back at school - yay!

Managed to put our 'Tudor' houses on display - they were only completed on the final day of last term! Partnered them up with our model of the Globe to portray a small section of Shakespeare's London! It looks quite impressive in the flesh - each house stands around 25cm tall. 
(And I seem to be able to email myself pics again!)

The children made peg doll characters to populate the streets.

Trojan chair

Here we are frantically trying to complete projects before the end of the school year. We've lost lessons along the way and some things have invariably taken much longer than anticipated!
This is the completed Trojan Horse that will serve as the backdrop for our display of Greek Warrior sculptures. 

It was once just a 3-legged chair.

Bridge

Today's flea market find -

A vintage double bass(?) bridge. It seems to be too large to be from a cello. Am thinking it could be a sort of backdrop to a ballerina automaton figure. The central arch is a bit too small to house a figure, unless I make it quite a small one ( it might have to be 'fixed' and not poseable).

collages and kicker!

Today the y1's (5/6 yr olds) started to create collage self-portraits. We stuck to using simple shapes. Think these will look quite effective when complete.

Latest automaton to leave the workbench is a prototype 'kicking' figure. It's a very rough creation just to test the mechanism. The squares on the cutting mat are 5cm just to give you an idea of scale.

It works...

...but I'm not happy with it. The mechanism is too fiddly to make and install and I've already worked out how to make it much simpler!

There's also no reason for the arms to be 'loose' as they don't really move. Am already thinking of two players tackling for the ball!

finds

My two bargains from the local second-hand shop this morning. £1 each! The abacus has wooden beads and is stamped as being made in West Germany, so has a bit of age. Not sure what I'll do with it yet, but the sorting box is destined to be part of an automaton of some descrtion. 

swan lake

The latest automaton to leave my workbench. 

Again, a simple mechanism. This frame on this one is made from a cut down domino box.

The ballerina figure is poseable. Compare this pic with the first.

Must make the effort to list these in my shops to gauge interest.

back!

After a long summer hols it's back to work. Having problems uploading photos as Blogger seems not to recognise my old system so am trying a rather convoluted way of doing it involving emails and iPads!

The photo is of a 'rodeo rider' - constructed from bits of wood and old chess pieces! It's now been made into an automaton that bucks and turns! If this post has worked I'll be able to show more pics next time.

latest

The latest automaton to roll off the production line! This one features a rural train service. As you turn the handle the engine plus its carriage rotates around the village/countryside (the black circle turns whilst the green circle stays put). It measures about 11cm (4") from table to tip of church spire.

 

Very pleased with how this turned out. I did do a short video of it working but it didn't want to upload for some strange reason.

on the bench

Currently on my worktable are several part completed wooden automaton figures. Some made from pegs, some from bobbins and some from wooden blocks - am experimenting with the most efficient process at the moment. 

 

automaton

The latest automaton to grace my work table. This time using a wooden block for the base and a simple turntable mechanism. Again, the figure is poseable and twirls as the handle is turned.

 

The small red beads you can see in this pic support the turntable.

 

Quite pleased with the simplicity of this one. It also breaks down into two parts so is relatively easy to package should I decide to sell them through my shops. What do folk think?

finished

Yesterday I completed the ballerina automaton and it works! The figure is still poseable and she twirls when you turn the handle. The box lid slides in and out. Quite proud of this little piece though you do have to hum or whistle a little tune as you turn the handle in order to get the full 'musical box' experience.

 

I've left the box plain as this was a prototype but obviously it could be painted, decoupaged, stained etc. Am now on the lookout for more boxes to adapt.

recently

In y3 we created some Gorgon pictures. We used sharpies for the heads/faces and then blew watered-down paint to represent the writhing and wriggling mass of snakes atop.

 

In y5 we continued along our Green/enhancing the environment theme by painting some small stones.

Meanwhile I've been adapting an old 'farm animal' domino box by installing a simple automaton mechanism. The right-hand side will feature the poseable peg ballerina from a recent post whilst the left will still be a useable space. I'm hoping that the ballerina will rotate!

BIG 2

It wasn't as messy as it could have been! The children were very sensible and managed to cover large areas of the dinosaurs rather than themselves!

 

 A little wooden peg doll I whittled recently. The joints are tied with elastic making it poseable.

beach huts

I've been playing around with more clay and came up with a simple wooden plaque that features 3 ceramic beach huts. It measures around 15 by 10cm.

 

Quite pleased with how it turned out. Am thinking that I could repeat it using canvas board.

p..p..p..penguins

 Today in y4 we moulded some penguins. We first of all flattened a ball of clay and then moulded it around our paper-towel covered thumbs.

 

 

We added broken lollipop sticks for wings and a short length of dowel for the beak.

 

We used air-drying clay so no worries about the wooden bits being burnt in the kiln! We referenced Anthony Gormley's 'The Field' and are hoping that 70+ penguins looks like a reasonable colony.
We'll paint them next week when they've dried.

automaton in action

Think I've managed it! Below is the clip showing the latest automaton in action. I left the vintage gaming pieces exactly as I found them. I like the fact that the springs on which they are mounted adds to the motion. 

The box is an old wooden 'animal domino' one and the simple cam movement utilises MDF wheels.
(Hmm - video doesn't work on my iPad though !?!)

some pics!

Managed to get on a computer that works! Here are a few pics of recent stuff.

 

 

 Y3 fabric printing using balsa wood blocks/sticks.

 



 One of the Roman costumes for the xmas production.

 

 The centurion version.

 

 In Y1 we made wrapped decorations.

 

 

And finally. I've been dabbling with simple automata. The clown is poseable (he has elastic fastened joints) and he twirls round when the handle is turned. In this photo he is holding a cocktail stick because I haven't managed to get hold of one of those little cocktail umbrellas yet! (he's been made to 'hold' anything in his hands so long as it is light enough).

 



The simple mechanism.

 

I'm toying with the idea of putting the automata in my shop(s). Would love any views as to the saleability/price that could be asked. I've got a poseable ballerina one too!

block printing

Last week in y3 we designed our printing blocks. This week we made them. We used balsa wood (easily cut with sharp scissors) as our carving skills aren't quite up to the mark. The idea is to copy the techniques of printers in India and use the wooden blocks to print onto fabric. 

 

finished

Lined the paintings today. Pleased with how they turned out. I toyed with the idea of doing more 'realistic' hands ie. ones with fingers(!) but am still content with the very simple 'mitts'.

'Manchester Derby'

Acrylics & ink on wooden panel

roughly A4 size.

this past week

This last week was mainly taken up with going back to UK and back for my son's graduation, so I was only in school for a couple of days - I could get used to that!

The mural on the FS1 wall is now finished - I hope. Barring rain storms and helpful little hands touching the paint to see if it's dry, it should be ok to varnish this week.

 

 

Fruits & veg

Transport

Children playing

And, as a thankyou for the children in my Enterprise club, who've been busy this year making things to sell at our school fairs, I've made some robot pencil toppers. Wooden bobbin bodies, shaped 'lollipop' arms - jointed using thread and beads, wooden bead heads and screw in eyelets for antennae.