Paper Tube Koi Fish
Life is an echo,
what you send out
comes back.
- Chinese Proverb
✨stream the tutorial:
Lucky koi fish + monet waterlily pond!
in this video class we walk you through how to make your very own lucky koi fish + Monet waterlily pond
Looking for the Project plan + template? Find the complete PDF here:
This little up-cycled koi fish project was inspired by Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year falls typically falls on the second new moon after winter solstice. It is a holiday that is really fun to celebrate in the art room. Some projects we have done in the past are: mandarin orange muffin tin prints and Paper Scrap Roosters. Chinese drums, dragons, lanterns, ornate scrolls, and fans... but this year, my heart was set on 3-D Koi Fish that could be stuffed with treasure or played with!
Like most Chinese symbols, the koi (also sometimes called a carp) is associated with a beautiful legend... the legend of a mighty koi who sets out on a courageous journey, swimming upstream on the Yellow River... against all odds, facing rapids and waterfalls head on. Until she comes face to face with the final test of endurance: scaling the Dragon's Gate. She digs deep and musters all the strength she has left before taking the biggest leap of her life, a leap that takes her soaring over the Dragon's Gate. With a burst of flame, she is transformed into a dragon.
I don't know about you, but I am a big fan of tales of intense struggle that end in victory!
These brave little fish are beautiful as is, but you can also turn them into a little 'Toss the Pom-Pom Into the Carp's Mouth' game. Or you can hang them from a wooden dowel (fishing pole), or even fill them with treats! Gold chocolate coins would be pretty special, or maybe gummy worms... is that gross or cool? I will let you decide.
Materials:
paper tubes
koi fish fin and tail templates (see form below)
cork
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Make a tint and shade for your carp. To make a tint, you will add your original color to white (shown below). We decided to then turn our tints into shades by adding a little charcoal grey (you can see our shades on our fins and tails).
TINTS
Painted tubes, also known as fish bodies.
SHADES
Paint your fin and tail template
Cut out your tail shape and then cut some details on the tips of your tails.
Insert your finished tails inside your paper tube. You can glue or staple your paper tube to your tail like this:
Trim the outer edge of your tube to create more of an angled body shape.
Cut out your painted fin shapes
You can make your eyes with whatever you have on hand, but we decided to make ours out of cork! A little black marker and a touch of paint does the trick.
We decided to enhance our fish lips with a strip of coral paper.
Ta-Da!
