Fun Stuff to Do
Grab a pencil (NOT a pen!) and let’s draw an elephant! Here’s how.
Step 1: Begin by drawing a large oval for the elephant’s body and then add a smaller circle for the head.
Step 2: Now draw two long, curving lines, coming down from the head for the trunk. Join them at the end.
Step 3: Draw a tusk coming from the bottom of your elephant’s head, curving across the trunk. Add the tip of the other tusk to the left of the trunk.
Step 4: Erase the overlapping lines inside the trunk and tusk. Draw the ear.
Step 5: Erase the overlapping lines in the ear. Draw two sets of ovals for the legs, and add semicircles at the bottom for the feet.
Step 6: Erase the overlapping lines and smooth out where the different shapes join. Add the other two legs.
Step 7: Erase the overlapping lines in the second set of legs, and smooth out where the different shapes join. Now add a tail. Try to copy the shape shown here as closely as you can.
Step 8: Add lines for wrinkles on your elephant’s trunk, ear, knees and tummy. Give the ear a wiggly edge, add toenail shapes to the feet and give your elephant an eye and lower lip.
Get this drawing project and many more in “How to Draw Animals” by Michael Garton. (Michael O’Mara Books, $14.99 softcover. Ages 6 and up.)
Looking for some new pinewood derby car design ideas? Boyslife.org readers have sent us photos of some incredible pinewood derby cars. Take a look at some of our favorites sent to us in 2012, and then send us a picture of your pinewood derby car.
More pinewood derby fun:
- Complete pinewood derby guide
- 100 amazing Pinewood Derby car photos of 2011
- 100 cool pinewood derby car photos of 2010
- Click here to see 1,000+ more pinewood derby photos
- Click here to submit a picture of your car
- Read about secrets to make your car go faster
- Watch video of a super-fast pinewood derby track
- Play BL‘s new pinewood derby game
Grab a pencil (NOT a pen!) and let’s draw a cat! Here’s how.
Step 1: Draw a small circle for the cat’s head. Then add a larger circle below it and a larger one still below that for the cat’s body.
Step 2: Join the circles together with a smooth, curving line for the cat’s neck and back on the right-hand side and another on the left for its neck.
Step 3: Erase the overlapping lines inside the cat’s body. To draw the first front leg, add an oval overlapping the cat’s body and another smaller oval below that. Draw a smooth line around the ovals for the outline of the leg.
Step 4: Erase the overlapping lines in the cat’s leg and the line on its chest. Add the cat’s other front leg by drawing a line from the cat’s chest around the first leg. Now draw an oval overlapping the cat’s front leg and bottom for the back paw.
Step 5: Add the cat’s face and ears, copying the shapes shown here as closely as possible. Erase any unnecessary lines so you are left with a complete cat shape.
Step 6: Draw long smooth lines coming from the nose for the cat’s whiskers. Add a curving tail and erase a small section of the outline where it joins the body. Add some wiggly fur lines on the chest and ears.
That’s it! When you’re done, why not scan or take a photo of your masterpiece and send it to us. Submit your drawing here.
Get this drawing project and many more in “How to Draw Animals” by Michael Garton. (Michael O’Mara Books, $14.99 softcover. Ages 6 and up.)
Matt Long has created indoor and outdoor sand sculptures of everything from castles and jungle and sea animals to buildings and 7-foot-tall cartoon characters. Here are some of the professional sand sculptor’s tips for making your own sand creation.
– A sand sculptor must learn about sand quality and how it affects a sculpture. Use “clean sand” that is free of stones or shells and has grains that are about the same size. The finest grains of sand will allow for the crispest carving of details.
– Every sculpture begins with a “pound-up.” Make a pound-up using a pile of sand 12 to 18 inches high and approximately 24 inches in diameter. Thoroughly soak it with water and pack it as tight as you can with your hands.
– Use forms to create height. You can buy them or create your own using a bucket with the bottom removed. If the bottom is not removed, the bucket will not lift off smoothly. Place the bucket on the base with the narrow end up. Fill it with sand and lots of water, packing it down tightly as you go. Every grain should be wet.
– After the sand has settled, lift the bucket and smooth the sand.
– Place the buckets of sand close together and keep adding to the width and height until you have a block of sand that is the size you want to sculpt. Have an idea of what you want your sculpture to look like before you start.
– Make sure to start at the top and work your way down to the bottom of the structure.
– Take your time. “Carve smart, meaning take chances, but use caution,” Long says.
