Introduction:
People have been collecting coins as long as they have been minted.
The earliest known coin collector was Augustus, the first roman Emperor. Colorado
Springs is the home of the American Numismatic Association and Museum. This year
is an important year for American money. Starting with the 100$ bill, the government
is redesigning all paper money for the turn of the century. There also will be
a new 1$ coin honoring Sakajawea, the Indian girl who accompanied Lewis and Clark
on their famous expedition. In honor of Presidents day and the printing of new
American money, we will create our own coins out of metallic paper.
Materials:
Hunt metallic
foil in gold, silver, and copper in 2" squares
Scissors
Ball point
pens
Pencils
and erasers
White glue
Newsprint
pads (or something soft to work on top of)
Directions:
1. Take 2 squares of the same color for one coin. Cut the corners off of one of
the squares to form a rough circle. On the back (on the white side), draw lightly
in pencil the design you want for the front of your coin. Portraits of famous
people are the most popular designs for coins. However, you are the artist and
you can decide on any symbol you want to adorn your coins. Try to design your
coins with no or little wording as you will have to draw letters backwards for
the relief effect to work.
2. Once you have the exact design, put your coin on the soft newsprint pad and
retrace your design in ball point pen. Drawing on top of something soft, like
newsprint, will help your design pop out easier. Keep flipping to the metallic
side to make sure the relief is the way you want it.
3. On the white side of the second 2" square, trace around the circular coin you
already finished. Cut this side out. Then decide what numerical value you want
this coin to be. Following the examples provided, draw your number backwards on
the white side in pencil. When the number is the way you want it, color it in
with the ball point pen.
4. When both sides of your coin are finished, glue the white sides together so
that the finished coin is metallic on both sides. Do a final trim to make the
coin look like a solid piece.
Art Terms:
Symbol – a drawing or object that stands for a more complex idea.
Relief – in sculpture, any work in which the figures project from a background.
Resources:
Museum of the American Numismatic Association 818 N. Cascade Ave. Colo. Springs,
Co. 80903-3279 (719) 632-2646
Mayer, Ralph. The Harper Collins Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques. Harper
Collins Publishers, New York. 1991.
