Posted: May 13, 2020

Above: Lesson Plan: Wearable Art with Paper Beads
In this second video art lesson, students will be introduced to the artwork of Canadian artist Karin Jones, currently on display at the Richmond Art Gallery. Gallery educator Melanie Devoy then demonstrates the technique of making wearable artwork through the technique of making paper beads. To see more of Karin’s work, check out the Labour’s trace exhibition.
Materials:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Markers, crayons, or pencil crayons
- Scissors
- Glue stick or white glue
Procedure:
- Watch the lesson by clicking the video to the right (12 minutes).
- Decide how large you want your paper beads to be. For this video 3 cm was used.
- On the edge of a piece of paper, measure out 3 cm segments.
- On the opposide edge of the paper, measure 1.5 cm from the edge, then measure 3 cm segments.
- Connect the marks on opposite sides with your ruler and draw lines to create a series of triangles.
- Flip the paper over and add colour.
- Cut out the triangles.
- Wrap the paper triangles, colour side out, around a pencil or chopstick, using glue to stick the end of the triangle down once it’s been fully wrapped.
- Gently pull off the paper bead and repeat with the rest of the triangles.
- String your finished triangles onto some yarn or string to make a bracelet, anklet, or necklace.
If you want to share your art online, post with #RAGatHome or #RichmondConnects.
To learn more, check out these related links:
Labour’s trace exhibition page
Video Interview with artist Karin Jones.
Labour’s Trace Teacher Guide
Black History in Canada: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/studyguide/black-history-in-canada-education-guide
Recommended books: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/slavery/