Pop-Up Cards Elementary School Session Photo Journal

For a creative change of pace decided to introduce a pop-up card making lesson to my cartooning classes.

Two sample pop-up cards featuring the ever popular mermaids.

These two sample pop-up cards were done by drawing a background on a blank sheet of card stock and pasting some toy packaging inserts from the collage supplies bin.

The first batch of pop-up cards finished by the students relied heavily on pre-cut templates and some Bakugan toy packaging inserts.



Student drawn background pop-up cards to be completed on the next session.

Helix Bow Compass and Staedtler Halfpipe Pen-style compass comparison and early test

While browsing through the clearance section of a big box retailer, I spotted this carded Helix bow compass for 75 cents.
Gotta admit I picked it up mostly because the existence of 2 mm compass leads was still fresh in my mind thanks to a recent post in Pencil Talk.
Got a pen-style compass out of storage for a quick comparison. Coincidentally both compasses were manufactured in China.
The Staedtler Halfpipe pen-style compass could travel well in a sketching kit thanks to its safety cap that protects the lead and needle while keeping it securely closed in its pen-form. Its barrel has a storage container for 3 pieces of spare lead. Sadly these nice features do not amount to much given its performance as shown below.
The Helix bow compass came equipped with a softer graphite lead and held its setting well, so it efficiently drew darker circles with precision at the first try (up to 8" in diameter"). Its center wheel allowed for minute adjustments, and its metal construction felt sturdy enough for its price point (though I would not bet much on its resistance to rust). By contrast, the Halfpipe loaded with a harder lead did not hold its setting during successive passes drawing unwanted lighter ever larger concentric circular outlines (up to 12" in diameter). Thus despite its protective cap and built-in lead container, this Staedtler compass would not be a good choice for use in a Geometry class or any other application that might require it to hold high-precision settings. Still they might be of some use in upcoming cartooning classes.
While I normally prefer to draw 100% freehand, I think both of these compasses might serve some students to lay down the initial construction circles for creating their own Pokemon or Bakugan style monster capsules.

Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters clearance find and catching a touch of Bakugan Fever

On a recent trip to a Pearl store, I found these bundles of 10 Stabilo Swing Cool highlighters for a buck each. I figured that they might make suitable prizes for mini-contests in my cartooning classes. Their washable ink is equally suitable for highlighting study texts and some fun coloring.
The fluorescent inks could be easily washed with water, as shown by the lighter areas where some stray water droplets accidentally splashed on this artist trading card inspired by the Bakugan Freezer. Given the popularity of the Bakugan cartoon and toys with kids, I am preparing some coloring and sketching activities in that style for some upcoming Family Day events.