Animal Mobiles
We are always thinking of ways to make collage fun for kids and adults. A few weeks ago for our Family Collage Workshop one of the collages we made was a hanging animal mobile. Read on to make your own!
Before cutting your collage, either make your own papers or purchase and collect a variety of fun paper for your animal.
We used stamps with shapes and patterns and washable tempera paint but you can also print with things you might find around the home (see more ideas from our post Printing with Found Materials). We recommend printing on folia, construction and tracing paper for this project, but you could also use wrapping paper, brown paper bags, or copy paper. You can use ink stamp pads, or, learn how to make your own stamp pad using tempera paint and upholstery foam.
While the papers are drying, on a piece of white cardstock, draw the different shapes you need for your animal’s body parts. Cut them out separately and position them the way you will want them to look. Don’t glue them together yet!
Take each body shape and glue one side to the back of your patterned paper.
Cut out each shape, then glue the opposite side to ANOTHER piece of patterned paper. Cut it out again.
Each of your animal shapes should have patterned paper glued to each side. Put your shapes in the position you like the best and NOW glue them all together. Look, it’s an elephant!
Punch a hole so your animal can hang from a string. We used colored hemp string.
Mix it up and use different colors or patterns for each side like this person did for their giraffe. Hang the animals individually, or group them together to hang from the ceiling or in a window. Share your animal mobiles on our social media pages, we love to see what you make!
Making Art with Children is generously sponsored by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority.
