Celebrate Change

Transform yourself into a fantastic new creature, using design elements and principles of visual organization to make a mask to use in plays and storytelling.

• 1.

  Imagine an expressive fantasy creature or character you would like to become. On oak tag or poster board, use Crayola® Colored Pencils to draw a head-sized oval that will become a mask. Sketch features such as eyes with exaggerated expressions to convey a dramatic new identity.

• 2.

  Experiment with mixing Crayola Model Magic colors to suit the creature's personality. For example, blend two primary colors (red, yellow, blue) well to make a secondary hue (orange, green, purple). Create tints by adding white. For a marbled effect, blend colors incompletely to make streaks.

• 3.

  Apply Model Magic to the paper oval to make the face. Build up features on top of the drawing. To make multicolored "cinnamon roll" shapes for unusual features, flatten at least two balls of different-colored Model Magic using a rolling pin or dowel. Stack the flattened disks tightly, and roll them up. Use Crayola Scissors to cut 1/4-inch segments. Connect these pieces.

• 4.

  As you use your hands to form pieces for your mask, focus on making the shape of each piece match its expressive function. Use strips of Model Magic to add expressive lines to the face and to emphasize certain features. Embellish the mask with Crayola Glitter Glue and other decorative materials.

• 5.

  When the mask is complete, apply Crayola School Glue to the tip of a dowel stick or tree branch. Insert the stick into the chin of the mask.

Benefits

• Students develop fantasy creatures and characters, describing personalities in terms of gestures, actions, and expressions displayed.
• Students make fantasy masks, focusing on shape, form, proportion, line, and emphasis to demonstrate personality.
• Students present plays and tell stories using masks.

Adaptations

• Introduce this imaginative experience by reading or telling a story with unique and expressive characters. Ask children to name or find other dramatic personalities in books or create them in stories of their own.
• Older children can research the art of mask-making, or specific mask-making traditions such as those of Japanese Noh theater. Use Model Magic to make replicas of different masks from around the world.
• Younger children and special needs students may benefit from short practice sessions experimenting with color mixing and sculpting techniques before participating in this activity.