2009 TRIM-A-TREE ORNAMENT - WILD THINGS!

Rooftop celebrates our 18th year of participating in the Davies Symphony Hall’s Deck the Hall program. This year, we will be creating "Wild Thing" ornaments, inspired by Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.*
*For brevity, Where the Wild Things Are will be written as WTWTA in these instructions

YOUR T-A-T KIT WILL INCLUDE:
One WTWTA Book
Instructions & Printed Examples
Two sample ornaments - Full body and Head only
Class set of concept drawing / planning sheets (6 x 8 inches)
Class set of pre-cut tooling foil sheets (6 x 8 inches)
Class set of wooden stylus tools (sharpened chop sticks)
Assorted color permanent markers
Masking tape
Newspaper (for padding while tooling foil)


CLASS DISCUSSION: Read WTWTA aloud to the students. Many (most?) students will be familiar with this book, so if you get comments like, “I heard this book already!” invite them to explore the illustrations to find something they may have never noticed before.

While reading, call the students' attention to the exciting use of descriptive text such as "Gnashed their terrible teeth" "Rolled their terrible eyes" and "Showed their terrible claws". Draw attention to the way that Sendak created text and images that mirror each other in style and meaning.

Point out the Wild Things’ body parts in the illustrations, with the unusual combinations of mismatched feet, hands, horns, teeth, claws, tails, etc. from different types of animals.

Point out Sendak's use of visual texture, creating different types of fur, hair, skin and scales on the wild things using simple black lines in different patterns.

Ask if any students see the one trait that all the Wild Things have in common . . . YELLOW EYES!

Use printed examples to emphasize discussion.


Step 1 - CONCEPT DRAWING
On the 6 x 8 inch paper, students will draw their own Wild Thing. The paper is pre-cut to the same size as their foil sheet, so encourage them to fill the space of the page, without extending over the edges. Larger, broader shapes will translate better onto the foil.

Encourage imaginative combinations of body parts - duck feet, cows horns, etc. What type of fur, scales, skin, feathers do the body parts have?

Consider the GESTURE and body position of your Wild Thing. Consider the EXPRESSION and EMOTION on his or her face.

NOTE: Younger grades may wish to do the head only for the Wild Thing. The larger scale of the head will allow for more details to be added to the foil.





Step 2 -TRANSFER TO FOIL
Use masking tape to affix the concept drawing to the foil. Working with the foil placed on a stack of newspaper on the desk, have the students trace over their drawing with the pencil, pressing down to impress it into the foil At this point, students need only to transfer the basic outlines of their figure, they can add the details like texture, teeth, claws, etc. directly to the foil in the next step.

NOTE: Show the students that if they flip over the foil, they can see on the back where they've already traced, and what needs to be added. DO NOT LIFT THE PAPER until the drawing has been fully transferred.





Step 3 - TOOL THE FOIL
Remove the concept drawing paper from the foil. Using the wooden stylus, work directly on the foil (with newspaper underneath). Go back over the lines that were transferred to make them deeper. Use the stylus to add details and texture like fur, hair, scales, horns, claws, teeth. Remind students to work carefully. Go slowly or stylus will slide in unwanted ways.






Step 4 - COLOR THE FOIL
Use the permanent markers provided in the kit to color the Wild Things. Get fantastical with the color schemes, but encourage kids to color the eyes YELLOW as a tribute to Sendak. It will be so great if we can have all 550 ornaments with yellow eyes!
NOTE: If there's time, students can color both sides, but it's not necessary.





Step 5 - CUT OUT THE WILD THING
Carefully cut out the body using scissors to create an outline of the Wild Thing (leave a narrow border of foil around the edges). It's not recommended to cut out each claw, horn, etc. The ornaments will travel better and be less damaged without tiny body parts sticking out.
FOR KINDER THRU SECOND GRADE, this step should be performed by the art parents due to risk of sharp edges on the foil.




WAIT!! THERE’S ONE MORE THING! Be sure that EVERY ornament is labled with the students’ NAME, GRADE and CLASSROOM number, in a small, but legibible type somewhere inconspicuous. This is absolutely necesary so that we can return the ornament in January. Return all completed ornaments and unused materials to the art room.


HAVE FUN!!