This beautiful flower inspires creativity! Vincent Van Gogh painted still lifes containing hollyhocks. Look closely at his Vase With Hollyhocks, 1886, to see how a hollyhock looks. The famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, used the hollyhock as inspiration for an entire house (aptly named "Hollyhock House") in southern California.

Hollyhocks also inspired generations of children to create beautiful dolls. Ask your mother or grandmother if they remember hollyhock dolls. They might share stories from their childhood with you. Traditional hollyhock dolls were made from hollyhock blossoms. These hollyhock dolls are made with tissue paper and Crayola® Model Magic®.

Look at real hollyhocks, Van Gogh's painting, or pictures of the flowers. The ruffled petals emerge from a green base. To make the base (which will become your doll's head), use white Model Magic. Knead in some color from green and blue Crayola Washable Markers to get the color you want. Shape the ball into a tear drop. Push the flat end of a Crayola Colored Pencil into the broad, bottom edge of the tear drop. Remove the pencil. Dry.

Fold a sheet of tissue paper in half, the long way. Gather the tissue paper so the folded edges come together, and the cut edges remain open. This makes a conical blossom. Wind string around the gathered edge to keep it together. Tie tightly.

Place Crayola School Glue inside the pencil indentation in your Model Magic base. Press the gathered end of the tissue paper into the base. Dry.

Turn your hollyhock upside down, so the green base becomes the head of your doll. Add Model Magic facial features and colorful cheeks by kneading marker dye into the modeling compound to create unique colors. Glue on to secure.

To finish your hollyhock doll, twist a chenille stick around the doll's neck. Wind each chenille stick "arm" around a marker, then slide it off, for a vine effect. </P