Bad day at black rock

No lovely pictures of what my little charges made today. It was chaos in the classroom. Teach was out of class and we had a supply teach who was rubbish at maintaining discipline. I held my own - just - getting more and more frazzled as the day went on. The final straw was a a girl who took a piece of cardboard tube with paint on it and started chasing other children and stamping their faces. I told her to give it to me and she refused. I lost my temper and physically wrestled it from her. I wasn't kneeling on her chest (much though I would like to have been) I was just trying to take the tube from her hand while she tried to stop me, shouting ouch,ouch, ouch.

Suddenly I thought this is madness. This how you end up in court charged with assault. I finally took it from her, told her my opinion of her behaviour and went to wash up. The lesson wasn't finished - but it was for me.

In situations like this my lack of training/experience lets me down. All I have to work with is common sense. I put so much planning and prep into these lessons that they become very important to me. In reality they are not. They are useless busy work for the children. Someone else to 'do' the obligatory art and give the teachers a break. If the kids choose to paint each other purple that's really none of my concern. I should keep my focus firmly on the pay off, do the minimum and go.

Need sleep, distance, rest and maybe drink.

Gangster of Lurve

Decided to dress my mad paper mache head up for Valentine's day and turn him into a bit of a gangster of lurve. Bought some large and small paper doylies from the cash & carry and persuased father in law to donate the contents of his shredder. I rubbed the puppet's head with cellulose paste and dumped him in the paper shreddings. Then I trimmed the frilly edge off the smaller paper doylie and balanced it on his ears. Voila - hardly a fedora but none the less a hat. I like the back of his head particularly.

It did occur to me the problem might be explaining to the children not what a gangster is nor what a hat is but what a paper doylie is. When you come right down to it, what the hell IS a paper doylie. If you were very posh....and you had friends coming round for tea...and you were putting out a plate of cakes.... All these thing are as foreign to these children as indulging in a few Tia Chi moves before having musili for breakfast. Oh well, who cares. As long as they grasp the hat concept in a hurry

I also put a few stitches into my fabric collage bag to make it look slightly less flung together. There will be three other makers taking part in that workshop, providing jolly things for a bunch of primary teachers to do on what should be their Saturday off. The puppet maker on that day is going to be the main man from the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre so I will be in illustrious company. On Wednesday of next week I'm paying a visit to his esteemed establishment for a quickie workshop . I'm guessing maybe this will be the same kind of stuff he intends to show the primary teachers. Looking forward to it and rest assured, I will report back in full

Bags of flowers

I have a workshop coming up soon which is a one hour make and take for primary teachers. They have asked for fabric collage. The little house on the prairie is what I used to offer but frankly Scarlet, I'm getting bored with it. It was before I had done much work with children myself and I now realise that precision is probably not their strong suit. I decided to free it up a bit.

Years ago I went to a workshop with Richard Box . Being a virtuous and well organised girl I was able to go straight to my techniques folder this morning and unearth my sample from that workshop. Don't you just hate me? Anyway, here is my homage to Richard which I've decided to present to the teachers in bag form. A piece of old sheet will be fine for the kids but I thought it would be nice for the teachers to have something they can actually use.

I found a great supplier for these bags which end up costing less than 50p including VAT. With amazing trust ,this company will invoice you giving you 30 days to pay. Hope the don't go bust.

A good sponging with blue paint, a few old bits of foliage rubbed over with crayon, string and foam printing blocks create the background. Highlights, lowlights and glittery bits attached with Bondaweb make the flowers. I remember Richard telling us that glittery bits should be used to represent dark areas because when they are not reflecting light, they are dark. Hmmm, a bit deep for me, that one.

Leapt out of bed and launched into this whilst still in jammies and workroom is now completely trashed......but I'll tell the teachers it's a mess free technique. Seemed to get away with it last time! :)

Minking mad heads

It was mad head day at the primary school today. Paper mache modeling with kitchen towel and wallpaper paste. I had told the teacher that this was a mess free technique, God forgive me. The kids were coated, as were the tables, the loo floor, the mirrors, the classroom floor, me....need I go on? Teach was pretty cool about it all, declaring the day a success. I was less sure.

The first weird thing happened when I showed the kids this one I made earlier. It's Tommy they declared. Then Tommy came in, stopped in his tracks and announced it to be a representation of him. Poor child, it was. Tommy was not know to me until that moment so I can only assume I am channeling some famous sculptor. I've long suspected it.

The fungal free cellulose paste was a Pig with a capital P. It refused to mix in anything like a uniform fashion. I'll take my hand whisk next time. Also, the largest tub my supplier could come up with was not enough so I'll have to send for more and pay extra carriage charges which is a pig with a small p.

Listening to the children talking as they worked was so funny. Well seen what telly they watch when one little guy declared it to be just like plastic surgery. Wonder if he'll get as far as the implants? Another child declared ' This is minking - it wid gie yi the jandees!' Translation: the viscosity of this paste is making me feel nauseous.

I had intended taking in some pictures of tribal carvings but didn't get around to it. None the less a kind of tribal feel is emerging, wouldn't you say?

This is week five of an eight week project and I'm starting to form a relationship with the kids, even the naughty ones. I will miss them when it's time to go.

Next week the schools are on holiday but the week after we'll be finishing our mad heads and moving onto the polystyrene cows. The bottle dogs I'm keeping up my sleeve for the last two weeks. Is that something you can be reported to the RSPCA for?

Before I allowed them to start their mad heads I made them string their Bender puppets. You'll have to do it for me, I can't tie a knot was the cry. I took the time to show them how to tie a knot and the satisfied sighs from the kids when they finally accomplished it was just great. Sad though, at age 11, this is the level of craft tuition they need. Velcro has a lot ot answer for.

Upper, middle and lower class

Who remembers the old John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbet sketch? That's what this reminds me of.

I'm upper class, so I look down on THEM, I'm middle class so I look up to HIM but down on HIM. I'm lower class.....and strangely enough I don't remember the punchline. Anyone?

In reality they are mad skulls waiting to be made into mad heads. I found the necks in the Scrapstore. They have a lable inside them saying Bulmer & Lumb.

, Bradford, England. Textile manufacturers. How green of them to go to the trouble of giving their used thread cones to the Scrapstore. I do like the concept of recycling.

Sock secrets

For my sweet and loyal sock chums here are some of the gory details. It's Koigu yarn from Get Knitted. (Hurray! I managed a live link!). It's a slip stitch pattern of knit two, yarn forward, slip two, yarn back. Repeat ad nauseum. There are 60 stitches in my little round foot and the pattern refused to repeat itself the way I wanted it to. You would not believe how long it took me (or maybe you would) to work out that if I had only 58 stitches I would come back to the beginning of the round ready to start again. But it's still an even number I argued with myself. Yeeessss Grumpy darling, but as you are dividing by two, you reduce your group of 30 (from 60) to a group of 29 (from 58). After that I was away. If only I had expanded my brain, not to mention my casting on, just a tiny bit further and made it a group of 31 (from 62) the sock might have been a little less snug, but we live and learn............if we're lucky.

Sock it to 'em

For kicks, I knit socks. Talk about life in the fast lane! These are knitted from the toe upwards. A lot less brain straining that way, believe me. This is the first time I've invented my own pattern and I quite like it. It looks like basket weave. I'm usually a very unsubtle person as far as colour is concerned but this fairly neutral yarn with the odd flash here and there is tickling my fancy, not to mention my feet. The downside of sock knitting is the fact that you need two. Imagine finishing a jumper only to have to start all over again.

Bottoms up

Today I have drilled 330 holes in plastic bottles to make it simpler for the kids to attach their dog's legs....if you take my meaning. Every cupboard seems to be full of plastic bottles, cascading out on you whenever you open an unsuspecting door. That was before dearly beloved hit on a ripper storage idea. He stacked them up in a little inshot like glass bricks in a wall. They are really lovely things when you see them like this. I'm sure my friend Margaret could do some fab image manipulation with them. Another challenge Margaret? Where and how to drill the holes in the differently designed bottles was also fascinating. 'Square' water bottles were the most successful. The density of the plastic varied amazingly with some fizzy drinks bottles too soft to be of much use. Mind you, depends to what use you intent put them. Had a lovely time stomping on my rejects and making a fabulous noise!

Take away puppets

Dearly beloved came back from the cash and carry this morning with some hot drink cups and coffee stirrers. I've played with them all day and here are the results. Milk Maid with her strawberry cow. The coffee stirrers make excellent limbs. If you twist them every so gently they will spilt at the top. Slip a split one onto an unsplit one and they lock together like a ball and socket joint. Superb! Stick them into the cup and wrap a bit of masking tape round the end so they won't pull out. Very successful limbs that waggle about delightfully when you jiggle your puppet about. Wanted to come up with something younger children could cope with too. My cup runneth over!

Adaptation

I've been given the opportunity to make puppets with larger groups of primary teachers but am going to have to adapt my methods fairly drastically in order the make them virtually preparation free. No sawing of cardboard tube or drilling plastic bottles.....hmmmm..... Much thinking needs to be done.

Sit up straight and pay attention!

The workshop for the teachers of the differently abled is over and I'm lying in a heap on the floor like a puppet with it's strings cut. Luckily I can still reach the keyboard with one outstretched arm and thanks to my supernatural touch typing skills am able to blog on regardless.

Seventeen social workers turned up but four had to leave for a funeral almost immediately so the numbers were less than I had anticipated. It was a slow start . I don't think they knew what to expect. I do tend to ........what would you call it.....cajole, if you were charitable, bully if you were honest pretty relentlessly with no talking or thinking allowed. You must follow instructions to the letter which is all very well until I issue the wrong instruction as I did today. That put my gas on a peep. However, we recovered and once I let them off the lead to be a bit more inventive, things improved. As you'll see from the gentleman above who turned his landscape on fabric into an improvised hat.

Taking of leads, bottledog was a major success generating gales of laughter. We did have a bit of a problem with them engaging in group bottoms sniffing once they had a life of their own. Bottledogs that is, not workshop patricipants.

This was the first time I had made a litter from litter (hah!) with a group and it helped me iron out a few glitches. If I go ahead and make bottle dog with my monkey children, it will need simplification and more preparation. The current leg attachment mechanism would be way too complicated . Also they tend to fall off which doesn't fill the maker with self confidence. I have a plan for a new hip replacement and when I get a chance I'll try it out.

Bottledog is of course multipurpose and can be used in place of your machine gun if you have accidentally left yours at home. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

I never feel good about asking participants to help clear up. I reckon they have paid to be there and I'm their wage slave for the day so I should do it. I'm rethinking this altruistic attitude after spending and hour and half clearing up this one. People did offer but I waved them away. Foolish woman!

I would say the day was a success overall. I learned stuff, they learned stuff which they said will be of use to them and claimed to have had a good time. What more can you ask.......but boy, it's a hard way to earn a crust!

S'tat you?

Years ago I did a wonderful workshop with a fabulous artist called Peter Rush. He was showing us an easy peasy paper mache technique. You make up some wallpaper paste and put a dab in the centre of your hand. Then you run a sheet of kitchen towel through your hand and it becomes a modeling medium. Magic! I made a 'bronze' of dearly beloved at that time. Today I resurrected the technique to see if my little monkey children could cope with it. In his superb book 'Rush on Paper' Peter talks about the hundreds of schools workshops he has done. He uses chicken wire innards but that's definitely too dodgy for my lot. I made my head today around a plastic bottle which worked a treat and means you have the potential to turn it into a puppet. Think this is the next delight I am going to introduce my little darlings too.
Today I was packing for my differently abled workshop. Took me hours! I learned a valuable lesson when planning this one. I sent them a breakdown of what to expect. When packing today I keep looking at it and thinking oh on, not another technique! The lesson learned is keep your overview of the day simple to allow yourself room to maneuver.

Off to a party tonight. Frankly Scarlet, it's the last thing I need!

Make mine a double

Here we have Bender relaxing in a glass of something which is what I'll be doing shortly after a day of making safety pin robots with primary seven. The teacher was off ill and it was hell on wheels. Everyone managed to assemble their robots from the kits I gave them but the stringing was a bit too technical. I tried to encourage those who managed it to help those who hadn't but altruism doesn't seem to be high on their list of priorities. Imaging a cage full of monkeys at feeding time and you get the general idea.

I was bending over one golden haired little princess explaining the finer intricacies when she retorted ' your breath stinks!' Had enough by this time the golden haired princess was removed in tears. To be locked in a tower and the key thrown away one can only hope.

Using the glass half empty/half full analogy I am trying to be positive. The project is half done. Four weeks to go. They need a creative activity requiring maximum input from them and minimum input from me. Thinking paper mache......or should I launch straight into the bottle dogs while the concept of string puppets is still fresh in their minds? Or is it? I showed them how to attach the legs and by the time they reached the arms they had forgotton. The MTV generation.

The stand- in teacher had a different perspectve on things. She thought the afternoon had flown by and the children had really enjoyed it. I was amazed. Honest Injun ? Oh yes, she assured me. They would have been quick enough to tell you if they handn't.

Enough of being monkey food for one day. Pour me a large one.

Stick to your man

Phew! Almost all the collage jumping jacks finished and strung. Spent the day on my knees in the gym hall with 33 cries for assistance ringing in my ears. I had gone in early to try and initiate the student teacher into the mysteries of limb attachment but it didn't seem to make much difference. However, you'll see from the photo above that this siren has found herself a willing footballer by swiftly elbowing his significant other out the way. They really do seem to have a life of their own, these guys.

There were of course two bad boys in the group.

No group would be complete without them. They managed to 'loose' their legs. Loosing patience, I told them to make new legs but they chose to assemble their puppet as an amputee instead. No comment...............

Collapse of the stout party

I am off to school today with a bit of bad tummy. Woud rathr be doing some of this!

Rubbish it's not

Here's a large scale ink and garden cane number I produced a few years back. I posted it in response to an image on my friend Evie's blog . My rendition was painted under the eagle eye of Lys Hansen, one of my favourite artists. Took a summer school with her at Dollar Academy one year. http://breadandcircuses.typepad.com/ .

http://www.clacksweb.org.uk/culture/dailybread/

I felt a bit like this dame after making up my 33 puppet kits today. I put them in a black plastic sack to take to school and then had a horribly image of the cleaner throwing them away. I labelled it clearly PUPPETS - DON'T THROW OUT! Well if it can happen to Damien Hurst, you just never know...

My other job

Thought you might like to see what my grumpy shop looks like. It's closed on a Wednesday which is traditionally known as the half shut day. How can a shop be half shut? I make it completely shut instead.

I've been doing more workshop prep today and turning my mind to the disabled workshop which is only a week away - a week today in fact. Have decided that I'm going to add to their list How to Turn Yourself into an Old Bag - or a version of it - which I did for International Women's Day a while back. This involves decorating ready made calico bags in various ways and I thought it would be good because you instantly have a product. When they were showing me round I saw piles of felt squares that were to be made into a hanging but never had been. Understandable, but a bit sad. It did impress upon me that make it and take it would probably be a better route.

Pooh!

Grumpy shopkeeper stuff is keeping me away from creativity and making me feel at least as gloomy as this machine stitched image. Slipping in another visit to the scrap store today in preparation for my in service day with the teachers of the differently abled.

Had an enquiry yesterday from another primary schools who want to do something commemorative for their 10th year of moulding young minds. Budgets ususally run out in March so it looks like the creativity might be revving up a notch or two soon.

I'm back in puppet school on Friday so tomorrow my grumpy shop will be full of plastic bottles being slashed and drilled in the appropriate places. More exciting images soon.

Art vs. Craft

I hate The art vs. craft argument which seems to rage eternally on the web and have no desire to resurrect it here. However, a thought did occur to me as I was constructing these puppet making kits for the children. If they are all given the same materials and produce the same finished product - it's craft. If they are allowed to select their own materials and each result is unique - it's art. Yes? Where's the problem?

The little babies above remind me of just that - incubators. Each one is incubating a safety pin robot. We've christened him Bender - copyright laws forgive me - as all the kids are into Futurama. At least when watching the telly they may remember making him with their own hands.

This is the aeroplane control that will turn Bender from an inanimate object to a drinking, swearing, womanising metal bending guy he is. Unfortunately it looks heavy with significance of a different kind.

This time last year I was in a Catholic primary school involved with a similar project. The final presentation was held in the assembly hall of the secondary school which all the participating primaries eventually fed. A life sized cruicifix loomed large on the wall. My squad tromped onto the stage and announced that they would like to thank their maker - me! I thought they meant their Maker in Heaven. It did give me rather a start.

Makes a change from plastic ducks

I've been asking everyone and their granny for plastic bottles which they have been generously donating but when I went into my workroom today I was overwhelmed by the icky, sticky smell of residue from dozens of assorted pop bottles. So into the bath they went. I have bathed 70 odd of the little beggars today, removing their lids to swill out their unsavory contents. Just as I was about to fling the lids away I realised what fabulous eye potential they had. Oh no, yet another thing to collect! Somebody stop me.........................

And talking about yet another thing...........

Went to a lovely talk about art dolls today by a very talented friend of mine Pam Waller. Pam subscribes to http://www.artdollquarterly.com/
which she orders from http://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/. Think I might be adding this to my subscriptions list for some of the weirder dolls. They look as if they have great puppet potential. Also discovered a fab introduction to puppet making summer schools today at http://www.eca.ac.uk/eca.html
Not the easiest site in the world to navigate your way around but the summer school brochure is downloadable. Have been many times for other courses and it's a blast.