful jungle butterfly.

The Programme Director and I diligently collected our empty jars over a period of a month for the students to use to hold their wild butterflies.

And the kids were so excited to pick from them to hold their fluttering creation.

First using air dry clay, they created a body for their creature.

I told them to keep looking at their jar and making sure the butterfly would fit inside.

I said this over

and over

and over

and over.

Some added wire for legs, antennas, and even tongues!

Then I handed them a small piece of watercolor paper and a palette with the liquid watercolor in the primary colors only.

I quickly went over some of the techniques they could use with the watercolor and also a quick lesson on symmetry.

And then just so they didn't get to upset if their butterfly didn't come out symmetrical, I also talked about how artist Jack Shadbolt created asymmetrical butterflies.

Then off they went with me once again reminding them to remember the jars they wanted to fit their creation into and double checking that what they were creating would fit inside.

I said this over

and over

and over

and over.

Once the bodies were dry, they painted and I hot glued their wings onto the body.

The results are lovely

Even if very few are actually contained in the jars we worked so hard to collect for them because like my kids when I remind them over and over to clean their rooms, my chant of, "double check your butterfly fits into your jar" fell upon deaf ears.