Buggy Origami

This weekend I volunteered at a children's museum for a Halloween event teaching kids about all of the good and "bad" bugs out there!

For my station, I taught kids how to make origami true bugs. This is the "sucking" bug group which includes bed bugs, water bugs, cicadas, and garden pests such as leafhoppers and aphids.

Along with a fun chance to interact with all sorts of kids in Halloween costumes (Buzz Lightyears and vampires abounded!), this was great drawing practice.

I wrote and illustrated all of the materials distributed in my class, including this bookmark. I printed it out in neon cardstock, as well as white for the littlest tots to color in lieu of folding origami.

And as my first (super fun!) origami instruction project, I drafted up the pages below, too.

Feel free to print out (download links below images) and use as you like!

Bookmark 
(download)

Origami True Bug Instructions

(download)

Experiments in Jewelry: Part 1

I've decided to try out jewelry-making this year and am loving it!

 It encompasses so many things I like about art -- complete creative freedom and learning new, exciting processes. This year I've taken several classes and learned acid-etching, lost-wax casting, piercing, and a tiny bit of enameling.

 The chemistry and physics (acid and fire!) and preciseness of it all, as well as the potential for lovely handmade gifts, have me hooked.

To make sure I have the basics of assembly down, I've been making necklaces for family and friends. I can definitely use as much practice as possible with wire-wrapping, coordinating colors, attaching clasps and spacers and clamps. 

Here's one necklace made for a cousin, using glass beads, vintage wood beads, and brass:

I'm really looking forward to using my own images in jewelry, though. Remember the paper cut-out of the rabbit I did in January? (it's below)

The original is large -- about 10 inches long -- and very delicate. It's been tucked away into a drawer where the battering of life can't reach it.

But I can still enjoy the image! After a bit of digital updating to shrink it down to a 1-inch square then acid-etching it into copper, I now have a rabbit pendant.

It should last for ages without breaking!

In the months to come, I'll be experimenting much more with acid-etching, more elaborate piercing and enameling, and forming pieces into three dimensions by hammering, soldering, and bending.

I'll have to strike a balance between starry-eyed wonder at all the possibilities, and the elbow grease and band-aids inevitably involved when sanding, sawing, and filing.. 

For the bug-lovers: I'm still working on ant research on the side, and plan to use plenty of insect images in my jewelry work, too!

A cidada pendant, for good measure:

Until later,

Kim

(And a song for the send-off: the Canadian band Little Scream has a lovely piece titled "Heron and the Fox" here: http://www.myspace.com/officiallittlescream)