At the beginning of the school year a volunteer dropped off a bag of wine corks. Not one to turn down free materials, I happily took them and left them on my counter. Where would I put them? It's not like I have a drawer labeled "wine corks"- it's a middle school classroom after all! A coworker walked in, saw the corks, and returned the next day with three gallon sized bags full. I clearly had to come up with something!
Japanese signature stamps, or chops, seemed like the perfect place to start. Seventh grade students learn to use utility blades (x-acto knives) in class, and make gyotaku (post coming soon!); so designing a chop seemed like the perfect project!
Materials
- wine corks (the fake, plastic ones work exceptionally well)
- utility blades
- sharpie markers
- cutting mats
Process
Begin by asking students to draw their design on the end of the cork. They then will need to "trace" their design, going into the cork about 1/4-1/2". Carefully have students go around the outside edge of the cork, about 1/4" down, removing excess.
If students mess up, have them simply turn their cork over and use the other side!
Begin by asking students to draw their design on the end of the cork. They then will need to "trace" their design, going into the cork about 1/4-1/2". Carefully have students go around the outside edge of the cork, about 1/4" down, removing excess.
If students mess up, have them simply turn their cork over and use the other side!
I'll be combining this lesson with a lesson on gyotaku next week! Stay tuned for more details!
A few few tips for carving corks:
Happy Carving!!!
A few few tips for carving corks:
- Keep the designs super simple. This won't be an easy process the first time, and students are less likely to cut themselves with a simple design.
- Ink pads work best for stamping.
- Take off outside edges in small pieces to avoid breaking the intended design.
Happy Carving!!!