Very quiet
Use only light and dark areas within one colour family. Size and spacing create the differences.
Open your materials cupboard first
Before looking for new materials, lay your existing scraps side by side. Which papers fold well? Which colours work together? Which tools are available and suitable for the people taking part? A small selection can make an idea clearer than a large array of different possibilities.
An inventory in three bowls
- Surfaces: Paper, card and other suitable bases.
- Connections: Suitable adhesives, threads or prepared slot-together solutions.
- Marks: Pens, suitable paints and simple tools for patterns.
Follow the guidance for each material and tool. When working with children, selection, instruction and supervision are part of preparation. A project should suit the available skills, rather than a perfect example picture.
A project: a small collection of paper places
Make three cards that suggest different places: a window, a garden and a path. You need only a consistent base, a few paper scraps and a suitable joining method. This example is an original design idea, not instructions for a particular purchased kit.
- Choose a format. Make all three cards the same size. A shared format creates a connection.
- Collect shapes. Find one large shape and two small ones for each card. Arrange them loosely first.
- Let one colour lead. Repeat one colour on every card without treating every surface in the same way.
- Join and add. Attach the pieces using a method suitable for the material. Small lines or words can add to the scene.
- Look at them together. Put the cards side by side. Which repetition connects them, and which difference makes them interesting?
Allow enough time for drying or whatever processing is needed. An intermediate stage can rest before you make the next decision.
The same idea, three different directions
With found pieces
Use suitable paper scraps that already carry marks. Do not publish personal data or other people’s protected designs without checking permission first.
As a group
Each person makes one card. Agree only on the format and one shared colour. The different personal styles remain visible.
A workspace that shows the next step
Separate clear working space, stored materials and finished pieces. Put out only the tools currently needed. A small test on a scrap can establish whether the paint, surface and joining method work together.
After the project, note one successful decision and one open question. For example: “The large areas create calm. Next time we want to choose the spacing between shapes more deliberately.” This reflection is more specific than simply asking whether something turned out nicely.
Your own design can look different
A project suggestion is a starting point. Change the format, colour and sequence to suit your idea. The focus is on understandable design steps and the freedom to develop something distinctive from a small selection. Keep a trial that you would like to change later too.
Contact
Which project idea would you like to explore further? Email us with a question about the design exercises or a suggestion for the studio’s collection of materials and ideas.
