Kids Corner: Metal Craft
Guest Artists: Matthew Owen, Mackenzie Treadwell and Aidan Moreno
Winter is a wonderful time to do metal craft art because it is not messy, and it requires just a few materials. It can be used as a stand-alone project, for ornaments on a tree, or made in many patterns, or cut out and hung with beads for great outdoor hangings.
Metal is reflective and fun and will allow your child to experience a new surface to embellish. It will make your child have to decide on a pattern or whether to create their own. Easy black and white images work best.
After the design is created on paper, cut a piece of metal craft foil, or use the back of a foil food container from the Dollar Store( that works great too!) and place your paper design on top. Tape the top of the design to the foil so you can lift the pattern as you work. Put it on top of a magazine to trace, as it is softer than a tabletop. Using a ball point pen, trace around the design.
The embossing is what makes the dimension and depth happen. Craft sticks, wood tools or any rounded edged craft tool can be used to achieve the desired results. The idea is to look at the design and push between the lines to pop areas out. Ask your child to think about what areas to move forward and back on the metal and how to apply pressure to create the embossed effect. Turn the metal over and push the opposite way to get a good edge.
End with colored markers and paint pens. Engage your child in asking where they are going to add color, and which colors will work best for their design. It is always a good idea to outline in black to bring out the lines and give the colors a powerful impact.
Step # 1: Using a pen, Aidan Moreno traces over a printed dragon pattern which is taped to metal and on top of a magazine.
Look for the“ Carol on Creativity, Revisited” show, episode 2, on CMAP TV and YouTube featuring Cowboy Engraving where we did the metal craft. Look for the metal ornaments on the tree in the background of the video.
Step # 2: Leaving the pattern taped to the top of the metal, Matthew and Mackenzie lift their paper patterns to check that all areas are traced. The image is easily seen on the metal.
Step # 3: Matthew Owen, using a wood craft stick, pushes the metal to make areas recessed and raised-creating dimension and depth. He can turn the metal over and push the opposite way to get sharp edges.
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