Ned Kelly Model

Creating a model of NED KELLY's Armour

slv.vic.gov.au

I researched on the internet to find a picture of Ned Kelly's armour and I was unable to find a template that I could print.
So using the a picture as a guide I created my own template.

As the picture is 2D I added extra to the width of each piece to allow for the sides that wrap around the body.

Next I gathered up the supplies.

     Supplies

• Armature wire
• Thin wire
• Tin Snips
•  Hammer
• Scissors
• Pliers
• Ruler
• Template
• Pictures
• Spray paint (red/rust and black)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Nail Punches
• Marker texta
• Block of wood with a hole to put wire  into
• Aluminium flashing (used for roofing / guttering)

Now I was ready to begin.

1.  Using the template draw around the pieces on the flashing and cut them out using tin snips.

2.  Put a fold in the middle of the front plate and the breast plate so that it looks like the Armour has been joined.  It is easier to do this using a ruler to create a fold line.

3.  Put the Holes into the Armour for wiring (as in the picture).   Originally it would have been leather straps but wire is easier.  A nail punch can help with these.  Square up the hole with the tip of a pair of small scissors.

4.  Use the nail punches to mimic where the bolts would have been.  To keep it curved you can curve it around a can or a rolling pin.

5.  Create a cross with armature wire and place into wooden block ready to hang the Armour on.

6.  Now start wiring it together using thin wire and pliers.  Once you are happy with the placement start work on the helmet.  I used 2 pieces of flashing to create this.  I joined the pieces together using hot glue and then mimicked the bolts using the nail punch again.  Excess wire can be removed with pliers.  I curved the armature wire to add the shoulder plates to rather than worrying about wiring them to the Armour separately.

 

7.  Now it's time for the spray paint.  I used a metal paint in rust/red colour for the first layer and then did a layer of black (not completely covering the red) in a plain enamel whilst the first layer was still wet.  This gave it the steel, rust, old look that I was after!

When I compared the original armour to my model I was pleasantly pleased with the results.

Mixed Media Canvas City Scape

Logsy's City Scape Mixed Media

My son is almost 6 now and he loved making this one.

What you will need:

1 x Canvas

Gesso or white paint

Other coloured paint of your choosing

Ink Pad

Pastel Black Pencil

Stencils (or whatever you want to use to add texture)

Old book (mine was from the op shop with yellowing pages)

Scissors

PVA or Gel Medium

Baby wipes or wet cloth

Paintbrushes

Card Stock

Method:

1.  Rip some pages out of a book and glue all over the canvas.  It doesn't matter if it's completely covered or if there are a few gaps between pieces.

2.  Cover with a light layer of Gesso or white paint.  Rub some off until you like the way it looks.  Now add some other paint colour(s) doing the same thing until you like the way it looks.  We used fingers to add it in small circular motions and then used a baby wipe to remove the excess.

3.  Add some different elements such as stamping on the background with ink and stencils or similar with different patterns.

4.  Now cut or rip some city / house building shapes including windows and doors using card stock.  Rub the edges of each item through the ink pad to add some black to all edges.  Glue the items onto the canvas in a pattern that suits you.  Cut out other things to add to you picture such as a sun or clouds, birds etc.  If you want to add some more black go around the edge with a black pastel pencil and rub the edges for a bit of a "smudged" "shaded" effect once glued and dried.

5.  Finally cover with a layer of PVA, Mod Podge, Polymer varnish, Gel medium or whatever to seal it.  

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

Recycling Cd's

This is the first time I have posted using an iPad so we will see how it goes :)

The kids and I had some great fun on the weekend decorating some cd's for a school art project.  They turned out really great and really the photos don't do them justice.  It's been a while since I shared so I thought this was a good one to break the drought........

So how were they done?......

Materials:

Cd's different colours

Sandwich toaster or oven

Aluminium foil

Tea towel

Sharpie permanent markers

Hot glue gun

PVA glue

Scatters, glitters, buttons etc

Tongs

Optional: mod podge
Wire

Steps:

1.  Colour on the shiny side of the cd with sharpies in any pattern.  (For the flower we just used the cd's as they were, no colour added)

2.   Turn on sandwich toaster and put cd on wire rack (use aluminium foil underneath cd to prevent it melting over rungs...unless you want that look).  Mine doesn't have a temperature control, just a bake option so if using an oven I guess you would turn it up quite high).  Keep an eye on it.  It only takes a few minutes until they start warping and this is when you can mould them into shapes if you want to but be careful they are HOT.  Use tongs and a tea towel.  On the flatter cd's we used some glitter during the melting process.  If you do this watch CLOSELY.  The glitter can burn quickly.  You just want the colour of the texta to be absorbed slightly and the glitter to melt a little.

3.  You can use a bottle, bowl or jar to place underneath the cd to use as a mould and create the shape you want but work fast.  They re harden quickly!

4.  Once cooked and shaped you can decorate.  We just used PVA and stuck on the scatters etc.  You can finish it by adding a layer of clear drying PVA over the complete surface or a layer of mod podge.

5.  Hot glue on wire for stem if making the flower.  I coloured the wire in with a Sharpie.  I used another Cd to cut out the leaf shape.  Keep in mind a Cd is easier to cut when it's still pliable from the oven.

I hope you enjoyed this one.  I know we did! :)

Pop Up Cards

The kids have really loved doing these.  It's just a matter of adding a few slits into some card and adding anything you want to the pop up mechanism.  Have a look at this website for more instructions and photo's of the mechanism.  I think we are going to do all of our Christmas cards this way.  x

http://lahinks.blogspot.com/2009/07/whatever-wednesday-pop-up-zoo-birthday.html

Miniature Gardens

It's been a long time since I last blogged.  You might think that it's because we haven't done any craft.............. gosh that would be terrible!!!............Thank goodness it's not so. You will be happy to know that my kids have not missed out.  I just haven't had the time to photograph and blog about it.  So I'm very sorry about that.  These little craft gardens were so special I made some time to add them.  They aren't step by step but I think you will get the idea.  Enjoy xxx

To start them off we gathered paper plates, air drying modelling clay and green tissue paper. 

• Roll up some modelling clay and flatten it out a little and add it to a section of the paper plate.  How much you need will be dependant on what needs to "stand up".
• Add some PVA below and over the modelling clay and include the rest of the paper plate.  Use the sheet of tissue paper All over the top of the plate and modelling clay.  This we be the grass and the base of the garden.

From there it's really up to you what you want to add.  Here are some ideas:

•  Pipecleaners through buttons make great flowers.
•  Stickers can make a great path
•  Cut out shapes for trees and pond out of coloured paper.  Stick a twig or icypole type stick onto the back of the tree shapes
•  Add some stickers/split peas/rolled up crepe paper to the trees for colour
•  Modelling clay can make some great little ducks and small buttons can be beaks.
•  Button furniture
•  Icypole sticks or matchsticks for fences

The sky is the limit!!  My kids are 3 and 5 and they loved making them.  You will too!!!

Polystyrene / Styrofoam ball Ducks

I think these little ducks are a "quack up"......so so cute!!!

Materials:

• Foam sheet (whatever colour)
• Marker texta
• Googly eyes x2
• Scissors
• PVA glue
• Hot glue gun
• Large (eg: 10cm) polystyrene ball
• Medium size polystyrene ball
• Small polystrene ball
• Feathers

Method:

1.  Cut the small ball in half
2.  Use hot glue gun to stick them to the bottom of the large polystyrene ball. Flat part of      ball should be used for stability (don't want no falling duck) so glue rounded edge to large ball.
3.  Using sheet of foam cut out 2 duck feet. I laid one piece on top of each other and cut the scalloped edge. Round out the back of foot as appropriate. Glue to bottom of each small 1/2 ball.

 

 

4.  Cut a large oval out of the foam sheet that can be folded in the middle to create a beak. 

5.  Add a line of hot glue, off centre, fold together and create a bit of a ridge.

6.  Add 2 dots with marker texta for nostrils.

7.  Use a pair of scissors to score a line in the middle size ball (this is optional as you could glue it directly without scoring).  My line was pretty rough but you get the idea.  Now use hot glue to stick your beak into the groove.

8.  Glue on the head to the larger ball.  Attach the googly eyes to the head using hot glue or PVA.

9.  Now go nuts with the feathers.  You can see that my kids have had fun with the those!

The only thing left to do now is give them a name...... in this case maybe Huey, Duey and Louie?

Food colour painted flowers

I had to share these as they looked so beautifu!
Food Colour painted flowers. The only instruction was to
extend the flower as close to the edge of the page as possible and this was what they came up with.
Sharpie marker texta's were used for the outline.
Gorgeous!!