Bamboo is a common motif used in Chinese art, including on paper fans.
The Chinese are not responsible for the creation of the folded paper fan. The folded paper fan came from Japan and Korea, according to the website LesTout. "Once the folded fan became popular in China it was adorned with embroidery and painted symbols and scenery," the website says. You can easily make you own paper fan and decorate it so that it resembles a Chinese fan.
Instructions
1. Go to websites that feature Chinese characters and motifs. Two such websites are chinese-symbols.com and artlex.com. Allow these characters and motifs to inspire you.
2. Paint or draw images and characters on your paper. While your drawings don't have to be mirror images of any painting, picture or paper fan that you see, they should be evocative of certain themes in Chinese culture. For example, lotus flowers, plum blossoms, pine trees and bamboo are all popular motifs.
3. Allow your artwork to dry. Glue Popsicle sticks to both ends of the paper, on the back side. Make sure the Popsicle sticks protrude a half inch or so from the bottom of the paper. This means that the top half inch of the paper will not have the Popsicle stick attached to it.
4. Pleat the paper into folds that are as wide as the Popsicle sticks.
5. Grab the top half inch of the paper that does not touch the Popsicle stick and wrap a piece of tape around it.
6. Open your fan by drawing the Popsicle sticks apart and flipping the fan upside down.
Related posts
Create your own Chinese fans from paper and popsicle sticks.Chinese fans were invented thousands of years ago. Originally invented to keep flies away and produce a cool breeze, fans picked up popu...
Folding paper to create pleats is the first step in creating a Chinese fan.Chinese fans have been a symbol of culture and prosperity since the ancient times, according to the Hand Fan website. Ori...
Chinese FanChinese paper fans date back more than 2300 years. They were used to cover part of the face, to keep cool, to ward off evil spirits and to bring good fortune. The color red was used to...
Chinese fan crafts include painted fans.The Chinese have been using fans for more than 3,000 years. Originally made from feathers or silk, paper is now quite common for fans. Many simple and fun c...
On a hot summer day, even a bit of a breeze to make the difference between sweltering, uncomfortable heat and relaxing warmth. What better way to take the edge off than with your own homemade craf...
