SHAPED BY NATURE
Poppy uses flowers and foliage collected from the garden to make impressions on paper which can then be turned into fluttering mobiles
MATERIALS
• Selection of leaves and flowers
• A4 watercolour paper
• Clean spray bottle
• Poster paints
• Water
• Scissors
• Pliable wire
• String
HOW TO MAKE THE MOBILE
Step 1: Poppy arranges her chosen leaves and flower heads, including some on stems, on the watercolour paper. Placing them face down means they lie flatter and closer to the paper. A spray bottle from the home that has been thoroughly washed is filled with a thin mix of paint and water. Experimenting will ensure the right amount of colour is achieved that is thin enough to spray. Poppy has sprayed from above to create a thin veil of paint that gradually builds up. The leaves act as a barrier so, when lifted, their white silhouettes are revealed against the coloured background. If using more than one colour, each should be allowed to dry before spraying the next. Darker colours work best.
Step 2: With the decorated papers facing her, long side at the top, Poppy has cut each into four strips. Eight strips are needed to make the mobile, but more can be used if desired. Poppy then shapes a length of wire into a circle the size of a dinner plate.
Step 3: Four 18in (46cm) lengths of string are tied around the wire, spaced approximately equidistant, then Poppy knots them together at the top. The mobile can be hung in the chosen location, either in the home or garden. A hole is made in the top of each paper strip. A piece of leftover wire can be used to do this. Poppy then ties all the strips loosely around the wire ring using pieces of string.