Putting on a Puppet Show

Shadow puppet shows (known as wayang kulit) were once a very popular form of entertainment in Malaysia.  In these shows the puppets were kept behind a screen and the audience only got to see the puppet's shadow,  I guess calling them shadow puppet shows made sense!

A shadow puppet of Hanuman.  Look closely at all the detail that has been carved
out of his clothing.  He must have looked pretty impressive as a shadow.

You have to be very careful when you make a shadow puppet.  If you want the audience to see your puppet's face you can't paint on features like eyes, a nose and a mouth, because the paint can't be seen through the screen.  Puppet makers used leather to make their shadow puppets, and they would carve out all the details using special tools.  If you take a close look at the puppets here you can see how carefully the details are carved out, even things like hair and scales would be carved out so they would be seen by the audience.  The puppet makers would then paint the puppets just to decorate them, but during the show this paint isn't seen and doesn't help the actual performance.  The puppet would also have moving arms and legs that would be attached to its body by special clips.

The puppeteers would use special sticks attached to the arms and legs to move them around.

Have you ever made a shadow puppet?  Get an empty cereal box and try making a shadow puppet of your favourite animal.  Get an adult to help you test it out (you will need a flashlight and a white sheet or t-shirt to do this)  Go back and add the details that are missing once you test it out.  If you get really good at making shadow puppets you should put on a show for your friends and family.  Have fun!

Art Project: Let's Use Primary Colours

While visiting the Grand Palace in Bangkok last week I got a chance to see the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  Built in 1782, this temple is covered in tiny pieces of coloured mirror that, on a sunny day, reflect the sun's rays and make the building light up.  It is also the home to a very special statue of Buddha, the Emerald Buddha, that is actually carved out of a block of jade (not emerald). 

When you get closer you notice something quite interesting about the colours that were used to decorate the temple: they are primary colours (blue, yellow and red).

Blue, red and yellow pieces of glass (as well as clear ones) are used to decorate the pillars of the temple.

Photo: Laura Muir

You can use primary colours to create a piece of art too.  Get a piece of paper, divide it up into many small different shapes by drawing random lines on the page, and then colour in all the shapes you've created using only primary colours (blue, yellow and red).  You can keep some of the shapes white too.  There you have it, your very own Mondrian (do you remember him?)  For another art project you can use graphing paper and create a pattern with primary colours just like the one in the picture above.  Can't wait to see how your art turns out.

Art Project: Paint Like an Egyptian

Some of the original wall paintings in Temple of Hatshepsut

All the temples and monuments in Ancient Egypt were colourfully painted, but how?  It’s not like Ramses II could order his servants down to Home Depot to buy a gallon of paint.  Well, that is where the Egyptians got creative.  They would use different kinds of stones, crush them into a fine powder and then mix them with eggs.  The eggs would act as a paste and the fine powder would stick to the walls of the temples and monuments just like paint.  If you wanted the colour white, you would crush limestone.  If you wanted blue you crushed lapus lazuli used that powder.  You can try this.  Think of what materials you can crush into a fine powder (chalk, dried leaves, etc.) or use stuff that already comes in powder form (sand, glitter, etc) and instead of using raw eggs, which can be unhealthy for you, use white paste.  There you go, you are painting like an Egyptian.  I am interested to see how your paintings turn out.

Archaeological Museum of Istanbul

One of the beautiful museum buildings.

With over one million objects at the Archaeological Museum, you can spend an entire day wandering the halls without ever getting bored. 
One of the most interesting items, and probably my favourite, is the oldest peace treaty known to man.  It was written over three thousand years ago between Ramses II and Hattusilli III.  It is nice to know that leaders have always wanted peace for their kingdoms.  I also enjoyed seeing this letter written on a clay tablet from a son to his mom.  A lot has sure changed with how we communicate.  I don't use clay tablets anymore instead I use my computer to Skype with my mom, getting to talk to her face to face, while I am travelling around the world.

A letter that is almost 4000 years old.

Also on display are 2000 year old tiles from the Ishtar Gate, the archway that led into the ancient city of Babylon.  The museum has lions, dragons and bulls made from the tiles for visitors to see.  Luckily you don't need to fly all the way to Istanbul to see part of the Ishtar Gate.  The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has a lion from this gate as part of its collection.

Part of the Ishtar Gate.

Unfortunately when statues and artefacts are found they aren't usually in perfect condition.  A lot of the statues are found headless or armless.  Sometimes the statues were damaged before being buried in the rubble of lost cities.  Other times they have been damaged by the weather, or by being underground for so long.  Here are a few of the statues from the Archaeological Museum, can you add back the missing pieces?  To do this you can print out the pictures and use pencil or marker, or right-click on the images and open them with a paint program to complete them on your computer.  I can't wait to see how your finished statues look.

I have just started to finish my statue.  Should I make it a silly statue?

Art Project: Let's Make a Model

Welcome aboard Grade 2's!  I really enjoyed reading all your comments.  It is great knowing I have a team at home to help me if ever I need some support on my journey.  I hope you don't mind if along the way I ask you guys to do some research to help me with my journey?  You guys have already given me so many great tips.  Thank you!

Today I wanted to share with you another great art project you can try at home.  While I was visiting the Tower of London I came across a model of the buildings. 

A model is a great way of clearly showing someone how something looks without them having to see the object or building.  You should try to make a model.  You could make a model of a community building, or a form of transportation in your city.  Don't worry about using new materials, check your recycling bin at home and see what items you have in there first.  Can you make a model completely out of recycled objects?  I can't wait to see how your models turn out.