AboutMaryAnn F. Kohl Expertise I am an expert in anything about art for children, but not crafts. I have written over ten books of art ideas for kids, using materials found commonly in most homes. I like easy ideas!
maryann@brightring.com
MaryAnn F. Kohl, author
Experience began writing in 1985 after teaching elementary aged kids for ten years
Question My teen daughter has to come up with a visual book report idea. I told her to select two characters from the book and to make life-size characters of them. It sounds like a good idea but we both have no idea how to make it. Can you please give me some suggestions.
Thanks
Answer Well, my goodness! What a fun idea. However, it is something I have never done before, so my idea may be a little sketchy.
I would use illustration board (it will take two rectangles for each character to get a full human size). You can buy illustration board at Walmart or Office Depot, and other places too. (Or use card board.)
Cut out the human form.
Glue a long piece of thin wood to the back to hold it all together.
To make it stand, you might have a square of plywood for the base,
and using more thin pieces of wood, glue it to the plywood.
I can't draw what I am saying!!! but make some kind of hinge with either wood or cardboard to attach it to the base.
You might need to have another stick that comes out from the back of the character in a triangle or slanted angle out to the farthest back edge of the base.
This is just one idea. Since I've never done this before, I'm not sure of exact details.
I suggest you look at some of those full size human cardboard displays you see of movie stars. Right now there is one in bookstores of the newsman, I think his name is Cooper Anderson, or something like that. He just wrote a book so his cardboard form is on display in Barnes and Noble in a fullsize human cardboard display. Take a look at how that one is done, and then copy the form! I would use paint and markers to draw and fill in the coloring of the characters.
I know I'm just guessing at ideas...but perhaps this will help.
