AY Honors/Bread Dough/Answer Key
1. Make a list of materials and supplies needed for dough artistry.
Dough made by mixing:
- 1 ½ cups white flour
- 1 ½ cups salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- about ½ cups water (or a bit more) This turns out much like Play-Doh brand dough..
If dough becomes too sticky just add more flour. Use hand lotion to reduce stickness. Note this is just one of many possible recipes. Different dough recipes yield different effects.
Making the dough:
- Measuring cup and tablespoon
- Mixing bowl
- Stir stick or spoon
Shaping and tinting the dough:
- Hand lotion
- Cookie Cutters and Rolling Pin (Optional)
- Knife
- Wax Paper (for working on, placing pieces on)
- Aluminum Foil
- 18 gauge Wire
- Other items to transfer texture to the dough like a leaf with veins and a net. Look around for interesting textures.
- Food coloring or dye
Coloring and finishing the dough:
- Liquid Tempera Paint or Acrylic Paint
- 8 oz. kit Envirotex Lite which is a water clear reactive polymer compound. It cures to a thick, glossy coating in about 8 hours at 70°F, and reaches full strength and toughness in about 48 hours. This durable, resilient material requires no polishing to produce a high gloss. One coat is all that is usually required for a deep attractive finish, however, two or more coats maybe applied one over the other by simply wiping the surface with a clean cloth and alcohol prior to re-coating. Recommended
- Paint Brushes
- Cardboard Box or other container for storing and transporting your creations while they dry
2. Why is it important to have clean hands and use hand lotion while working with bread dough?
The dough will pick up any dirt you may have on your hands. The lotion keeps your hands from sticking to the dough, making it easier to handle.
3. Explain the different techniques of tinting and painting the dough.
Tinting dough is accomplished by mixing color into the dough while it is still wet. This is done by adding dye or food coloring to get the desired color. You can mix the dye into the dough thoroughly, or you can leave streaks of color for effect. You can also partially mix colors into the dough to get it to fade from blue to green to yellow (or some other transition).
Painting is done after the dough has dried. The object can be painted a solid color or with various designs, much as an artist would paint a canvas. Except in this case you are the artist and the dough is the canvas!
4. What type of finish do you use to protect and give a glossy appearance?
After your art has dried and has been painted, you can coat it with a clear gloss finish such as Envirotex Lite. This will give it a clean glossy look and will help protect it. Clear gloss finishes should be available at your local art store.
5. Make at least two different flowers with leaves and arrange into a container of your choice.
The best model for a flower is the real thing. Pick up a few flowers before you begin this honor and have your Pathfinders study them. Have them consider the shape of each individual petal, the calyx, the stem, and the leaves and encourage them to reproduce that in dough. If live flowers are not available, try working from photographs.
You may find it easier to use small containers, as this will facilitate small flowers. You may also wish to fill the container with large glass beads or marbles once the flowers have been inserted. The extra weight afforded by the marbles will help prevent the container from tipping over.
Check Google Image Search for photos of bread dough flowers - there are some amazing examples out there.
Step by step guide with photos for bread dough flowers and leaves. Some good ideas for imprinting the leaves (use a real leaf with prominent veins) and simple items like nets to give texture.
Here are flowers made from baked bread dough (a different approach worth trying).
6. Make one of the following using tinted dough:
a. Sculpture arrangement
A sculpture arrangement is a small scene on a base. Roll out a piece of dough to an even thickness and cut it into a defined shape for the base. Then make miniature models to place in the scene. Here are a few ideas:
- Dinner plate with food, or a place setting with plate, knife, forks, glass, etc.
- Wishing well.
- Person in a chair reading a book.
- Praying hands (better if they lie flat than if they stand erect).
- Cars at an intersection.
- Dog and doghouse.
- Or whatever you think of!
A dinner plate or a piece of scrap cardboard makes a good base and allows you to move your scupture away from your work area to dry.
b. Small wall plaque
For this, you may wish to roll a piece of dough out into a flat sheet with even thickness, and then use a knife (or a cookie cutter) to cut out the plaque. Then you can use a different color of dough and apply it to the surface of the plaque to make the design of your choosing.
7. Make one of the following:
a. Kitchen refrigerator magnet
You will need strong glue and magnets. Magnets are available in craft stores or at hobby shops (including Radio Shack). A five-minute epoxy may be the best type of glue for this project, as it will adhere well to both the magnet and the dough. Press the magnet into the dough while it is still wet, but remove it before painting. You can glue it into the cavity after painting. It may help to add a coat of clear gloss finish after attaching the magnet, as this will help hold the magnet in place.
b. Pin
You can use regular safety pins or buy blank pins at a craft store. The blanks sold at craft stores resemble the pins Pathfinders receive when they are invested in their AY classes, or the pins that are traded at camporees, except the display side is totally blank and smooth.
Safety pins can be embedded within the dough while it is still wet - just make sure that it will be able to open once the dough sets. Store-bought blank pins have a smooth finish and should be attached in the same way as described for magnets above.
c. Choice of something you would like to make
This is your opportunity to show your creativity. Let your imagination run free.
