Activities You Can Do at Home!


Puffy Paints

Plaster Cast

Pinhole Camera

Giant Chunky Chalk


Puffy Paints

Jeffrey Gibson makes his own paints for pieces like Residual Urge—the piece on the front façade of the Museum in the exhibition No Reservations (2006-2007).  He manually mixes pigment (powdered material that gives color to that with which it is mixed) and silicone (a type of rubbery plastic that starts off soft and gooey), and applies it to his paintings or his sculpture in a way similar to how a cake decorator applies icing to a cake.

Here’s a recipe for puffy paints that you can use to create your own sculptural paintings.

Materials
  • ½ cup Salt
  • ½ cup Flour
  • ½ cup Water
  • Tempera paint (various colors)
  • Plastic squeeze bottles (bought new or recycled ketchup/mustard/honey bottles with a tip)
  • Cardboard, cardstock, poster board


    Mixing the paints

    • In a bowl, or even directly into the squeeze bottle, mix the first three ingredients (the base)—salt, flour and water.  Just like when mixing gravy, make sure you get rid of the lumps! To pour the three mixed ingredients into the squeeze bottle (or if you are mixing the ingredients directly inside the squeeze bottle) use a funnel to avoid spills. Once your base is mixed, chose what color you want to make.  Use as little paint or up to two tablespoons, depending on how intense you want the color to be. Remember that your base is mainly an off-white, so the less paint you mix in, the more pastel your colors will be.

    The Family Tool Kit encourages your family to play, ask questions, discuss, and do hands-on activities before, during and after your visits to The Aldrich Museum, as well as to other art museums. The Kit, filled with games, discussion questions, and at-home hands-on activity suggestions, was designed by the Aldrich Museum education staff with input from parents on our Family Advisory Committee. Activities and questions are geared towards a wide age range, and can easily be adapted to older or younger members of your family. You can even try it out, borrow a Museum copy during your next visit.


    Painting with Puffy Paints

    Once your thick paints are mixed, you are ready to paint—straight out of the squeeze bottle!  Use pieces of poster board or even cardboard as your painting surface, since the paints will tend to be heavier than regular paints, and need a stiffer surface to dry on. Experiment doing dots (they will look like beads), squiggles (similar to the ones found on Jeffrey Gibson’s Residual Urge), lines, etc. When the paint dries completely, not only will you be able to see your painting, but you will also be able to feel your painting with your hands!

    Important note: Do not use the paint on fabric. For the best results, use the paint up within two or three days.

     

    Pinhole Camera


    The Body
     1) For the best results find a 2-pound coffee can for the body of your pinhole camera. You can also use a clean paint can, a cylindrical oatmeal box, or any other cylindrical can or container with a lid.

    2) Paint the entire inside of the can/cylindrical box flat black. This prevents any outside light from ruining your photo. Make sure to paint the lid, on both sides if the lid is clear. Be sure to go over any chips in the paint.


    The Pinhole
    1) Cut a hole about a half-inch in diameter into the lid.

    2) Cut out a 1-inch square out of black cardstock or thick black paper.

    3) With a needle carefully poke a small hole through the center of the paper. Twist the needle as you poke through to make a smooth hole.

    4) Center your piece of paper over the larger hole on the outside of the lid. Secure the paper with tape making sure that no light can seep in around the edges.


    The Shutter
     1) Cut out a 2-inch by 1-inch piece out of black cardstock/thick paper to use as your shutter.

    2) Center the paper shutter over the hole on the outside of the lid. Secure with tape at the top of the paper to make a hinge for your shutter flap. Use a smaller piece of tape at the bottom of your shutter to hold it closed when not in use.


    The Film
    You can use photo paper or film to make the exposure. Use any kind of photo paper. As for film, black and white outdoor roll film works best.

    1) Make sure to take your film/paper into a room or closet in total darkness.

    2) Cut your film/paper into 2-inch by 3-inch pieces

    3) Tape the film/paper securely to the side of the camera body opposite to the pinhole. Make sure the emulsion side of the film/ paper is facing the pinhole side of the camera.
    For film: The emulsion side is on the inside of the curl of the film.
    For paper: The emulsion side is the shiny side of the paper.

    4) Put the lid on the body of your camera securely. Make sure no light is seeping in and make sure the shutter flap is taped down.


    The Exposure
    1) The camera must be completely still while exposing the film/ paper. You can use tape, or a lump of modeling clay to hold it steady.

    2) Lift the shutter to uncover the pinhole for the recommended time. (See table below)

    Bright and Sunny Bright and Cloudy
    Film.. 2 to 4 seconds 4 to 8 seconds
    Paper .2 minutes 8 minutes


    The Print

    You can process the film in the usual way. Using paper results in a negative image.

     

    How to Make a Plaster Cast



    Materials:

    Steps:
    1) Choose an object or a number of objects you are interested in casting. It is very important to choose an object with no undercuts. This means that the object should only taper in one direction. A triangle has no undercut, whereas a diamond shape has an undercut. Picture a triangle. If you make a cast with the pointed end down, your shape will slide right out of the mold. If it is cast the other way round with the wide end down, you will not be able to slide the triangle out of the mold. Now picture a diamond shape; the fact that the middle is larger than either of the ends means that it will be impossible to get your shape out of your mold.

    2) Roll out a slab of playdough or clay. Lightly press your object into the clay to leave an impression. Carefully remove the object from the clay, taking care not to leave fingerprints.
    Wrap a ring of cardboard tightly around the outside edges of the slab of clay and tape the edges of the cardboard. This will keep the liquid plaster from leaking all over the table. Secure the cardboard by pressing clay around the bottom to make a seal.

    3)You are now ready to mix the plaster—once you do so, it is important to work quickly before the plaster sets. Wearing your dust mask and rubber gloves, follow the directions on the container of plaster to mix a small amount. When the plaster is mixed, tap the side of the container to release the air bubbles. Pour the mixture slowly over the clay slab until it is covered by one inch of plaster (make it thicker if you are working with a large surface).

    4) When the plaster sets, remove the cardboard ring. When it is completely dry, peel off the clay mold. You now have a positive cast of your object! To make a negative cast, coat your positive plaster cast in petroleum jelly or oil soap, place it on a slab of clay, and repeat the process. Or, simply coat the object itself in petroleum jelly or oil soap, build a wall around it with cardboard, and pour the plaster as you did to create a positive cast.
     
    Important note: DO NOT DUMP EXTRA MIXED PLASTER IN YOUR SINK! Plaster hardens and will block pipes. Therefore, to dispose of any extra plaster, scoop it or pour it directly into a bag, or wait for it to harden and crack it off by gently hitting or bending the sides of the bucket. If you need to wash away any residue that remains, use plenty of water to do so.

     

    Giant Chunky Chalk


    Ask a parent or other adult to help you work on this. Make the chalk a couple of days before you use it to allow the sticks to dry well.

    Materials:

    Steps:
    1) Have an adult cut each of the mailing tubes into 3 equal 8-inch long pieces using a utility knife, so that you end up with six molds.

    2) Line each tube with waxed paper and fold back the edges.

    3) Use more wax paper and masking tape to seal the bottom end of each tube (or the end opposite the one where you will be pouring in the chalk mixture).

    4) Wearing your dust mask and goggles, and using the tuna can as a measure, mix together 4 cans plaster of Paris (use a spoon or disposable plastic cup, don't touch with bare hands), and 4 teaspoons of a powdered tempera color (combine primary colors to create any color you want).

    5) Slowly add 2 cans cold water and mix with a spoon allowing the mixture to thicken a bit, so it has the consistency of yogurt, rather than of milk.

    6) Carefully pour the chalk mixture into a tube standing on the sealed end. The mixture will harden right away, but let it dry for a couple of days. You will need to repeat the recipe for every tube.

    7) After a day, remove the chalk from the cardboard tubes; feel free to tear the cardboard away if necessary. It will take another day for the chalk to dry completely. It helps if you leave it in a dry place or out in the sun. The result will be giant chunky sticks of homemade chalk that are hard and colorful!
     
    Important note: DO NOT DUMP EXTRA MIXED PLASTER IN YOUR SINK. Plaster hardens and will block pipes. Therefore, to dispose of any extra chalk mixture, scoop it or pour it directly into a bag, or wait for it to harden and crack it off by gently hitting or bending the sides of the bucket. If you need to wash any residue that remains, use plenty of water to do so.