Art Attack

Here's something you can make for that special someone on Valentine's Day, or just to show someone how you feel. You will need: • Scissors • Silver Pen • Thin Card • Pencil •

Cup or Mug

You'll need a piece of thick paper or thin card. Red or pink is the best colour for this, but you could always use white and colour it in if you like.

Fold the card in half...

...then use a cup or mug to draw a semicircle in the top corner.

The semicircle should just be touching the top and left edges of the card.

Now draw a line down from the semicircle to the bottom of the card, like this.

Cut out the shape and you should have two identical pieces of card.

Put the two shapes on top of each other and use the scissors again to make a cut, about two thirds of the way up both of the shapes.

Next, use a silver pen and write along the top of one of pieces "only you can mend"!

Along the top of the other piece, write "my broken heart".

Pop both pieces into an envelope and send it off to your valentine! Then, truly only they can mend your broken heart. Don't give them any instructions, so then you'll know that if they take the time to figure it out, they must like you! Try it yourself!

Pencil shavings can be very messy - so how about a special pencil sharpening bin: which will collect and sharpen your pencil for you? You will need: • An empty pot • Cardboard • A pencil sharpener • PVA glue • Newspaper • Tissue or kitchen paper • Tape • Paint •

Black pen

First, take an empty pot like this. Drinking chocolate pots are pretty good for this.

A little way up from the bottom, use a sharp pencil to push a hole through the cardboard. If you can't do this yourself, ask an adult to do it for you.

Draw around the bottom of the pot twice onto some cardboard box card and cut the two circles out.

Stick the two circles of card together with some glue, like this.

When the glue dries, take a pencil sharpener, place it just at the edge of the circles of cardboard box card, and draw around it.

The idea now is to cut this shape out, but within the lines, so that you can then put the pencil sharpener back in and it will be a tight fit. You could always put some glue on it to hold it in place.

Then put some more glue on the underneath of the card circles.

Then for a slightly tricky bit... you need to line the pencil sharpener up with the hole at the bottom of the pot, and then push the cardboard circles all the way down it. You could use a ruler to do this.

Scrunch up some newspaper and pad out the lid a little, taping it firmly into place with a lot of tape.

Add on a small twist of newspaper to make a handle, taping it down on either side.

For some sticky-out eyes, roll up two balls and tape them underneath the rim of the lid.

To make everything a bit neater, paste on a layer of tissue paper or kitchen roll with PVA glue mixed with a little water.

When you've covered the whole thing, and it's dry, you'll be left with something that looks like this. You can even add some handles to the side as well!

Now all you need to do is paint. Use metallic silver paint for the bin, adding some grey lines for detail, and pick out some extra details with a black pen.

There you have it: a dustbin pencil sharpener which collects all the shavings neatly inside for you. Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

You know the way a frame goes all the way around a picture? Well - here's one that doesn't - a corner frame. They look great, and they're so easy to make. You will need: • cardboard box card • poster or acrylic paint

• • • •

glue scissors pencil ruler

•

black felt pen

Take a piece of A4 sized cardboard box card.

Line your ruler up against the left hand edge, and mark the point 20cm up.

Repeat on the bottom edge, marking the point 20cm along.

Take the ruler away, and draw a line across from the top mark and a line up from the bottom mark. Make them about the same length, so that you end up with a sort of L shape.

Cut this out.

Now, take a bigger piece of cardboard box card, and draw around the L shape onto it in pencil, to create another L shape.

The idea is to draw the front of your frame design using this L shape as a guide. Do not go below the bottom line, or your picture frame won't stand up! But you can go over the other lines in the picture. Once you've drawn your picture, you'll have something that looks like this.

Cut the whole thing out.

Turn your front design over, and put your L shape into position on the back by lining it up with the bottom edge, and draw around it.

To create a gap to slot your picture in, you need two long thinner strips of cardboard box card about 1cm wide that fit along this drawn L shape. Use some strong glue and stick them down.

Cut out a cardboard triangle, and fold it along one side.

Add strong glue along the small folding bit, and stick it to the L shape to form a stand.

Add more glue on top of the cardboard strips you stuck on earlier, and stick the L shape on top of it, creating a nice slot down the middle.

When all the glue is dry, use poster or acrylic paint to make like this.

Paint the back too, and use the back piece of cardboard as a frame stand.

Insert your picture into the frame to create a corner frame! Think about other designs like an exotic beach, or theme your frame to suit your picture. Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Here's an original way of making a greetings card, tailor made for any occasion. You will need: • Paper • Card • Scissors •

Glue

Decide on an occasion, and choose the type of costume you'd wear for it. This one's going to be a posh birthday card! For a posh jacket, take a piece of thin card that's a bit longer than A4 and the same colour you want the jacket to be, and fold one edge roughly into the centre, and fold the other edge in to meet it, overlapping a little.

Fold down the corner of the flaps to create collars. This will be the basic jacket shape.

To make a shirt, cut a piece of thin card or paper that's the same size as the back of the card, and glue it into place inside the jacket.

Now you can add on extra details. If you cut the edges off a paper doily, they make a great lacey frill for the front of the shirt!

Arrange them down the length of the shirt. About three overlapping rows on either side looks good.

Glue them into position.

To make a bow tie, you'll need some paper that's roughly postcard size.

Fold it lengthways back on itself repeatedly, so that you produce a concertina fan.

Wrap a small strip of paper around the middle and tape it at the back, to hold it in place.

Then glue it to the top of the shirt.

You can also add a square of paper with one folded edge to the front of the jacket for a pocket.

For a flower, scrunch up a strip of crépe paper like this, pinching the end and taping it together like this.

Then glue that to the front of the jacket.

And there it is - a fantastic costume card to send on a birthday or any special occasion. Write a message on the inside of the jacket.

There are lots of different types of costume cards too. This one is a little more trendy.

Or how about a school uniform for someone who's passed their exams?

Or a good old Christmas card?

And this clown costume for a party invitation? Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Here's a great way of framing a photograph, without actually framing it! You will need: • Coloured pens • A photograph or picture

•

Coloured paper (slightly bigger than the picture)

Place your picture into the middle of a piece of coloured paper. If you've got an ordinary sized photo, A4 paper is good.

The idea works by drawing squiggles around one of the corners. Do a squiggle, a couple of loops and another squiggle...

...then send the line back on itself.

Join up the lines at the end.

Now colour in the bits in between.

Do this on two opposite corners. It looks like the picture's been framed by twisted ribbons looped around the edges!

Use different coloured pens and frames.

You could even do squiggles all around the frame...

...Or a two-coloured ribbon, where the loops are alternate colours! Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

How about this for a simple novelty greeting card idea? You will need: • card • colours • string • scissors •

felt pen

Fold a piece of thick paper or thin card in half. On one half of the card, draw "me," or in other words, draw yourself, because you're the one who's going to send the card.

Then on the other side of the card draw "you". The picture has to be of the person you are sending the card to. From me, to you. Make the picture look like a cartoon.

Colour in the two pictures.

Then write your message in the card. Put "From Me" and "To You" along the bottom of the card, and in the middle, add a message, depending upon the purpose of the card.

Next, pop a hole where the hands are in the picture. The best way to do this is to place your card above some sticky tack, then push a pencil through the card.

Cut out a heart from thin coloured card. Alternatively, use white paper, and paint it red.

Cut a piece of string a bit longer than the width of your card.

Thread this string through the hole in the middle of your heart, then through the holes of card where the hands are, and tie a knot.

And when you've done that, you'll have a card that looks like this. There are plenty of other types you can make. How about a Happy Birthday card or even a Get Well Soon card? Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Have a go at making this crazy assault course for marbles! You will need: • Marble • Disposable cups • Scissors • Cardboard tubes • Small cardboard boxes • Pebbles • Sticky tape • Egg box carton • Empty cartons and packages •

Paint

Start by making some catchers and throwers, to catch the marble and then throw it back out! For the catcher part, cut a circle out of one of the paper cups. It needs to be the same size as one of the tubes.

For the thrower bit, cut the tube in half lengthways and insert one end into the hole at a slight angle. Put some tape underneath where the tube meets the cup.

The small boxes will form a base to stand it on. Weigh the box down with a pebble or two and tape it closed. Then tape your catcher and thrower to the box.

Now test the catcher and thrower by dropping a marble inside. It should fly out of the bottom tube! If you make two the same - and paint them in jazzy colours - you have the beginnings of a marble motorway!

Then, place the catchers and throwers in your room at different levels. You could prop them up on books on a table, or put them on shelves around your room so the marble will travel from one down into the other.

Now you can make some bridges, to let the marble travel even further! Use more tubes, cut in half lengthways and taped to boxes at a slight angle. Here, Neil's propped up his bridge with part of an egg box. To get a smooth run, it's important the tubes overlap slightly so there are no bumps or gaps!

You can keep adjusting the motorway and adding more bits. Use whatever empty cartons and packages you can find lying around the home - and be imaginative!

You could make a helter skelter stunt from a cardboard tube and two empty cheese boxes. Cut one hole in the middle of the cheese box the same size of your tube, then another at the side big enough for a marble to fall through.

Stand the tube up - and make two levels. The idea is to tilt the cheese boxes at an angle so the marble will run through both the holes in turn. Stick the tube to another weighted box - and paint it however you like!

For a vortex stunt, use half a kitchen roll tube stuck into the side of another one at an angle like this.

Cut off the top bit of an empty plastic drinks bottle. Place it on top of the tube and upside down. Again, stick the whole thing onto a weighted box and paint!

The marble will whizz around in the top for a while, then shoot out of the tube at the side!

When you've made a few stunts, arrange them in between your catchers and throwers and bridges...

...and with a bit of imagination...

you'll end up with a manic marble motorway! Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

An ordinary card with a twist! You will need: • Paper • Pen • Ruler • Cotton thread • Sticky tape • Coloured pens or pencils •

Scissors

Take a long thin piece of card or paper and divide it into three equal parts.

Draw a line on both edges about a ruler's width away from the sides.

Measure and divide these thin edges into three equal sections horizontally. Take time to do this precisely.

Now, cut away the top and bottom bits on one side, and the middle bits on the other side (the bits highlighted here) .

So that it looks like this!

The edges should interllock when it is folded like this.

In the middle section draw a picture that has a theme. This will form a sort of frame for your suspended bit, so make sure you leave a fairly big gap in the centre. This one is a countryside scene.

Carefully cut out the middle section as neatly as you can, making sure you keep it safely to one side.

Fold the rest of the card back together again. Make a mark in the centre at the back where the two flaps meet. This will help you to draw a continuous picture for the background.

Sketch a background scene (here you can see hills) on both sides using the marks as guides.

When the card is put together, the two sides will join up to make continuous rolling hills.

Now draw a feature inside the middle bit you cut out earlier. This will be the part that hovers.

Cut it out, and you're ready to colour everything in!

Tape two bits of cotton thread to the back of your butterfly so it can hover.

Now you're ready to attach the bits of cotton to the back of the card at the top. You'll need to turn the card round first so the front of the butterfly is the same way round as the main picture. But the background scene will still be visible!

Take your time to make sure the cotton is straight, and snip off any stray bits at the top.now Now fold the flaps back...

...and there's your finished card!

You can do all kinds of hovering cards.

Just pick a theme and draw it! Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Don't you just love ice cream? Now you can use it as inspiration for making something that will hold all your pens and pencils. You will need: • an empty washing up bottle • cardboard box card • newspaper • PVA glue • tissue paper or kitchen roll • poster or acrylic paint • cereal box card • scissors •

sticky tape

Take the empty washing up bottle and cut out the bottom 4cm. Tape it to a piece of cardboard box card that's roughly 30cm by 30cm.

Roll two double sheets of newspaper lengthways, and wrap them neatly around the bottom of the washing up liquid bottle.

Tape into place. Use plenty of tape, otherwise you'll lose the shape!

Then, for the flaky chocolate, take about eight strips of newspaper, roughly 6cm wide.

Scrunch the strips up on themselves, so that you get a kind of bunched-up concertina shape.

Then twist them a bit, and tape them around the middle just to keep them in shape.

Tape this to the side of the washing-up liquid bottle, using lots of tape.

This is the messy bit! Mix some PVA glue in equal parts with water. Take some tissue paper or kitchen roll, and dip it into the glue. Mould it over the newspaper. Repeat this across the whole of the newspaper. You don't have to go inside the bottle - just around the edges. It doesn't matter about being neat here, as a splattered ice cream is messy!

Do the same for the flaky chocolate bit, but don't go over the edge of the newspaper at the top of the part that's sticking out.

When you've done the whole thing, leave it to dry. While it's drying, you can make the cone. Take some thin card (cereal box card is perfect for this), and starting with one corner, roll it into a long thin cone.

Tape the cone into position around the middle to stop it falling apart!

Cut your cone into a shape that will fit inside your ice-cream holder. Trim it bit by bit so that you have something that looks like this.

When you've got a cone shape that fits, you need to paste the outside with PVA glue and tissue paper or kitchen roll. Cover the whole of the outside in one layer of glue and tissue.

Leave everything to dry, then trim around the bottom of your splat to remove all the excess cardboard.

Now it's ready to be painted! Use poster or acrylic paint, and choose a colour appropriate for a particular ice cream flavour. For the flaky chocolate, use a light brown, and streak in bits of darker brown. For the cone, paint it an orange-yellow wafer colour.

When it's dry, you can add on more details with a felt pen, like the criss-cross lines you can see on a cone.

Now it's ready to hold your pens and pencils. It's just a case of squeezing them all together, and popping the cone on the top to keep everything inside. And when you need something, just take the cone off. Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Make a special frame for that special someone... You will need: • Plastic bag • Cardboard box card • Modelling clay • String • Plaster of paris • Measuring jug •

Spoon

These moulded heart frames are great fun to make. Start by taping a plastic bag onto some cardboard box card, to make a work surface.

Next you need to roll some soft modelling clay into long, thick sausages.

The idea is to lay out a heart shape on the plastic - one big and one small.

Flatten them a bit, and join together any joins so that there are no gaps at all in the modelling clay.

Overall, the sausages should be about 1cm high.

If you want to, you can make little heart shapes and place them inside the mould too!

When everything is securely pressed down, make up some plaster of paris.

You can get plaster of paris from art shops, chemists and even stationers. The idea is to mix two cups of powder with one cup of water, as this gives the best consistency.

When the mixture is nice and smooth, pour it into the mould. You'll need a steady hand for this!

Make sure that the mixture seeps into all the nooks and crannies.

Next, take a small piece of string that has a knot tied at each end. Lay the knotted ends of the string into the mixture so that you can hang the frame up when it has dried.

If you've got any plaster of paris left over, don't pour it down the sink! Pop it in a bag, and put it in the bin.

When the frame is solid, carefully peel the modelling clay away...

...and lift the whole thing off the bag to reveal the finished frame.

If the edges are a bit rough, you can always smooth them down with an old kitchen scourer.

Now you can paint the frame, and add a picture to the centre.

How about a round moulded frame?

Or a star shaped one, with extra glitter?

Here's a square one...

...and here's a spooky spider themed frame! Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

Here's a great Secret Box for stashing your stuff. To nosey snoopers, it looks empty! You will need: • A washing powder tablets box • Mirror card • Plastic packaging • Paint • Gold pen • Scissors •

Ruler

Find a box with a lid. A washing powder tablet box like this one is perfect.

You need to cut a hole in the front of the box, so draw a guide line that's a couple of centimetres in from the edge. You could use a ruler to help you do this.

Now you need to cut out that section. Whenever you need to cut something out from the middle of your artwork, just make a hole by pressing a sharp pencil through into some modelling clay.

This way you can get your scissors in, and it makes cutting out much easier!

Next, you need to make the hole into a window. To do this, you need some see-through plastic packaging.

Tape it into position across the hole.

It's still an ordinary box at the moment, but here are the special steps that'll turn it into a Secret Box! The secret is a piece of mirror card...

To get it to fit, you need to measure the front of the box to get the width of card...

...and then diagonally across the side to get the length.

Take the measurements and cut the mirror card to size.

Then, place the mirror card in the box, with the bottom edge at the back.

Now lean it forward. If you put your things in behind the mirror card, you won't be able to see it on the other side even though it looks like it's empty through the window!

To make it look even more convincing, you need to decorate the inside of the box. Remove the mirror card before you do this. Draw around the bottom of the box onto some paper.

To get the right size, cut it out slightly inside the line.

Now design a pattern. A symmetrical or repetitive pattern is best, like stripes, as it will disguise the mirror better! Avoid words or numbers as they'll reflect backwards and spoil the secret.

Colour in the design and glue it into place on the bottom.

Do exactly the same for all the sides of the box, and you'll have something that looks like this!

When you put the mirror card back in, the illusion is complete!

Finally, decorate the outside of the box any way you like. This one's going to be a wooden box, so start with some light brown...

...and when it's dry, add in some woodgrain with a darker shade of brown.

Finally, add some hinges, and some detail with a gold pen.

When it's finished, you'll have something that looks like this, and everything you put in it will seem to disappear! Try it yourself!

© The Media Merchants Television Company Limited 2008. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

HIT Entertainment Limited Registered in England No: 2341947 Registered Office: Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NF United Kingdom

You will need: • Air drying clay • Old tray or plastic bag taped onto some cardboard • Plastic knife • Paintbrush • Water • Paperclips •

PVA glue

Take a ball of air drying clay and roll or press it out onto an old tray, or a piece of plastic bag taped onto a piece of cardboard.

Don't press the clay too thinly - about 1cm thick is perfect.

Use a plastic knife to cut out the shape of whatever keyring you want to make.

Then carefully pull off the excess clay.

You can now cut out smaller details from the excess clay...

...and stick them on. Secure them in place by brushing on a little water.

A cocktail stick or sharp pencil is handy for drawing or scratching detail into the clay.

When you've finished, take a paperclip and carefully push it into top of the soft clay, leaving just the end sticking out. Leave the clay to dry overnight. It'll go very hard and then be ready to paint.

Acrylic paint is perfect for this. Use a small brush for adding in fine details...

...it's fiddly, but fun!

When you've finished painting, and the paint has dried, you'll have something that looks like this. This one has had extra detail added using a permanent pen. It's also had a coat of PVA glue brushed all over which has dried shiny!

Add a second paperclip to the one that sticks out of the clay, and then you can start using the keyring.

Here are some other ideas - a guitar...

...an Art Attack themed design...

...a space theme...

...or an ice cream cone! Try it yourself!

Here's a great way of designing your own graffiti tag... but don't write it on walls or desks! You will need: • Coloured paper •

Chalk pastels or crayons

Chalk pastels like these are the best for this Art Attack, but crayons work just as well.

On a piece of coloured paper, write your name in big, chunky, angular letters. It's a good idea to tuck the letters behind each other.

Then take some white chalk and add a little trick... just draw a small dot somewhere on each letter.

Next, colour each letter in using bright colours, but don't cover the dots!

When you've coloured each letter, strengthen up all the black lines If you're using pastels, be careful not to accidentaly smudge it!

Now to really jazz it up, just gently smudge the dots to make them look like highlights...

... and gently smudge the black lines too to give them a fuzzy effect. This makes it look like they've been sprayed on.

Thicken up all of those bottom lines to give it a real, chunky 3D effect.

Then smudge that line too.

Next, give everything a coloured outline, doing it twice in different colours. Keep it straight and jagged with sharp edges.

Finish off the outline with another black line.

Finally, just to finish it off with a heavy metal effect, draw some white shine lines going diagonally across the lettering. Make sure all the lines are in the same direction. And to make it really stand out, put some starry twinkles on the corners. Make sure you keep the twinkly bits nice and thin!

And there you have it - your name in a graffiti tag!

You can create different tags with different materials and shapes. This one is more round and blobby.

This one uses more distinctive shapes, giving it a sharp feel.