Homemade Mardi Gras Floats
Since the 1730s, the spectacle of Mardi Gras has paraded through the streets of New Orleans to celebrate the place that was founded by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website. A colorful array of themed floats, fancily dressed dancers and an air of excitement take to the streets. If you want to take part, have a go at making your own float and join in the fun of the Mardi Gras carnival.
Things You'll Need
- Inspirational images
- Sketchbook or plain paper
- Pencil
- Poster paint, markers or colored pencils
- Hardboard
- Trolley wheels
- Screws
- Screwdriver
- Metal loop (screw in)
- Nylon rope
- Exterior paint
- Paintbrush
- Colored fabric
- Scissors
- PVA glue
- Heavy-duty tape
- Crepe bunting (optional)
- Chicken wire
- Pliers
- Thick gloves
- Newspaper
- Feathers
- Flowers
- Clothing
Instructions
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Decide on a theme for your Mardi Gras float. Look for sources of inspiration to help you, such as images of previous Mardi Gras carnival floats or other images from books, magazines, postcards and websites.
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Draw a rough pencil sketch of your float on plain paper. Apply vibrant color with poster paint, markers or colored pencils. Consider the size of your float and the materials to be used in making your float and note the materials on your sketch to be able to refer to it later. For instance, hardboard, trolley wheels, chicken wire, papier-mache, cardboard and crepe paper may be used.
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Make your own float trolley to be pulled by hand or a bicycle. Use a piece of hardboard cut to size from a hardware store and four to eight trolley wheels, depending on the size of the board. Screw the trolley wheels into the underside of the hardboard, near the corners and edges, using screws and a screwdriver. Screw in two metal loops into the front edge of the hardboard. Feed the rope through the two loops and pull until the rope ends meet. Tie a hand loop at each end of the rope to create pulling handles.
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4
Decorate your float base. Paint your hardboard with a bright exterior paint. Cover the sides of the float with a skirt of colored fabric. Attach the fabric with glue and heavy-duty tape. Trim edges with colored crepe paper bunting, if required.
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5
Shape your themed figurehead for your Mardi Gras float. Use chicken wire to mold the shape of the figure. Wear gloves as you bend the wire into shape and cut with pliers. Connect the wire by twisting the exposed ends.
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Cover your chicken wire shape with papier-mache. Cut 2-inch strips of newspaper and dip into paste or PVA glue and apply a couple of layers to the wire mesh. Allow to dry overnight. (It may take longer depending on the wetness of the papier-mache and how many layers were applied.)
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Paint your Mardi Gras figure using poster paint mixed with PVA glue. Leave it to dry for one hour.
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Dress with additional materials such as colored feathers, flowers or items of clothing, if required.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not buy an oversized hardboard because it will be too heavy to be hand-pulled.
References
- Photo Credit Mardi Gras Float image by Jamie Patrick from Fotolia.com
