INNER CHILD PLAY CLASS: Tinselling Shahrazad
21 December (solstice) 1 hour, 9-10pm London time
£10
Holiday Play class! ’Tis the season to sparkle. Don’t be a snob, be a star. What better way to reconnect with your inner child than to take a class with one! Suitable for both kids and adults. This is a Tinselling Play class, inspired by the British toy theatre tradition of tinselling: adding decorative shiny bits to a toy theatre of posters of famous actors of the day. This was done with great care and back in the day you could buy pre-cut and stamped designs to stick on. A folk art that came from the streets, there are no right answers and no restraints apart from health and safety and all fun is encouraged. All welcome, especially children, both young and small.
Please note that this is not a taught painting class, it is a fun non-serious tinselling play class. Channeling my inner Shahrazad, my attention may be interrupted at intervals and scattered like glittery flakes of tinsel between you, my small children and the unpredictability of mixing them in with my laptop while glitter and glue are on the same table. The irresistible shiny small things - both the kids and the glitter - are capricious mediums. The chaos is part of the fun. We’ll go with the flow. Regularly scheduled calm painting programming will recommence in 2023.
The portions of sharing and interaction during this Play class will not be recorded due to the presence of young children. If you do use the painting as part of your artwork please acknowledge its originating source, it is good practice. Cameras must be on at all times. Adults please look after your kids and everyone use common sense. There is a mute button if needed and come with an open mind. Add some Christmas chaos magic to your works with children animating the mix. Play is essential to humanity.
Download the poster pin up of Shahrazad here from the Miniature Painting Forum and print on A3 or A4 paper, or alternatively print, trace and transfer your own. If you print it off on heavier paper it will save you time as I’ve already completed ‘the hard bits’ for you (her face and hands). You are welcome to paint her dress and decorate and ornament her as you like.
You will need: Glitter, loose sequins*, Swarovski crystals, gold dust, stardust, fairy dust, pixie dust, magic dust, all in a variety of colours and sizes. And any other decorative items, bits, bobs and spangles you find or have lying around that can be stuck on with ordinary glue. Glue**. Tweezers desirable but children must be supervised at all times. Printout (or traced/transferred drawing) of Shahrazad, provided.
We are going to honour our inner Shahrazad who spins stories from nothing*** and saves the lives of not only herself but the women around her and that came beyond her. A poster pin up for your inner changemaker and an idol for your deeper creatrix.
*Sequins are a great modern equivalent to the traditional Victorian tinsels. Originally they painstakingly punched out all the designs, or they were pre-cut, in quite intricate shapes to decorate the toy theatre posters. Did you know that sequins nowadays come in all sorts of shapes: stars, shells, crosses, flowers, chilli peppers and more? Buy vintage if you can. If using tweezers or equivalent around young children, exercise appropriate care and use common sense.
** Child friendly glue, PVA, Elmer’s glue, school glue, white glue.
***They are not actually from nothing. They are also the subject of my very deep and ongoing research into the 1001 Nights as part of my PhD at the Slade School of Art but they are also kinda from nothing, in that she has to think on the spot, cold.
Download here:
