Introduction: Chinese Dragon Poster

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Hello,

This is my hand made Chinese New Year dragon. I made this piece to hang in the hallway of my school because we were celebrating Chinese New Year 2020. Every Chinese New Year teachers teach the students a dance/song to perform to everyone. When I made this, I wanted to honor the teachers at my school for all of their hard work, this is why I painted the words "thank you to our teachers" on the poster. I was inspired to make this 5 foot tall, 14 foot wide dragon poster because the Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength, power, and good luck. The Chinese dragon is a special animal during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Supplies

  • Red, yellow, orange, white, and black paper
  • Black permanent pen
  • White paint
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Creativity

Step 1: Design

First, I designed the body of my dragon on a piece of paper. I prepared the proportions and measurements before cutting the dragon's head and body out of paper. These were just sketches and not the exact model.

Step 2: Body and Head

Next, I made the body, head, and scroll for the dragon. I made sure that the body and head had accurate proportions then cut them out of the paper. I added a scroll coming out of the mouth of the dragon that said "happy new year" in Chinese. I used zig-zag type craft scissors to cut out the red paper "flames" that come out of the dragon's head. These scissors gave the paper some extra texture and interesting edges.

Step 3: Scales and Feet

After, I cut out scales and legs for my dragon. On the scales I wrote the names of all teachers that participated in the celebration. As a little accent piece I used a sponge brush to blot white paint around the thighs of my dragon to give it detail.

Step 4: Place and Tape

Then, I placed the pieces where I wanted and made sure that everything looked nice. I taped the items into place and made sure they were secure.

Step 5: Tail and Word Banner

Later, I added the tail and the word banner in the middle. The tail was made by taking a yellow piece of paper and cutting the edges into strips then rounding the edges. For some detail I put streaks of white paint in the strips of the tail. I placed the red piece of the tail in front and taped in place. To make the dragon stand out I taped it onto a black sheet of paper to make the colors more vibrant.

Step 6: Details

Finally, add your own details to the poster that make it unique. For instance, I added a little rat (cut out of black paper) sitting at the tail of the dragon because it is the Chinese year of the rat. The rat is the Chinese zodiac symbol for the year 2020. These fun details make the poster unique, different, and fun!

Step 7: Finished!

Now I have finished my poster! It is hanging in the hallway of my school. Be sure to let me know if you use this project, it is super fun to make!