Week 26 {tiny paintings project}
This Week: 4TH OF JULY FAN
Here is a fan to go with last week’s firecrackers. It looks like we might have a fog-free fourth here in the bay area. So I might actually get a chance to use may fan. If you want to get super creative and design your own fan, use one of the fins from my artwork as a template. Trace around it 15 times on cardstock, and draw your pattern or picture. I'd love to see what you made.
You'll need two printouts
Or get the artwork in the "artwork downloads" column to the right. Print it out on 4" x 6" photo paper, and make sure the print size is 100%. You might need to save the file and print using a photo application.
This art is only for your personal use, and may not be reproduced. And please, if you use my artwork, send me a picture of what you made, so I can pin it to my pinterest board.
FIG. 1 Supplies: You’ll need two printouts to make one fan, a drill with a tiny (1/16”) bit, washi tape, one piece of 8 ½” x 11” printer weight paper, scissors, glue stick, scrap wood, paper clip, needle nose pliers with a wire cutter, a 17” x 1” piece of crepe or tissue paper, ribbon, and at least eight coffee stirrer sticks. My stirrer sticks are 7” x ¼”, the same size as Starbucks’. Get extra, as they tend to warp and split. You can use other sizes, as long as you dry-fit the spacing of the fins and adjust accordingly.
FIG. 2 Wrap tape around the bottom of eight stirrer sticks. This keeps the wood from splitting.
FIG. 3 You can add more tape decoration to the bottom 3” of the sticks if you like.
FIG. 4 Drill a hole in the center of the tape. Repeat for each stick.
FIG. 5 Straighten out the paperclip. Twist one end into a loop, and then bend it to a 45° angle.
FIG. 6 Thread one end of the ribbon through the loop. Holding both ends of the ribbon together, make a knot, and tighten it around the loop.
FIG. 7 Thread the wire through the holes in the sticks. Cut wire ½” long.
FIG. 8 Twist the end of the wire into a loop. And then fold it over, tightly squeezing the stack of sticks together.
FIG. 9 Cut out the artwork. Glue a fan fin onto each stick.
FIG. 10 This is what the back looks like.
FIG. 11 Ok, now it gets a little complicated. Tape the stick on the bottom of the stack to the paper. Line it up with the lower left corner. You may want to tape the paper to the table too.
FIG. 12 Take one of the leftover fins (ones that are not already attached to a stick) and stick it down temporarily, with a little tape ball on the back, to the right of the first fin. Line it up so the bottom is barely touching, and there is a little space between the tops of the fins. DRY-FIT the layout of all the fins. Repeat, alternating between sticks and leftover fins, working from the bottom of the stack to the top. Adjust the spacing evenly, and temporarily tape things in position. If you run off the edge of the paper, glue on a little patch. Make sure there is a little space between fins.
FIG. 13 One-by-one remove only the fins that are not attached to a stick. Put some glue on the back, and put them back in position. End with the stick on the top of the stack. You will have one leftover fin piece.
FIG. 15 Remove the fan. You should have seven fins glued to the paper.
FIG. 15 Cut out the paper around the fins.
FIG. 16 Start the first accordion fold on the left. Fold it toward you. The next fold is away from you.
FIG. 17 Try to make your stack nice and straight.
FIG. 18 Apply glue to the paper in the first space on the left.
FIG. 19 Starting at the top of the stack this time, glue the first stick down. Pinch the paper and make sure it’s really stuck down. Fold and open the accordion to make sure it fits.
FIG. 20 Repeat with the second stick from the top.
FIG. 21 Glue all the sticks in position. Trim off and extra paper.
FIG. 22 Make sure your fan can fold up nicely. Open it carefully so it doesn’t dry stuck together.
FIG. 23 Fold the tissue/crepe paper into quarters and cut fringe.
FIG. 24 Don’t cut all the way through.
FIG. 25 Glue the fringe to the back of the fan.