Sunday, September 20, 2009

Bee Sponge Art

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.
For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.

Summer Camp 2010
Click on image to view enlarged.

मधुमक्षिका
(madhumakshikaa)


मधुमक्षिका पुष्पम् इच्छति।
madhumakShikaa puShpam icChati.
The honeybee wants a flower.

मधुमक्षिका पुष्पम् अन्विष्यति।
madhumakShikaa puShpam anviShyati.
The honeybee looks for a flower.


This is page seven of a child's Sanskrit Animal picture book. Click here to see a sample of an assembled book.

Materials
• Sponge (cut into oval shape, any size will do)
• Paper, cardstock (Make sure that it is a size proportional to your sponge size. 4 x 4 inch squares work well.)
• Medium black marker or gel pen. (.o7 mm)
• Gray tempera paint (We like to mix white and black together, keeping some streaks of white and black in the mixture -- this gives the print more depth and makes the overall image seem more painterly.

Directions
1. Spread a very thin layer of tempera paint onto a paper plate and dip the sponge into it. (Don't worry if the entire sponge is not covered with paint -- the result looks lovely when there are shades of gray and unevenness in paint.)

2. Print your sponge onto the center of the paper.

3. Take your black pen and draw the lines to define your bee. (Coloring in the shapes can add yet another dimension to the image.) Feel free to copy the picture above or make up your own drawing!