Make a simple bird mobile for a class project.
A mobile is considered kinetic art, meaning art that has moving parts. American artist Alexander Calder was the inventor of mobiles. His free-flowing, hanging art form is not only beautiful in a museum, but is also a fun and simple class project. A mobile consists of a frame and hanging objects. The objects can be in any theme, from science to history.
Instructions
1. Find two sticks and cut each one with garden shears to be 2 feet long. Paint the sticks white. Allow the paint to dry. Form an "X" with the sticks, and wire them together using 6 inches of wire.
2. Research a local bird species to use as your shape. Print a picture of a bird, or cut one out of a magazine.
3. Trace the bird shape and a draw a wing shape onto 16 multi-colored pieces of felt. Cut out all the birds and wings.
4. Glue two bird shapes together with fabric glue, matching the shapes as mirror images. Glue a wing to the middle of both sides of the bird. Allow birds to dry.
5. Punch a hole in the top of the birds with a hole punch. Thread yarn of various lengths, such as 10 inches, 12 inches and 14 inches, through the birds and tie a knot. Tie the other end of the yarn to the middles and ends of the sticks.
6. Tie a 16 inch piece of yarn to the center of the "X" to hang the mobile.
