African Mask Design

This is another lesson from Denise Logan's book.  The students really enjoyed this one.  I had difficulty choosing projects for display because almost all of them were spectacular.  This was a mixed media project (our vocabulary word for the week).  Students used markers, tissue paper, watercolor, and stamps.  Some even added fringe.

I showed the students a power point to provide some basic information about African masks and what they were used for.  I also showed a ten minute YouTube video to expose them to the different styles from various regions of Africa.  The video had a catchy Damian Marley song in the background which really helped to capture and hold the attention of the students.

I provided a few handouts to spark mask ideas and several students did their own research on their phone.  The creative juices are really starting to flow!

For the stamp, students were given a handout with many different symbols from Ghana.  Each of the symbols has a meaning.  They pressed the design into a piece of print foam which was glued to a block of wood with a hot glue gun.

Paper Mola Design

We are continuing on with our multi-cultural unit.  We have headed south to Panama and the beautiful Mola artwork of the Kuna people.

I got this lesson out of a book I purchased this summer called, Dynamic Art a Projects for Children by Denise Logan.  It is a great book with step by step instructions, handouts, and student examples.

To begin the lesson, I used a power point to provide background information on Molas and the Kuna people.  Molas originated as a form of body painting which evolved into a textile art.

The process...

1.  On 12x18 paper students drew an animal, flower, or some other subject for the focus of the design.
They were asked to focus on the outline and fill in the center with geometric shapes.
Then they outlined their design twice.

2.  When the drawing was complete they colored it brightly with markers and crayons.

3.  Then they cut it out and glued it to a 12x18 piece of black paper.

4.  For the background they glued  1/2" strips of colored construction paper.  I cut these with the paper cutter and finally used that box of scrap paper up.

Sugar Skull Mask

Here are some of our Day of the Dead 3d masks made out of Paper Mâché.
We used a plastic face mold to shape each mask.  The goop was a mixture of elmers art paste and watery elmers glue.  The ratio was about 3:1.  Elmers art paset alone does not harden up or make for a strong mask.  Students were asked to do four layers of mâché (2 with newspaper, two with white construction paper). We did the mache on a Friday and the masks were dry on Monday. When dry they were painted with white tempera and decorated with watercolor and of course, GLITTER!