05.09.2015
Individual Videoconference Session #3
Hands-On Activity: Building with Cardboard
Demonstrated by Erica Rooney
Materials
 small cardboard pieces for building– pre-cut squares, rectangles and triangles
(recycled from cardboard boxes)
 large cardboard pieces as mounts – square or rectangle
 bowls for cardboard pieces
 washable white glue
 paint (preferably tempera tough acrylic also possible)
 bowls for paint
 paint brushes
 white paper
 scissors (optional)
Brief overview of activity
This project uses recycled cardboard pieces and washable white glue to create
compositions that are either two- or three-dimensional. When paint is added, the
constructions can become colorful sculptures (3-D) or the base composition (2-D)
for laying a piece of paper over and making a print.
One of the biggest goals is to create a studio environment in which the artists
can act independently and feel confident in their own initiative. The following
Steps of the Activity and Learning Standards reflect this goal:
Steps of the Activity
Note: Teachers briefly model the steps of the activity first, not only demonstrating each step but also
thinking outloud to model the process of making artistic decisions. This brief demo-intro is not to
model what the art should look like but to model the steps of the process.
It supplants verbal instructions, gives the artists curiosity and incentive, and prepares the artists to be
independent when they begin their own artistic engagement. They have seen what to do, and their
process need not be interrupted with verbal instructions at any stage as they work – unless they
themselves ask for assistance.
Marquis Studios
ER & HS
1. Artists are given a choice to select a cardboard base that is either a square
or a rectangle.
2. They then take a bowl and fill it with small pre-cut cardboard shapes that
are available in large bowls. Perhaps the bowls can be labeled – squares,
rectangles and triangles – to overlay word recognition.
3. They each get a bottle of glue.
4. They find a workspace and begin to select shapes to glue to their
cardboard mounts wherever they choose; selecting one shape at a time
activates fine motor skills as well as decision-making. Artists work
completely independently – there are no directives except to pick a
shape and glue it someplace.
5. If the artist's bowl of shapes gets empty, the artist may go get more shapes
from the large bowls. Taking this step is an excellent opportunity for
artist independence, initiative, agency, and ownership.
6. This process of selecting a shape and gluing it on the mount wherever
the artist chooses continues until the artist feels finished.
7. The artist then goes to bottles of paint; s/he fills bowls with the colors of
paint s/he wishes to use and chooses a brush. Ideally there is a variety of
brushes – broad flats, rounds, fine points, etc.
8. Then the artist paints her/his cardboard construction, mixing colors if
wished.
8a. If the artist has stacked, leaned and built up with the cardboard pieces,
creating a 3-D sculpture, the painting can cover all surfaces, inside,
outside, under, around.
8b. If the artist has instead glued the cardboard pieces flat, creating a 2-D
composition with slightly raised surfaces, the paint can simply add
color to the shape-composition.
8c. Or the artist can paint just the raised shape surfaces, lay a piece of white
paper over the cardboard, press and pull the paper up, creating a print.
9. When artists have finished working and cleaning up, they all will gather
around the tables and look at other artists' work. Each artist will be
offered the opportunity to present her/his piece to the group and say a
few words about it. They will also answer questions that other artists
have for them.
Learning Standards
Artists will practice making choices, recognizing that they are agents of
their own artmaking.
They will recognize the names of shapes and the differences in shapes.
They will demonstrate independence and initiative as they make design
decisions and make choices of shape and placement.
Artists will explore some basic principles of how to build by leaning,
stacking and balancing shapes.
They will learn basic spatial concepts and words such as “on top of,”
“beside,” “under,” “next to,” “close to,” “far away.”
Artists will practice fine motor skills, taking one pre-cut piece at a time,
squeezing their glue bottles, manipulating a paintbrush to cover all
surfaces. They will practice eye-hand coordination.
They will practice communicating with fellow artists and teachers if they
need more paint, need help with cutting, need help with squeezing glue. They
will participate in the community of artists whose studio space and art
materials they have been sharing. They will talk about their artwork in
this community.
Artists will learn frustration tolerance – building decisions don't always
“stand.” Sometimes they fall. Thus, artists will learn something about
the mechanics of building as well as how to regulate their emotions
and try again rather than give up.
Artists will develop self-awareness; they will learn when they need help.
They will also learn social skills and communication skills: how to ask
for help and whom to ask for help.
Note: Teachers should let the artists work independently as much as possible. Ideally
artists will recognize when they need or want help and will ask the teachers. If,
however, an artist seems stuck, and not able to push through, a teacher can approach
the artist and ask if s/he needs help. The artist will be encouraged to communicate
with the teacher and tell the teacher what s/he needs.
References
To inspire your students’ imaginations, feel free to show them the work of
Jean Hans Arp and Piet Mondrian (their work can be seen through Google
Images). This will allow your students to see many variations on the theme of
compositions made of basic shapes (square, triangle, rectangle) as well as amoeboid
shapes. Colors are also divinely part of the compositions.
N.B. Please reference these artists to show your students the different possibilities their
artistic process can take instead of placing an emphasis on product.
Marquis Studios
ER & HS