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Online Activities

Special demonstrations and fun hands-on activities presented here by multiple participating artists. Videos on painting demos, viking knitting demos and more! Coloring and hands on activities that you can download and do.  Enjoy!

From Location 9 - Local Color Jewelry

Viking Knitting Demonstrations

Handwoven lightweight designs in sterling silver and 14k gold fill wire.

From Location 3 - Naomi Wilsey Art

Printmaking Using Styrofoam 

Sumi-e Demonstration

From Locations 6 and 10:
Berline Chao, Amy CicalaAnne Nydam

Coloring Pages: Click on a coloring page to select. Then click Go to link to download. Color and add your own artistry.

From Location 10 - Berline Chao
OrigamiMasuBox.png

Origami: Learn how to fold a traditional origami box called a masu box.

 

To make a top lid

The "Tip" says to make one more as a top lid. There are two options to make the lid fit on top of the box.

 

Option 1.  Repeat steps 1 through 11 but use a ¼ square inch larger sheet of paper. If you used a 6 inch square for the box, then use a 6¼ inch square for the lid.

Option 2.  Use the same size paper used to make the box, but in steps 3 and 4, do not fold all the way to the center. Instead, fold each side up to an ⅛ inch away from the center. This will leave a ¼ inch gap at the center. Repeat remaining steps keeping with the ¼ inch gap.

 

Steps 3 and 4 would look like this:​​

MasuLidSteps3_4.png
From Location 10 - Anne Nydam
collagraphlinesamples.jpeg

FOR KIDS:  Collagraph Printmaking

A collagraph is a method of printing from a block built up by collage. The simpliest form is a line collagraph.

1. Find a piece of stiff, non-shiny cardboard. It can be any size, but something around 4x6 to 7x9 works well.

2. Draw a design on the cardboard with puff paint, or some other sort of dimensional paint, or even with school glue. You can draw a design first with pencil, and then run the line of puff paint over your pencil line, or you can just start drawing with the paint. (Image 1)

3. Allow the paint to dry completely - overnight is best, just to be sure.

4. Using a fairly wide brush, paint all over the cardboard and your design. You can use printing ink if you have it, acrylic paint, or tempera/poster paint. (Image 2)

You can use more than one color, but work quickly so that the paint doesn't start to dry before you finish covering the whole block.

5. Lay a piece of clean paper over the painted block, throw an old towel or piece of felt on top, and then press hard over the whole surface. You can press with your hands, or you can roll over it with a rolling pin (pressing down hard), or you can put a board or other flat, rigid surface on top of the towel and then press down hard on that.

6. Remove the towel, peel the paper off the block, and see what you got! (Image 3)

7. You can print as many times as you like, painting on more ink between each fresh piece of paper. You can experiment with how thickly to apply the paint, how hard to press, using different colors of paint and paper, etc. You can also experiment with inking with a stamp pad if you don't have paint.

More Advanced Collagraph Techniques

In addition to lines of puff paint, you can also build up other shapes and textures with collage. Materials that work well include flat craft foam shapes, paper or cardboard with a corrugated or other texture, or even paper that has been crumpled up and partially smoothed back out. (Image 4)

Whatever you use to make your design, be sure that it's glued down firmly and that the glue has time to dry completely before you try printing.

collagraphbird.jpeg

© 2025 by Needham Open Studios.

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