Creative Skills: Prop Making

In November 2006, with the help of Polyp, People & Planet created a mobile political art installation, the Carnival of Climate Chaos, in the centre of London as part of a massive day of action to Stop Climate Chaos.

People & Planet groups from around the country created loads of weather symbols, some mounted on cloth and netting and others from A2 card. The practical instuctions and helpful hints that were given out are below, they should help you create similar exciting props.

If you have created some interesting props for a campaign then let us know how you did it and we’ll add it to these pages.

You’ll find it useful to take a look at the weather symbols print out and the photos from the Carnival of Climate Chaos before you read on.

Big cloth symbols

(Approx 2ft to 6 ft)

Enlarging the image

There are a few ways to enlarge symbols:

1. The easiest is to project them onto cloth or paper/card using an OHP or other projector, then trace round them in pencil etc

2. A more time consuming but equipment free method is to draw a grid onto the printed artwork and then draw a faint, matching, but much larger grid onto the cloth. This’ll make sketching them up to scale a lot easier.

3. If you’ve got some money, you can have them professionally printed onto cloth. Most of the larger photocopy shops can do this. Ask for the thinnest cloth going… It’s not a cheap option but it’s quick…

4. If you reckon you can draw the enlarged versions freehand… good luck, but be warned- it’s a LOT harder than you might think… honest.

Building the prop

1. Paint in your image, making sure the paint is waterproof!

2. Cut out the image. For the carnival, we wanted each symbol to ‘float’ against the blue cloth backdrop, and not to be mounted on a rectangular panel.

3. Attach the image to your backing material.

   • Sew the icons to the mesh banners - if you’ve got the patience and the icon is made of cloth.
   • Use a Hot Melt Glue Gun. Run a bead of the hot glue around the entire edge of the image - lay the symbol face down with the mesh on top of it, and glue THROUGH the mesh onto the back of the cloth. It’s best to do this with the mesh stretched onto it’s frame so the whole thing won’t sag or wrinkle when you assemble it. You can always add a few key bits of stitching for extra strength.

4. Attach poles, guy ropes and a method of carrying the banner to the big cloth symbol.

If your prop or banner is particularly heavy, the base of the poles can be supported by flagpole mounts. After a while of holding up your banner you’ll be glad you used them! They’re worn around the neck, so need some good padding - pipe insulating foam works well. The tube can be close fitting metal or plastic, sealed at the bottom end. A plug or a bolt will do the trick.

Small symbols

(Approx A2 paper sized)

1. Enlarge the symbol onto A2 (or A1) paper,

2. Mount it onto some form of backing board. White PVA glue, aka wood glue is a LOT better than wallpaper paste (symbols with ‘floating’ pieces, e.g. the sun symbol, needed to be mounted on netting)

3. Cut away the excess paper so just the outline of the icon is left.

4. Mount your symbol on sticks.

Sounds & Noise

If you’re doing or taking part in an action which needs lot’s of noise, then you could use any drums or percussion instruments you can lay your hands on. Alternatively, it’s easy to make shakers by filling metal or plastic containers with small stones and gravel.

Two pieces of scrap hardwood dowel can make astonishingly good sounds, as can metal trays, plastic bowls… Start thumping the contents of your home to find out what resonates!

People & Planet banners

Every People & Planet group needs a People & Planet banner! It can be used on stalls and at events to let everyone know that you’re a part of the People & Planet network!

To make your banner, you could use the method for making symbols given above. Alternatively you can make a really simple one by following these 4 easy steps:

1. Download the 6 page pdf from peopleandplanet.org/banner.
2. Print it out. Preferably onto some colourful card.
3. Stick the 6 sheets together. You might want to cut the card to size first so that there is an even border around each edge.
4. Make sure it lasts! Cover it with sticky back plastic.