wacky pack and Roy Lichtenstein inspired drawings

On Monday night, the studio was filled with giggles.

That's because a week or two before, the students discovered a book on the studio shelf full of Wacky Pack designs.

A sticker collection I was personally obsessed with in elementary school that you collected much the same way as you collect hockey cards. I drove my mother crazy begging for a ride to the local 7-11 every time I had 5-cents in my pocket so I could buy a new pack of stickers to put on my notebook.

Yes, 5-cents.

And that was hard earned money people!

I can still hear my mother's exasperated voice in my head telling me I was wasting my money, but I didn't care. Like every other kid in my class, I wanted to complete the sticker collection proudly displayed on my notebook or be able to trade my doubles for stickers I didn't have.

And they certainly weren't always appropriate by today's standards. As a child of the 70's, my stickers included parodies of beer and cigarettes that I chuckled over while smoking on a candy cigarette.

Ah, good times.

Anyway for those of you who were denied these most amazing creations, here's a look at one of the stickers that not only fascinated me growing up, but also the students in Monday's class when they discovered my book full of every Wacky Pack sticker ever made.

(for my mother)

So how to create an art project inspired by Wacky Packs? Well, introduce Roy Lichtenstein! I thought his pop art style would meld perfectly with the potty humor of Wacky Packs.

I presented several styles of his work, including Sunrise.

As a group we discussed how he used primary color. We talked about Ben-Day dots, man did the kids love saying Ben-Day dots! And we giggled over the comic book art he created. 

I even pulled out some vintage comic books and a magnifying loop so the kids could discover the Ben-Day dots for themselves! 

And then the students all set off to create their own original "Wacky Pack" designs inspired by Lichtenstein's pop art technique.

Potty humor reigned supreme and giggles commenced! Lord, they had fun.

Some students brought packaging from home, where they had discussed and laughed about ideas on parodies with their families. Others used packaging designs I printed out and made available in the studio.

7 year old

Some students decided, "why mess with perfection?" and recreated old Wacky Pack designs.

Each student created their design on Bristol paper and used markers for color. I had a grid for them to use for circles, but many just decided to create their own Ben-Day dots. 

We discussed that the dots worked best where they were trying to create a lighter color and each child understood that concept quickly.

9 year old, parody of Cadbury's Caramilk chocolate bar

It was fun to watch how they all worked as a team to help each other work out their concepts. It was a joy to watch them build each other's confidence up as they laughed at everyone's final ideas.

We had Gagbury's Carmilk bar, made with 50grams of real gasoline! mmmmmmmm

9 year old, parody of Cheerio's

And "Geario's" made with 100% nuts and bolts.

8 year old, parody of 7-Up can

Feel free to wash down those Geario's with some Barf-Up. 100% real barf, not just any barf either, but the real, smelly gross barf! yum.

9 year old, Smarties parody

Or you could enjoy Canada's favorite candy, Farties, with your Barf-Up if you prefer. They're a real gas! Made with real farts and a warning "not to eat too many".

I'm having way too much fun writing this post

Anyway, I'd be lying if I wasn't a little nervous as pick up time got closer. What would their parents think? Would they allow their kids to come back to the studio? 

I mean these aren't exactly the artworks you show off to grandma.

But I was relieved to see the parents jumped right into the fun. One dad was quite excited to frame them up even!

This project was a hit from beginning to end. The kids loved creating silly parodies of every day products. It was the perfect fit for explaining Pop Art. And they loved exploring the techniques Lichtenstein used in his artwork.

Win. Win. Win.

And if I still had my school notebook covered in my beloved Wacky Pack stickers, I would surely trade one of my doubles for any of wonderful works my students created to add to the collection.