ART SMART : Lamp project makes light work
Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Having a say in the decor of one’s living space is a childhood rite of passage. I was about 11 when my oldest brother finally moved out, allowing me to advance to the elevated status of having my own bedroom. Nirvana !
Mom let me to pick out wallpaper and linens, as much as it must have pained her. The wallpaper, befitting the mid- ’ 70 s, was a headache-inducing lime green with huge yellow and orange flowers; the sheets were much the same.
My 14-year-old niece Savannah is in the midst of her second bedroom re-invention. Her taste is better than mine was. She has chosen raspberry-pink walls with black-and-white linens and accessories.
Whatever the theme, one of the best parts of decorating your bedroom is creating some of the decor. If you have a child itching to put some of his personality into his room, let him make a lamp gobo.
A gobo is a design cut into a plate that is used to create patterns of projected light. Gobos are often used in television, film and theater sets to create light effects. We’ve modified the idea using a lampshade and paper. It’s a simple project with cool results.
You’ll need a lamp with a plain shade. It needn’t be expensive; we got ours at a discount store. Sketch some design ideas on paper. They should be simple enough to cut out easily. A good plan is to do one design that can be repeated around the lampshade.
For the gobos, you’ll need colored paper thin enough for light to pass through. Card stock is too heavy. We used two sheets of tissue paper glued together with spray adhesive. Other options are scrapbook or art paper, such as vellum or rice paper. Hold the paper to the inside of the lampshade and see how transparent it is with the light turned on.
Draw the design onto the paper and cut out. Use cuticle scissors to cut out small areas, such as the eyes and mouth on our gobo. Cover one side of the cut design completely with adhesive; a fresh glue stick works best. Press the gobo in place on the inside of the lampshade, making sure that the paper is smooth and all the edges are firmly adhered.
Repeat the pattern around the whole lampshade. For an extra touch, add dots of 3-D fabric paint around the base of the lamp in complementary colors. Place in the bedroom, plug in and enjoy.
What you’ll need Lamp Thin decorative paper Glue stick Scissors Art Smart, featuring art projects for children and the young at heart, appears in Family on alternating Wednesdays. Gretchen Goetz is a freelance writer in Dallas. E-mail her at
pearlgoddess@sbcglobal. net
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