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In this multidisciplinary art and technology lesson, students began by listening to a short fairy tale, “The Foolish Man” by the famous Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. Afterward, they illustrated scenes from the story using drawing, painting, and mixed media techniques.
Next, we introduced the concept of shadow theatre. Students selected characters from their illustrations, redrew them on white paper, and carefully cut them out with scissors. Using a phone flashlight and our Manipulative1XYZ tool, we explored how light and shadow affect the visibility and expressiveness of their puppets. This sparked thoughtful discussions about how to improve their designs specifically for shadow play.
We then photographed the character sketches, imported them into Inkscape, and used the Pen Tool to digitally trace each element. I demonstrated how to save the files in SVG format, which were later laser-cut at FAB Lab Dilijan—merging traditional art-making with digital fabrication.
Finally, students attached wooden sticks to their laser-cut puppets and brought their characters to life through small group performances, combining creativity, storytelling, and technical skills in one playful and collaborative experience.
Flashlights or desk lamps
Cardstock or sturdy paper for puppets
Scissors, craft knives, and hole punches
Wooden sticks, straws, or skewers (for puppet handles)
Transparent, opaque, and translucent materials (e.g., tissue paper, plastic sheets)
A large white screen or sheet (for the theatre backdrop)
Tape, glue, and markers
Computers
Laser cutter
The students will
1. Express Creativity:Create illustration according to the story, design shadow puppets, and craft backdrops.
.2.Illustrate and then test and redesign their pictures according to shadow theatre tecnical chalanges.
3. Explore Light and Shadow: Experiment with light, shadow manipulation, and material properties.
4. Collaborate: Work in teams, share ideas, and communicate effectively.
5. Structure their drawings, according the story sequences, detecting steps of transforming free hand drawings according digital fabrication-laser cutting method requirements.
6. Perform Confidently: Develop storytelling, dramatic expression, and audience skills.
Learners were very Excited to listen fairy tale to draw characetrs and scenes, compare their drawing to another student darwings, they saw how the same words can be transformed by imagination, and how perception of the story differs.
Listening was sinchronize with drawing process, so they listen and draw same time, they working on Picture average for 30-40 minutes, then they copy their characters on white paper on window, each student copy one of their character from fairy tale, it takes 10 minutes.
I asked them to cut it with scissors, and test wit light sorce on our little mainipulativexyz, as a primary shadow theatre model, then they are discussing which models-chatacters are more suitable for light and shadow game, some of them decidesd to change a bit their “puppets”, by redrawing or gluing and cutting some parts from “puppets”. They were engaged in the process, they are discussing how nice is looking their friends “drawings” for the shadow and light.
Iimproving Characters`s models takes 30-40 minutes, and they vote for characters, so we were able to choose at least one character from each student for creating fairy tale.
They taook a photo from choosen files, and I introduces inkspace, importing picture and how we can outline from picture and make SVG file. Next step is digitalaizing session, they work in inkspace with simple tools with my help. Then we go to Fab Lab Dilijan and I intriducesd them laser-cutting process. they were watching how their characters were cutting with maschine, talking about effect of laser, and how “pure cuiting” gives laser.
The benefits are coonections between literature, traditional art teqniques and digital fabrication tools.
For the digital fabrication is a very little personal experience, as time was short and they could experince just simple and basic things.
Listen and draw the same time (20 minutes)
Synchronise listening and drawing,
Show some examples of Sahdow theatre. Explain that students will create their own models for Shadow Theatre for Fairy Tail.
Make copies from picture, cut with scisors than try with light source, how it will work as Shadow theatre puppet.
Continue working on Picture and improving characters according to task.
work with small groups. Allow groups to work together on designing their characters for shadow theatre.
Work with light and white surface to simulate shadoew theatre conditions, discuss what part of their drawings they should change to make drawing more understandable and expressive for theatre.
Introducing that digital fabrication is working with digitalized pictures, and specific formats for laser cutting.
Take a picture of drawings.
Import them to Inkspace.
Outline with pen tool, save in SVG Format.
Laser cutting process.
Set up puppets for at least one scene from fairy tale, make a little performance.
choose one scene from fairy tale.
use prepared puppets and make little thearical performance.
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