A "Forget-Me-Not" Traditional Rag Doll Challenge

Traditional rag doll, trimmed with forget-me-nots

Theme: floral needlpoint/applique/fabrics/quilting etc… depicting Forget-Me-Nots

Subject: Traditional Rag Doll 

Historical Connections: Forget-Me-Not in Art, Folklore, and Culture:

• In a German legend, God named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, “Forget-me-not, O Lord!” God replied, “That shall be your name.”
• Henry IV adopted the flower as his symbol during his exile in 1398, and retained the symbol upon his return to England the following year.
• In 15th-century Germany, it was supposed that the wearers of the flower would not be forgotten by their lovers. Legend has it that in medieval times, a knight and his lady were walking along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers, but because of the weight of his armor he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted “Forget-me-not.” It was often worn by ladies as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love.
• Prior to becoming the tenth province of Canada in 1949, Newfoundland (then a separate British Dominion) used the Forget-me-not as a symbol of remembrance of that nation’s war dead. This practice is still in limited use today, though Newfoundlanders have adopted the Flanders Poppy as well.
• Freemasons began using the flower in 1926 as a symbol well known in Germany as message not to forget the poor and desperate. Many other German charities were also using it at this time. In later years, by a handful of Masons, it was a means of recognition in place of the square and compass design. This was done across Nazi occupied Europe to avoid any danger of being singled out and persecuted. The symbol of the forget-me-not in modern Masonry has become more prevalent and exaggerated claims about the use of the symbol are often made in order to promote sales of bumper stickers of the symbol. Today it is an interchangeable symbol with Freemasonry and some also use the Forget-me-not to remember those masons who were victimized by the Nazi regime. In English Freemasonry it is more commonly now worn to remember those that have died as a symbol that you may be gone but not forgotten.
• J. R. R. Tolkien refers to the flower in his poems.

Materials: listing

• fabrics and type
• cotton batting
• notions

Methods of Construction: process

• Select a traditional rag doll pattern or design your own.
• Measure, cut, sew, stuff, and incorporate into your doll or doll’s clothing Forget-Me-Not design.
• Those doll designs including traditional needlepoint and/or some kind of quilting/applique methods are preferable.

Expectations/Objectives/Goals: listing

• Students will demonstrate the process of interpreting sewing patterns.
• Students will demonstrate the theme and subject combined in a rag doll.

Exhibit: Finished figures will be exhibited inside a showcase located on the school property or be photographed by the instructor and uploaded to an internet forum/blog.

Feedback/Assessment: Students will either participate in an online discussion, classroom critiques or be expected to fill out a self-assessment form.

Include the following on a label with your finished project:

• A Title
• Your Name
• The date the project was completed
• The materials used
• An approximate size

More Craft Resources for Forget-Me-Not:

• Exquisite forget-me-not doily and bowl
• Angela Pullen’s Forget-Me-Nots
• handmade Forget-Me-Not anniversary card

Forget-Me-Not Doll Inspiration:

• Forget-me-not doll by Joanna
• Forget-Me-Not mouse by Barby Anderson

A "Face Card" Paper Doll Challenge

Three Spanish playing cards, c. 1500

Theme: A “Face Card” Paper Doll

 

Subject: Jumping Jack paper assembly

 

Historical Connections: “The jumping-jack is a toy whose origins date back thousands of years. The jointed jumping-jack figure is a cross between a puppet and a paper doll. The figures are generally made from wood and their limbs are jointed and tied to a pull string. When the string is pulled and released, the arms and legs move up and down.” Wikipedia

 

Materials: 

• A variety of decorative papers
• Cement glue
• Scissors
• Colored markers or pencils
• Acrylic varnish
• Drawing paper
• Brass paper fasteners
• Hole punch
• string

Methods of Construction: 

1. The instructor will demonstrate “how” Jumping Jacks are assembled in class with a simple example.
2. Students will view a selection of vintage or antique playing cards and discuss in a large group how costume and dress are illustrated in the playing cards from different time periods and cultures.
3. Students will then design a “face card” of their own and articulate the design into a unique Jumping Jack paper doll.
4. Students will then take their design a step further by interpreting it into an articulated paper doll i.e. Jumping Jack.
5. The parts of the Jumping Jack should be backed with tag board before assembling in order to insure durability.
6. Students may use a variety of decorative papers, markers, and drawing pencils to enhance their designs.

Pattern Location: link, instructor or a pattern book. Below are links to sample Jumping Jacks that instructors may download, print and assemble in front of students. Remember, the challenge is for the student to create his or her own design, not copy the samples that you string in front of them. The teacher will need to supply examples of playing cards for younger students to examine. Adult students may do this research on the internet.

• Jumping Jack at Clker.com
• Articulated Paper Art Doll Templates

Expectations/Objectives/Goals:

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of basic paper articulation by designing a Jumping Jack paper doll.
• Students will design a character based upon a vintage or antique playing card set.
• Students will participate in a large group discussion reflecting upon how culture influences dress and/or costume.

Exhibit: Finished figures will be exhibited inside a showcase located on the school property or be photographed by the instructor and uploaded to an internet forum/blog.

 

Feedback/Assessment: Students will either participate in an online discussion, classroom critiques or be expected to fill out a self-assessment form.

 

Include the following on a label with your finished project:

• A Title
• Your Name
• The date the project was completed
• The materials used
• An approximate size

An "Anthropomorphic" Art Doll Challenge

Anthropomorphic characters by J. McCracken.

 

Theme: Doll Characterizations Influenced by Childhood Literature

Subject: Depicting animals with human characteristics 

Historical Connections: Anthropomorphism or personification is any attribution of human characteristics (or characteristics assumed to belong only to humans) to other animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s. Examples include animals and plants and forces of nature such as winds, rain or the sun depicted as creatures with human motivations, and/or the abilities to reason and converse. The term derives from the combination of the Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos), “human” and μορφή (morphē), “shape” or “form”.

      Building on the popularity of fables and fairy tales, specifically children’s literature began to emerge in the 19th century with works such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Carlo Collodi and The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling, all employing anthropomorphic elements. This continued in the 20th century with many of the most popular titles having anthropomorphic characters, examples being The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1901 onwards), The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis and Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by A. A. Milne. In many of these stories the animals can be seen as representing facets of human personality and character. As John Rowe Townsend remarks, discussing The Jungle Book in which the boy Mowgli must rely on his new friends the bear Baloo and the black panther Bagheera, “The world of the jungle is in fact both itself and our world as well”. Another notable work is George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

      The fantasy genre developed from mythological, fairy tale and Romance motifs and characters, sometimes with anthropomorphic animals. The best-selling examples of the genre are The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955), both by J. R. R. Tolkien, books peopled with talking creatures such as ravens, spiders and the dragon Smaug and a multitude of anthropomorphic goblins and elves. John D. Rateliff calls this the “Doctor Dolittle Theme” in his book The History of the Hobbit and Tolkien saw this anthropomorphism as closely linked to the emergence of human language and myth: “…The first men to talk of ‘trees and stars’ saw things very differently. To them, the world was alive with mythological beings… To them the whole of creation was “myth-woven and elf-patterned”.’

      In the 20th century, the children’s picture book market expanded massively. Perhaps a majority of picture books have some kind of anthropomorphism, with popular examples being The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969) by Eric Carle and The Gruffalo (1999) by Julia Donaldson.

Materials:

• Newsprint
• Paper clay
• Acrylic paint
• Masking tape
• White glue
• Tin foil
• Gesso or paint primer (If you are an doll artist, use the Gesso.)
• Varnish
• Paint brush and a variety of tools for shaping the creature
• wide variety of sewing notions and fabrics
• cotton batting

Methods of Construction:

1. After selecting an anthropomorphic creature from one of the many resources listed below or above, students should make preliminary drawings of what their doll will eventually look like.
2. Students will then crush and mask the basic shape of their creature’s head from a combination of newsprint and foil wrapped around a hollow tube.
3. Crush paper and mask the entire head thoroughly.
4. Rub down the figure with glue and layer of newsprint strips on top of it as your work.
5. Apply the paper clay evenly over your creature and shape features with tools.
6. Layer with a paintbrush, a coat of Gesso or paint primer and let the figure’s head dry.
7. Paint your creature’s head and then finish the surface with varnish.
8. Construct a fabric body based upon the initial drawings representing an anthropomorphic doll.
9. Dress the doll with attention of detail.

Expectations/Objectives/Goals: 

• Students will interpret a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional object.
• Students will use simple shapes to interpret a three dimensional concept.
• Students will discuss both the differences and similarities between human dolls and anthropomorphic dolls during a slide presentation.

Exhibit: Finished figures will be exhibited inside a showcase located on the school property or be photographed by the instructor and uploaded to an internet forum/blog.
 

Feedback/Assessment: Students will either participate in an online discussion, classroom critiques or be expected to fill out a self-assessment form.
 

Include the following on a label with your finished project:

• A Title
• Your Name
• The date the project was completed
• The materials used
• An approximate size

The "Manga Creature" Art Doll Challenge

500 Manga Creatures by Yishan Studi

Theme: Manga Creature
 

Subject: Comic artistry in doll (figure) design

 

Historical Connections: The History of manga is said to originate from scrolls dating back to the 12th century, however whether these scrolls are actually manga is still disputed, though its believed they represent the basis for the right-to-left reading style. Other authors report origins closer to the 18th century. Manga is a Japanese term that generally means "comics" or "cartoon", literally "whimsical sketches." Historians and writers on manga history have described two broad and complementary processes shaping modern manga. Their views differ in the relative importance they attribute to the role of cultural and historical events following World War II versus the role of pre-War, Meiji, and pre-Meiji Japanese culture and art.
      The first view emphasizes events occurring during and after the U.S. Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), and stresses that manga was strongly shaped by United States cultural influences, including U.S. comics brought to Japan by the GIs and by images and themes from U.S. television, film, and cartoons (especially Disney). According to Sharon Kinsella, the booming post-war Japanese publishing industry helped create a consumer-oriented society in which publishing giants like Kodansha could shape popular taste. 

 

Materials: 

• Newsprint
• Paper clay
• Acrylic paint
• Masking tape
• White glue
• Tin foil
• A heavy rock approximately half the size of your own fist
• Gesso or paint primer (If you are an doll artist, use the Gesso.)
• Varnish
• Paint brush and a variety of tools for shaping the creature

Methods of Construction: process

1. After selecting a prototype Manga Creature from the resource listed below, students may make alterations to their chosen creature.
2. Students will then crush and mask the basic shape of their creature from a combination of newsprint and foil.
3. Include the rock in this wrapping process. The rock will serve to weigh down your creature so that it will not tip over after the doll/figure has been sculpted.
4. Mask the entire form thoroughly.
5. Rub down the figure with glue and layer of newsprint strips on top of it as your work.
6. Apply the paper clay evenly over your creature and shape features with tools.
7. Layer with a paintbrush, a coat of Gesso or paint primer and let the figure dry.
8. Paint your creature and then finish the surface with varnish.

Pattern Location: link, instructor or a pattern book

• Pattern ideas will be developed from “500 Manga Creatures by Yishan Studio.”

Expectations/Objectives/Goals: listing

• Students will interpret a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional object.
• Students will use simple shapes to interpret a three dimensional concept.
• Students will discuss both the differences and similarities between ancient Japanese cartoons and Manga cartoons within the classroom environment, during a Power Point presentation.

Exhibit: Finished figures will be exhibited inside a showcase located on the school property or be photographed by the instructor and uploaded to an internet forum/blog.

 

Feedback/Assessment: Students will either participate in an online discussion, classroom critiques or be expected to fill out a self-assessment form.

 

Include the following on a label with your finished project:

• A Title
• Your Name
• The date the project was completed
• The materials used
• An approximate size

Visit a Maga Artist:

• Yishan Li – Manga/Comic Artist, Graphic Designs