Sunday Afternoon Art – Create a Flower Wheel

Join us for this extra Sunday Afternoon Art walk through, created in conjunction with the mindful activities coming up this weekend.

Sunday Afternoon Art is our monthly art drop-in session which is usually held at the Gallery for families to take part in on the first Sunday of every month. Whilst the Gallery is closed, we are hosting a new Sunday Afternoon Art activity online every week so you can continue to get creative with us whilst at home.

Learn how to make a flower wheel.

You can either print and follow the instructions on this walk through, or you can follow the instructions here on this page if you don’t have a printer.

You will need:

• A ruler
• A4 paper or thin card (we used card)
• A pencil
• A split pin or a drawing pin
• A compass or drawing pin (or something sharp) and an adult to help
• A rubber.
• Scissors
• Pens or pencils for colouring in your design
• A paper straw (or a strip of thick card from a cereal box or a kitchen roll tube)

Measure a 14.5 x 14.5 cm square on a piece of paper or card.

Draw a faint line between the four corners to create a cross. Measure 7 cm in from each corner and draw across the line with a thicker line. Draw a dot in the middle at the intersection.

Cut out your design. Make sure you only cut around the edge and along the first 7 cm of each of the corner slits.

Draw small dots in every other corner piece. The dot should not be on the line and should be in the small triangle space.

If you are using a drawing pin to connect your flower wheel, please ignore this part. If using a split pin, gently fold the paper in half along a line and cut out the small circle in the middle. It should be no more than 3 mm in diameter. Snip off the small dots.

Decorate both sides of your design. Our design was inspired by the Octagon Room at Orleans House Gallery and flowers.

Glue to middle of the design.

You now glue in the corners.

If using a split pin: take the snipped edges into the centre of the flower wheel being careful not to obscure the central circle.

If using a drawing pin: take the dotted edges and glue over the central circle.

The images show a split pin design.

Wait for the glue to dry. You may have to hold in place.

If using a drawing pin, you will now need to make a hole through the design.  Ask an adult to use the pin or a compass over a rubber to do this.

Find something to stick the wheel too. I recommend a paper straw as it moves far better in the wind, but you can use a kitchen roll tube or a strip of cardboard from an old cereal box too.  If you aren’t using a paper straw, you may find that the flower wheel only moves with being blown by you, rather than in the wind.

If using a paper straw, make sure you flatten one end.

Use a compass or drawing pin to make a hole through the straw, tube or cardboard.  Make sure you put a rubber under the sharp object.

Put a split pin or drawing pin through the middle of your flower wheel. Make sure that you put a stopper on the end of the drawing pin if you are using one. You can use the back of an earring or a small Styrofoam ball.

Well done! Your flower wheel is finished. Take it outside in the breeze or blow on it. You can use it with our Sunday Afternoon Art Mindful Play activity too.

Don’t forget to share your flower wheels at #OrleansHouseGallery