I came across a pack of interesting papers for a mere dollar a few days ago, and thought it would be fun to try making small cards of some sort. I thought maybe place cards, given the relatively small size of the paper.
This is the pack of "leather-look" papers I bought. There were other colourways—browns, greys, and autumn colours, for example—but I liked this selection best.
I've never actually made place cards before, so I didn't even know what size they should be. Luckily, there are many, many online sites offering designs, templates and sizes. To make the most of the paper I had, I decided to produce a set of eight cards, each measuring about 7.5 by 5.7 cm (3 by 2.25 inches) when finished.
I started by cutting eight flat pieces—each 7.5 x 11.4 cm (3 x 4.5 inches)—which would give me my desired size when folded. I cut two from each of the four colours of paper, then folded them in half, creasing them with a bone folder. You could also use the side of a spoon or even your fingernail.
This was obviously a bit plain, so I cut random oblong shapes from contrasting colours and glued them onto one of the folded sides. I cut two oblongs of each colour as well.
Next, I made two small elephant templates. I figured out the size by tracing first around one of the folded cards, then drawing inside the shape. I didn't care if they fit perfectly on the oblongs—in the back of my mind, I was thinking the cards should be slightly off-kilter.
I traced each elephant shape onto the back of each of the four colours of paper, giving me one elephant shape in each colour. I then glued them somewhat randomly to the fronts of the cards.
This left me with a bit of a problem: where should I write the names of my guests? I didn't really want to scrawl across the elephant or the background, so I decided to cut random strips from scraps of each colour—except the navy blue—and glued them along the sides. I put four strips on the left side of the cards, and four on the right.
Although it took me about two hours to cut and assemble everything, it was certainly not at all difficult. And at only fifty cents for paper—since I only used half the package—it cost next to nothing.
Although I rarely use place cards, I have to say that I'm very happy with the way these turned out, and wouldn't be ashamed to see them on my dining table.
Elephant Lore of the Day
Although it's a bit too easy to anthropomorphize intelligent creatures such as elephants, sometimes they really don't seem to behave much differently than humans.
In the early part of the twentieth century, elephant keeper Henry Sheak reported watching circus elephants going through their routines on their own, without any prompting from human trainers. Starting at the beginning, they would perform the entire routine.
If one of them faltered, that elephant would either take itself off to the side and practice the problematic section, or the whole group would start the routine from the beginning and run through it again. Sheak thought it might be boredom that made the elephants run through their routines, but the fact that they were so orderly about it perhaps argues some higher level of thought.
In the late first century A.D., Roman historian Plutarch reported on something similar. Although most of the emperor's performing elephants managed to learn their routines relatively easily, there was one elephant among them who was a bit slow to catch on. One night, this particular elephant was spied in its enclosure, running through the entire routine on its own by moonlight, without a human in sight.
Elephants practising at the Canadian National Exhibition, 1913. Photo: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244 Source: http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/08/5_long-gone_acts_from_the_cne_of_old/
My mother sent me a link to this activity a few months ago. At the time, however, I was still suffering the trauma of trying origami, so I tucked it away for a future time. I think I've recovered enough to try it today.
Early paper money took two forms: drafts representing a
value held on account, and bills which were issued with an implied
promise to convert them to the equivalent in precious metals such as
gold or silver. As time passed, and precious metals were used less and
less as a form of exchange, paper currency evolved to represent an
abstract amount, the de facto value of which could fluctuate in relation
to other currencies.
The first primitive banknotes—albeit made of leather rather than paper—were circulated in China in 118 B.C., during the Han Dynasty. The first actual paper currency also originated in China, sometime during the seventh century A.D. Because merchants wanted to avoid carrying large quantities of copper coinage, paper notes were used instead. The idea was that a string of coins would be left with a trustworthy person, who provided a note indicating the amount of coinage received. When the merchant returned with the note, the coins would be returned to him.
Jiao zi, the world's first currency, ca. A.D. 960.
Northern Song Dynasty.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Jiao_zi.jpg
In A.D. 960, China's central government, lacking the copper to mint sufficient numbers of coins, turned to the production of government-issued paper notes. The notes were produced using a woodblock printing technique, and were used in tandem with coins. By 1120, the government had established a monopoly on printing promissory notes in lieu of coinage, and had also restricted the number of places such notes could be deposited or redeemed.
For over 150 years, banknotes were restricted to regional use, and expired after a three-year period. It wasn't until 1274 that the late Southern Song Dynasty instituted a national currency, backed by gold and silver. Interestingly, even as early as 1107, Chinese currency was produced using at least six colours, and with specific fibres to prevent counterfeiting.
Venetian merchants, trading with China in the wake of Marco Polo, were impressed that Chinese currency was backed by the government, rather than by private banking houses. They brought the idea back to Europe, although it wasn't immediately adopted.
As trade networks expanded, it became not only impractical but unsafe to transport large quantities of coinage. As a result, money traders in particular began using promissory notes. In the beginning, these were like receipts, issued to specific individuals, and redeemable only by those same people. In time, however, they evolved into written orders to pay whomever was carrying the note.
The first official European banknotes were issued in 1661 by Stockholms Banco. In France, banknotes were issued by small creditors until the reign of Louis XIV, and were neither backed by the government nor of widespread circulation. It wasn't until Scottish economist John Law—then France's Comptroller General of Finances—established the Banque Générale in 1716 that a bank would hold more paper bills and notes than assets such as gold and silver. Ironically, Law was also responsible for the Mississippi Bubble and one of France's most chaotic economic crises.
In the United States, the first permanently circulating banknotes were issued in Massachusetts in the early 1690s. By the eighteenth century, printed banknotes with fixed denominations were in use across the Thirteen Colonies, although each colony issued its own currency.
In the country's early years, there was often an insufficient supply of coins, and banknotes represented most of the money in circulation. As a result, banks often failed during economic crises, and their notes were often paid out of reserves, below their actual value. Sometimes the notes were completely worthless. It wasn't until 1862 that the federal government printed its own
banknotes, although as early as 1789 private banks were given federal
charters to operate as pseudo-national banks.
Of all the banks in the early United States, those in Louisiana were the strongest. Beginning in 1842, Louisiana required banks to keep one-third of the value of notes and deposits in coins and short-term paper. The term "Dixie" as a shorthand term for the American South actually derives from notes issued by the Citizens' Bank of Louisiana. Because the banknotes were in both English and French, the term "dix" (French for "ten") was turned into the slang "dixie".
Ten/Dix Dollars, issued by the Citizens' Bank of Louisiana.
Photo: Reggie Dawes
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11028408@N06/1071972675/
Today, most banknotes are issued by a national treasury, a federal reserve, or a central bank. Historically, however, private banks were responsible for issuing banknotes. In some countries, this is still the practice. In the United Kingdom, for example, commercial banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to print their own banknotes for use within their countries, although these are not legal tender elsewhere. In Hong Kong, three commercial banks are permitted to issue Hong Kong dollar notes, and in Singapore until 2002, a non-banking organization called the Board of Commissioners of Currency Singapore was responsible for issuing Singapore dollars.
For centuries, most banknotes have been made with rag paper made containing cotton that is sometimes blended with linen or other fibres. This makes it resilient, and the modern addition of a gelatin or vinyl infusion gives it added strength. Interestingly, most regular paper glows slightly under ultraviolet light; paper used in currency lacks the substances that cause this glow.
Most banknotes today are imprinted on engraved plates that essentially mould the wet paper, along with fine threads of metal or fibre. This allows for highly unique paper that is also able bear multiple watermarks, swirls and other anti-counterfeiting features. Some banknotes also feature holographic foil images, such as those of Canada; and even plastic windows with embedded images, as seen in certain denominations in Australia and Canada.
Canada's new hundred-dollar bill, with security features.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15782723
Many countries, particularly in the developing world, issue banknotes made entirely of substances such as Tyvek and polymers. Although hailed as a means of preventing counterfeiting, polymers sometimes cause problems. In Canada, for example, the plastic windows in large-denomination bills have been shown to tear or even fuse to other notes.
Nor are banknotes always limited to thin, paper-like substances. During a period of hyperinflation in Germany in 1923, for example, banknotes were printed on pure silk. The German city of Bielefield even produced currency in leather, velvet, linen and wood, in addition to silk, although these notes were issued primarily for collectors. Other banknotes printed on cloth include Communist Revolutionary currency printed in 1933, and emergency money printed on khaki shirting in 1902, during the Boer War.
Money printed on sealskin, issued by the Russian-American Company
in Alaska, 1816–1832.
Source: http://www.pennylicious.com/2006/08/04/seal-skin-money/
Leather banknotes—and coins—have been issued during times of siege or other emergency, and during its administration of Alaska, Russian banknotes were issued on sealskin. In Canada during Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763–1764, currency was printed on wood, as it was by the Hudson's Bay Company.
Even more unusual items have been used in place of promissory notes over the centuries. These include chess pieces used in Bohemia during 1848, and playing cards used in France during the nineteenth century, French Canada from 1685 to 1757, the Isle of Man in the early nineteenth century, and in Germany after the First World War.
Because of the perceived value of paper money, it is often produced in novelty forms. In my own very small collection, I have "money" issued by casinos, roadside attractions and shops. I even have something called "Hell Money" which figures prominently in Chinese ceremonies held a year after a loved one's death. The idea is to burn the money, which then ends up in the hands of the deceased person for his or her use in the afterlife.
Modern hell money, which is burned on the anniversary of a loved one's death.
Source: http://www.pennylicious.com/2006/07/18/hell-money/
And then there's my Zimbabwe money which, while not technically a
novelty item, comes in such ridiculous denominations—One Hundred Trillion Dollars is just one of the three bills I own—that it's certainly a novelty to me.
Because of hyperinflation, Zimbabwe dollars have no real value—but it's fun
to own an actual one-hundred-trillion-dollar bill.
Source: http://zimbabwedollars.net/p/zimbabwe-100-trillion-dollar-banknote
Many people also collect paper money as a hobby. Known as "notaphily" it is a slowly growing field, although some rare banknotes have sold for well over a million dollars—far beyond their face value.
An online search for origami elephants made with U.S. dollar bills turns up many videos and sets of written instructions. For printed instructions, this set looked good, as it included a still photograph for each step. I feared that this level of detail would likely not help someone like me, since I am generally flummoxed by anything involving paper engineering. Or any kind of engineering.
For those who prefer to follow along with a video, I found this one helpful:
I didn't have a one-dollar bill, but in the U.S., all paper money is the same size, so my five-dollar bill should work. If you don't live in the United States and want to try this, you could use a piece of paper with the following dimensions: 66 mm (2.6 inches) x 156 mm (6.1 inches).
I honestly started this activity with trepidation. If you're familiar with my previous adventure with origami for this blog, you'll understand why.
Since the bill I had was kind of ratty and crumpled, I actually ironed it. I think this is the first time in my life that I've ever ironed money.
I won't show you every fold I made, because I suspect I didn't exactly follow all the instructions properly. But here are a few, er, highlights.
This was shockingly simple for me. I think it took me about twenty minutes, and that included taking photographs. It was so simple that I was tempted to try again with a different elephant design. But I feared that might be tempting fate.
I really like this little guy, and it was so simple, that I think it would be a fun way to hand people money. Well, not at the supermarket checkout, because they'd hate me—and elephants. But if you're tucking money inside a child's card or something, it's rather cute.
My only regret is that I didn't have a one-dollar bill. If I had, I would actually have ended up with the pyramid eye in the approximate location of an elephant's real eye. That would have been even more fun.
Elephant Lore of the Day
In many parts of India, domesticated elephants are a common sight. Used in weddings, at temples, for heavy labour—and, sadly, for street begging—elephants are frequently seen on the roadways of major cities and along local highways.
In September 2010, a 35-year-old Asian bull elephant named Bhola was hit by a large truck near Delhi and injured. Blinded in one eye and suffering a large gash in his back, Bhola was taken away by his owners to recuperate. Volunteers from the non-profit organization Wildlife SOS quickly stepped in to offer medical care, which was gratefully accepted by Bhola's owners—at first.
Apparently feeling that Bhola should go back to work as soon as possible, his owners began denying veterinarians access. Hearing that Bhola was about to be smuggled across the border into a neighbouring province, police moved in.
When Bhola's mahout could not provide a legal transit pass and ownership papers for Bhola, both Bhola and his mahout were arrested and detained at the Loni police station. Although the mahout was released, Bhola remained chained up outside, while police waited for Bhola's owner to show up with the proper papers.
Bhola's owner never appeared, and Bhola became something of a local tourist attraction. Since Bhola was now essentially homeless, Wildlife SOS swung into action and petitioned the court for custody of Bhola.
Custody was quickly granted, but the challenges didn't end there. Bhola had been a well-known fixture within the region, as he was often used in weddings and in heavy labour. His profile had also risen while chained up outside the police station. To complicate matters, the region which he was being kept was also considered somewhat lawless, and officials feared a riot if Bhola was removed in broad daylight.
Bhola was accordingly loaded up in the evening, and transferred to a rescue centre near Agra, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) away. The rescue centre was seen as the best option for Bhola, not only because he required medical care, but because he had never been anything but a domesticated elephant, and would have a hard time adjusting to life in the wild.
Once he arrived at the rescue centre, Bhola was quickly befriended by the 58-year-old elephant Chumpa. Bhola finally received the care he needed, and will hopefully never be arrested again.
This is actually my variation on a woodpecker that I found on a science toy website. I didn't have a lot of time today, so I thought I'd try something that involved minimal construction and a bit of drawing and painting.
The original toy and its instructions can be seen here, for those who want to try the classic version.
The technique for this toy is quite simple—so simple, in fact, that a small child can make it. This probably means I will have trouble, if past activities of this sort are anything to go by. The supplies are also simple, and quite inexpensive:
• Drinking straw
• White bristol board or shirt cardboard
• Paints or markers to colour the design
• A long rubber band
I started by figuring out how my circus elephant might look climbing.
I decided that it could hop down a vertical hill on three legs. The design obviously needed to be repeated on either side, to allow the final figure to be wrapped around itself.
I painted the elephants using gouache.
Next, I cut a piece of drinking straw slightly longer than the tab joining the two elephants, then taped the straw to the inside. According to the instructions, a thinner straw works best. I think mine was of medium diameter.
I wrapped the double elephant around the drinking straw, then glued the two sides together with white glue, and weighted down everything but the straw while it dried.
To finish up, I found a long rubber band with a diameter of about 1.5 mm (1/16 inch). I cut the rubber band at one end and ran it through the straw. Although the instructions say to use a thin rubber band, I found that it worked better with a rubber band that was about one-quarter the inside diameter of the straw. I also discovered that it's a good idea not to stretch the rubber band too much while operating the toy, or the elephant will plummet.
This is what it looked like when I finished.
And this is what the toy looks like in action.
Elephants don't like to climb, so I'm sure they would hustle down in a
hurry, just like this little guy. The video quality isn't great, but it will give you the general idea.
This was very easy, and would be a fun activity to try with kids. In
total, it took me about an hour, not including the time I left it
weighted for the glue to dry.
It was quick to make, and is silly fun to watch in action, so I might be convinced to try this again sometime.
Elephant Lore of the Day
In war-torn areas, as well as areas frequented by poachers, it behooves elephants to find places to hide. This usually means penetrating deep into the jungle or far across the desert, well out of the way of human settlement.
In 2007, however, a team of American environmentalists discovered hundreds of elephants hiding out on an island in the swamps of southern Sudan. The size of the population suggested that the elephants may have congregated there to avoid detection during two decades of civil war.
According to one of the environmentalists, "It was like something out of Jurassic Park. We flew out of a cloud, and there they were." The island's location is being kept a secret to prevent poachers from moving in. Although there has been a ban on hunting in the region for the past five years, in order to allow wildlife to replenish itself, game hunting is still largely unchecked in the Sudan.
It is believed that there may be other groups of elephants in the region that have escaped as well. The vast area changes each year as the Nile divides and shifts, creating new channels, lakes and islands. This makes it hard for humans to map and negotiate the area—and easier for wildlife to hide.
Elephant in swamp, Liyanti, Caprivi, Namibia, 2009.
Photo: Thomas Retterath
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsfries/4414464830/
While folding a pile of clothes yesterday, the thought occurred to me that it might be interesting to try making a paper doll. It wasn't something I'd ever done before, but it seemed like it might be relatively simple, and would involve drawing, which is more or less what I felt like doing today.
Paper dolls have actually been around for centuries. The earliest paper dolls were folded origami figures, puppets, and jointed toys like jumping jacks, and it wasn't until the late 1780s that paper dolls with changeable clothes made their debut. These were generally produced in hand-painted sets, and are occasionally seen in museum collections.
Set of hand-painted early Victorian paper dolls. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paper-doll-3.jpg
The first major American producer of paper dolls was the McLoughlin Brothers company. Founded in the early nineteenth century, McLoughlin Brothers was the largest American game manufacturer for over a century. The company produced sets of paper dolls for many years, until it was absorbed into the Milton Bradley company in 1920. Milton Bradley produced a new range of paper dolls, and over the ensuing decades paper dolls would become highly popular among little girls.
Sheet of paper dolls featuring silent-screen star Norma Talmadge, from Photoplay magazine, 1919. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Norma-DOLLS.jpg
Commercially produced paper dolls can feature celebrities, children, animals and even inanimate objects. They have been produced in books, boxed sets, newspapers and magazines, and have even been given away as advertising premiums. Although most paper dolls are printed on thin cardstock with clothes made of paper with folding tabs, there are also newer versions made of plastic or even magnetic sheets.
Today, paper dolls are still being produced by companies such as Golden Co. and Whitman, and some artists are creating art versions. There is also a sizeable market for vintage paper dolls. Hand-painted paper dolls are particularly collectible, with mint uncut sets selling for anywhere from 100 to 500 dollars. There is even an international paper doll convention held each year in the United States, attended by hundreds of people.
Frida Kahlo paper doll by Lisa Perrin, 2010. Source: http://lisaperrin.blogspot.ca/2010/11/frida-kahlo- paper-doll.html
For today's elephant, I started by sketching out a girl elephant on artist-quality bristol board. It took me a few sketches to get it right, because I needed her legs and arms slightly away from her body to give me room to manoeuvre clothes onto her body. I also added a half-moon shape at the bottom for the base.
When I was reasonably happy with the sketch, I went over it with a pigment liner, then heat-set it with a hairdryer.
I painted her next, using cake watercolours, then cut her out. Because I gave her a trunk that's hanging down, I took a craft knife and cut around the trunk. This would allow it to lie outside any clothes I made.
I also cut out a separate half-moon, and sliced it halfway down from the top. I then sliced the base on the main elephant halfway up from the bottom. The idea is to cut each shape only halfway, from opposite sides, allowing them to interlock and make the elephant stand up.
To make her clothes, I placed the finished elephant on top of plain white bond paper, and traced around it. This would give me the basic shape to use in sketching clothes. I drew the clothes over these outlines using a pigment liner, then set the lines with a hairdryer. You can still see my underlying body outlines and clothing sketches underneath.
I painted all the clothes next, using the same cake watercolours. When I was finished painting and they'd had a chance to dry, I made a little template for the tabs, and added tabs wherever I could.
The most important tabs are the ones at the shoulders, but I also added tabs on either side. All of the outfits were made in single pieces, except for the striped shorts and yellow shirt. When I was done, I cut out all the clothes.
Next came the moment of truth. I tried on the overalls with t-shirt first, and actually laughed when it fit perfectly. It struck me as rather silly-looking, but I was quite pleased.
I tried all the other outfits on, one by one.
Two unplanned things I particularly liked were the way the elephant showed through the puffed sleeves on the party dress, and the way a touch of red bathing suit showed when she was wearing the sailor dress.
I took a couple of hours with this whole activity, primarily because I wanted to paint everything nicely. It was very easy, however, and actually kind of fun.
A few tips if you decide to try this:
1. Make sure there is a bit of room between the arms and the body, and between the legs. This will give you room to add tabs to the clothes if needed. Also make sure the shoulders are clear to accommodate tabs. For instance, I I had to adjust my elephant design to keep the ears from touching the shoulders.
2. If you make an elephant, and have the trunk hanging down, you'll need to slice around it to allow the clothes to slip underneath. Don't slice all the way up, however, or you'll cut off the elephant's head.
3. When drawing your clothes, keep the tabs in mind. For example, the shoulders of your clothes should be flat to allow the tabs to fold securely. All of your tabs should also fold relatively tightly to the body, so you may need to adjust things like the widths of sleeves, or width of a dress, and so forth.
I'd never made paper dolls before, so I was very pleased at how well this worked out. I don't think this set would necessarily appeal to a little girl used to commercially printed paper dolls, but it might be a fun thing to create for an adult. There are no limits, after all, on the figure you create—it could be an alien sea monster if you wanted. The only thing you really need to worry about is how you're going to attach the clothes. With a pair of flat shoulders, reasonably flat sides and an interlocking base, however, you can pretty much do as you please.
Elephant Lore of the Day
Much is made of attacks by elephants; most of the time, however, elephants would rather flee than fight.
Solitary rogue elephants—and females with calves—are the exceptions to this rule. Male rogue elephants will often make unprovoked attacks on passersby, and will even take up a position next to a road, making it impassable to vehicles.
When an elephant charges, it will curl its trunk tightly and run at its victims. It will then trample its victims either with feet or knees, or pin the victim to the ground with its tusks. During musth, male elephants are particularly dangerous to human beings as well as to other animals, and trained elephants who go rogue are usually chained almost immediately to keep them from harming anyone.
Interestingly, elephants charge without uttering a sound, primarily because their trunks are curled. Apart from an initial shriek and the thundering of their feet, elephants charge in silence—a pretty unnerving experience, I'm thinking.
A grander animated object than a wild
elephant in full charge can hardly be imagined. The cocked ears and
broad forehead present an immense frontage; the head is held high, with
the trunk curled between the tusks, to be uncoiled in the moment of
attack; the massive fore-legs come down with the force and regularity of
ponderous machinery; and the whole figure is rapidly foreshortened, and
appears to double in size with each advancing stride. The trunk being
curled and unable to emit any sound, the attack is made in silence,
after the usual premonitory shriek, which adds to its impressiveness.
The usual pictorial representations of the Indian elephant charging with
upraised trunk are accordingly quite incorrect.
African elephant about to charge. Photo: Elephant Country Source: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/shah_rach/
