I’m starting a lunch time craft club at school next week. I put posters up around the school to promote it and I now have a lovely small group of girls who have joined. It’s funny that no boys joined! I guess the words ‘Bangles’, ‘Earrings’ and ‘Bags’ on the posters,put them off. What a shame. Girl Power. Hehe.
I thought these African Bangles would be a great activity to kick us off!
Here’s how you can make them!
1. Twist some copper wire around your wrist to get the right size, making sure that you have about 1cm spare all around when drawn over your hand. Secure the ends.
2. Using Papier Mache Pulp, cover the wire structure until it forms a bangle that is about 2cm thick. Roll the bangles along a flat surface, turning it around as you move it along. If you prefer a bangle with a rough surface, simply let the pulp harden normally in its natural state.
3. Because of the thickness of the pulp, this project may take up to two weeks to dry at room temperature. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process but I wouldn’t bother. When the papier mache is hard and dry, apply gesso undercoat to the entre surface.
4. Decorate the bangles in bright colours with paints and metallic inks. Finally, varnish with five coats of undiluted PVA medium, leaving to dry for a couple of hours between coats.
That’s it! I’ll show you what the girls end up making.
Courtesy of Craft School.
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