Traditional Chinese Paper Lanterns inspired this sculpture project.  Students used beach balls as armatures to create their lanterns with paper towels and paper mache paste.  When the lanterns were dry, the beach balls were deflated and removed so students could decorate the lanterns with watercolor paints.  Some students embellished their designs with metallic and glitter watercolors.

(Lesson inspired from a lesson on Dick Blick that is no longer available online.)