Create: Paper Sculpture Hat

Supplies

• 12-by-18-inch construction paper, various colors, 1 sheet per student (Prepare these in advance by making diagonal cuts approximately 6 to 8 inches long from each corner toward the center of the paper.)
• Strips of construction paper 1 in. to 2 in. wide, cut with paper cutter, various colors
• Tacky glue and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Pencils
• Stapler
• Embellishments such as sticker dots, geometric stickers, feathers, sequins, buttons, etc. (optional)
• Student journals

Activity

Construct the Hat

1. Have students choose a 12-by-18-inch piece of pre-cut construction paper.
2. With the paper on the desk, bend the long sides up towards the center, and cross the triangular tips on one side. Staple to secure.
3. With the hat on the head of the student, cross the triangular tips on the other side, take the hat off, and staple. The hat should have an oval base that goes around the head with two triangular flaps sticking out to each side.

Form and Meaning

Students will turn their hat into a wearable sculpture by adding at least ten manipulated strips of paper to their hats, referring to the Paper Folding Techniques or inventing their own paper manipulations.

1. Ask students to think about what they want their sculpture to express: Will it be a formal exploration of line, shape, color, or other elements of art in and of themselves? Will it represent a specific idea, person, or theme? What lines, shapes, and colors would best convey their subject?
2. Encourage them to keep in mind that sculptures are meant to be viewed from multiple sides and have three dimensions. How will their hat look from different angles?
3. Once students have finished adding manipulated strips of paper to their hats, pass out any embellishments if you are using them. Have students think about adding embellishments to contribute to their design rather than overpowering it.

Complete the Hat

1. Have students divide each of the triangular flaps into five sections by cutting four lines towards the center of the hat (being careful not to cut all the way through or run into the original cuts). Encourage them to cut different types of lines: zigzag, curvy, and wavy.
2. Once the sections are cut, they can manipulate the strips in any way: curling, accordion folding, and then gluing the strips together up and over the top of the hat to give it height.

Paper Folding Techniques

Have students experiment with each technique and then try them in various combinations. Encourage them to experiment to create their own lines, shapes, and forms.

Make a Cylinder

• Using a rectangular or square piece of paper, curl the ends toward each other. Add glue along one of the edges and stick the other edge to it.
• Experiment! Make tall, narrow cylinders by gluing the long edges together; make short, wide cylinders by gluing the short edges together.

If you want your cylinder to stand up vertically:

• Use scissors to make a series of short, parallel cuts around one end of the cylinder. Try to make each cut close to the same length and spaced evenly apart. When you have finished, you will have a fringe around the cylinder edge.
• Take each of the fringe tabs and fold it up on the outside of the cylinder; make a crease at the point where your cut ends and the solid cylinder begins. Place your cylinder on a flat surface so that the tabs radiate out from the base and rest against the flat surface.
• To affix the cylinder to a sheet of paper, add glue to the underside of each tab and press them down firmly against the hat base.

Make a Cone

• Begin with a paper circle. With a pencil, lightly draw the center line of your circle. It need not be the exact center. Orient your circle so that this line runs left to right.
• With scissors, cut from the edge of the circle up to the pencil line. Aim for the approximate center point of that line.
• Hold the edge of the paper to the right of the cut and pull it across the cut to overlap the paper on the left. The center point of the circle should begin to push upward into a point, forming a wide cone.
• You can use glue or tape to complete the cone as is, or you can continue moving the paper in your right hand over more of the paper on the left. The tighter you draw the paper, the smaller the base of your cone and the taller the center point.
• When your cone looks the way you want, use tape or glue to hold the shape.

Note: For forms with rectangular or square bases, simply fold up the bottom edge of each side to create a solid tab. Depending on the specific shape, you may need to make small cuts at each corner so that the tabs sit flat against the horizontal surface without the paper tearing.

Join Pieces of Paper

• Join two or more pieces of paper perpendicular to one another by cutting a slits in your paper. For example, to join a smaller triangular piece of paper with a larger rectangular one:
• Decide where on the edge of the rectangle you would like to place the triangle. Make a short, straight cut in the edge of the paper at that point.
• Make a similar short, straight cut into one side of your triangle. Hold the triangle perpendicular to the rectangle and line up the two cuts you made.
• Slide the triangle into the slit in the rectangle until it won’t move any farther. If the triangle sticks out more than you want, you can make one or both of the original cuts longer.
• Experiment with different shapes and try cutting the slits to different lengths to see what effects you can create.