Welcome to Lines, Dots, and Doodles. This is the place for students, parents, and teachers to find out what has been going on in my art class. I have included pictures of my student's artwork and basic explanations of the projects. I hope when you leave this blog, you feel inspired to create. Feel free to browse this blog and borrow any of my art lessons.


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I need your artistic input?

I have recently been having my students collect plastic bottle caps. I am hoping to have my students make a bottle cap mural. I have seen this done on both Thomas Elementary and Kunstraum. These two blogs have inspired me to try this for myself.I know I want to do this mural, but I am far from figuring out the details. I really could use everyone's input. I figure the mural will be done on a large piece of wood, but I am not sure how to adhere the bottle caps. Some people use screws, but I really think that would be too hard for my elementary kids. Should I use glue? If so, what kind of glue should I use? I would love everyone's opinion. The last thing I want is to have all the bottle caps fall off the mural.

15 comments:

  1. I'm going to be doing the same thing-we're also using other things, like old worn out art supplies in ours though. I'm thinking we'll use smallish nails with big heads. The kids can learn a practical skill (hammering a nail) in addition to the designing, painting (background), and assembling the mural.

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  2. I plan on doing this also. I wonder if E6000 or Liquid Nails would work. (??)
    There are some great photos on Michelle Stitzlein's webpage and she also has a book for sale, which explains the murals.
    http://www.artgrange.com/michellesculpture.html

    Click on "bottle cap murals" on the left hand side.

    I am planning on making large cut out insects with my students that will be placed in an outdoor garden. I am thinking we will prime the cut outs (from wood) with house paint and then add the bottlecaps.

    I'll be anxious to see how everyone else fares with this!

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  3. Wow, that's awesome! I may just have to hop on this bottle cap mural train!

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  4. I went to a workshop where a teacher in my county used Stitzlein art and book for inspiration. She had her students cover large flowers. She had volunteers come in and help with the screwing on the bottle caps. I believe some of her older elementary students used the drill with assistance. She also used double sided tape to layout the design. They looked amazing!

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  5. Wow! Those Stitzlein photos are pretty amazing!!

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  6. Wow, I didn't know about that Stitzlein book. I am going to purchase it today.I am still a little uneasy with the idea of my little students using a drill though. I will have to think about it.

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  7. I am doing one as well. i've collected about 2000 bottle caps and getting ready to start soon. There is a Woman named Michelle Stitzeil who has been doing these murals forever, she wrote a book called Bottelecap little bottlecap, it was very helpful to me to wrap my head around the project. I am using screws and power screw guns with my elemtary shcool kids.

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  8. Funny - I have trays and trays of these that we have collected this fall. I am hoping to have parent volunteers help us with screwing the caps onto the wood. I made a sample this past August, and it looks really cool (I'm planning on flowers, although the insects would be cool, too!)

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  9. Hola!! Nosotros lo pegamos todo con la pistola de silicona. Ellos la usan cuando crecen un poco, sobre los 7 años, bajo supervisión, y antes lo que hago es echar yo la silicona y ellos con cuidado colocan la pieza. Enhorabuena por el blog.

    www.reciclandoenlaescuela.blogspot.com

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  10. I had also planned on doing a bottle cap mural as part of my themed unit of "ReUse, ReCycle, ReCreate" - but I'm not sure we will have enough caps. I should have asked for them to be saved sooner. If there isn't enough - they can be saved for next year when I do the theme at my other building. I have lots of old crayons and may do a crayon mural instead.
    Looking forward to seeing everyone's cap murals!

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  11. We wanted to do a mural but ended up doing these instead: bottlecap animals. The students drew the animals, then we projected them onto cardboard and cu them out. We used hot glue to attach them to cardboard. They are pretty sturdy. I felt more comfortable with the hot glue than the drills. Also, my students wanted to see the outside of the caps, not the inside. We have a lot more saved for this year! Can't wait to see what you all make!!!

    here is one example:
    http://katieweymouth.blogspot.com/2010/05/4th-grade-tropical-rainforest-mural.html

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  12. I was also inspired to create a bottlecap mural with my students after visiting Briargrove's blog and seeing the art of Michelle Stitzlein.
    Please visit my blog to see our mural!
    hegARTy

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  13. I have seen them done with hot glue! This is a great thread, I have been collecting bottle caps as well. I saw a beautiful bottle cap mural in an art show of a sea turtle and I have wanted to try one since!
    www.artisthebestpartoftheday.blogspot.com

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  14. What about creating it as a mosaic? I am very interested to see your final product! Can't wait! :)

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  15. Have you ever heard of Zots? They are a scrap bookin' thing. The 3-d Zots would probably do a great job of stickin' em! Then you can go back later and reinforce with hot glue. Just a thought..I know there are a million thoughts here!! :) ha ha

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