How to Make Dragon Art for Elementary School

Dragon puppets are built for Chinese New Year celebrations.

The dragon is a creature steeped in the rich traditions of Chinese culture. Considered a benevolent symbol of the forces of nature and believed to bring luck, wisdom and power, the dragon figures prominently in many facets of the Eastern world. Elementary school students can learn more about these cultural customs by crafting their own dragon puppet, to better understand the majestic mythos of this revered symbol of Asian folklore.

Things You'll Need

• Air-dry modeling clay
• 2 yards of white polyester fabric
• Ironing board
• Iron
• Measuring tape
• Sheets of white paper
• Fabric crayons or markers
• Hook and loop fastener strip, adhesive-backed -- 1 foot
• Craft glue
• Acrylic paints in bright colors including red, orange and gold
• Paintbrushes -- fine tip and 1 inch wide

Instructions

1. Mold a chunk of modeling clay into the shape of a dragon's head, making it about the size of your fist or slightly larger. Then poke your index, middle and ring fingers -- stretched apart about 1/2 inch -- into the bottom of the head about halfway, for holding and moving the finished puppet head.

2. Add more clay to make eyes, nose, teeth and fangs, horns and ears. Roll round beads of clay between your hands to make eyes. Work small bits of clay into fangs and teeth -- pinching them into fine points at the ends. Then work two bigger chunks of clay into horns by creating short rolls, then gradually shaping the ends into points.

3. Press each facial feature into place by blending and smoothing their base edges into the surface clay of the head, using your fingers. Dampen your fingers a bit as you work, if needed, to create smooth joins.

4. Set aside the dragon head to air-dry, for 24 hours.

5. Paint the dragon head using acrylic paints, in whatever colors you like. Red, orange and gold typically are used, but you can choose any combination of colors. Use a fine-tip brush to paint small details, and a wider one to cover larger areas. Allow the paint to dry for at least 12 hours.

6. Measure your arm from wrist to elbow, to determine the length of fabric needed for the puppet's body. Then measure around the widest part of your forearm and add 2 inches, to determine the width. Cut your hook-and-loop fastener strip to match the length measurement.

7. Mark the fabric to the determined length and width dimensions, and then cut out the piece. Wrap the fabric around into a sleeve shape, so that the two opposite ends of the width meet. Slip your arm through the sleeve to make sure it fits comfortably.

8. Decorate the fabric with markers or crayons. Create Asian-inspired patterns or add bodily features to the dragon. The center of the fabric, lengthwise, will be the front of the dragon's body when it's attached.

9. Place white paper over the decorated fabric. Set your iron to its lowest temperature setting. On most irons, this would be "synthetic."

10. Iron the fabric through the white paper, pressing it for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the paper slowly, so as not to blur the design on the fabric while still warm.

11. Wrap the fabric into a sleeve shape again, so that the two opposite ends of the width meet. Affix the hook-and-loop fastener halves along the edges of the width to close the sleeve, positioning the seam along the back of the puppet.

12. Glue the fabric to the puppet head. Layer glue around the bottom edge at the neck of the puppet head. Wrap the top edge of the fabric body over the layer of glue. Allow the glue to dry for at least 24 hours before use.

Tips & Warnings

• You may also sew the fabric sleeve edges together, using similar colored thread to match the decorative pattern that you created.

• Make the dragon as scary or as happy as you wish. The dragon's features and colors will be defined by your imagination.

References

• Crayola: Chinese Dragon Puppet
• Dark Fire Dragon.com: Dragons: A History of Mythology and Beliefs