Mexican Bark Art Easy Flower Mexican Bark Art Sunflower

Description of the Unit – Students will explore the fascinating Mexican folk fine art known equally Amate bark painting. Using their observations of the art form, students will crumple brown kraft paper (a part of this project they dearest) to give it a bawl-similar texture, and paint their own painting onto information technology in the same assuming and brilliant colors as used by Mexican artisans of Amate.

A Mexican artisan working on an Amate painting, depicting traditional subjects, such as birds and flowers, in vibrant colors on Amate bark paper. — *Amate: Mexican Bark Painting*

Activity statement – Amate is the Nahuatl name of a type of bark newspaper, get-go manufactured in pre-Colombian Mexico (in the Puebla region) and used for many centuries. Students truly enjoy learning well-nigh how information technology was get-go made: the bark was left to soak in water overnight, then pounded into apartment shapes using stones.

The Amate bark was originally used every bit a course of pictographic communication, typically for record-keeping, rituals, and to limited plans and ideas with others.

Pre-Colombian (Mexican) example of a document on Amate bark, with pictures and text — *Pre-Colombian example of a document on Amate bark.*

As is typical of European conquest, the arrival of the Castilian finer put an end to the widespread use of Amate, just in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Puebla, some people connected to employ the newspaper. In the 20^th century the Otomi people of Mexico started to sell the newspaper commercially, and its apply was adopted by regional artisans as a "new" indigenous craft, encouraged in part past a new wave of nationalism and pride in Pre-Columbian arts and crafts that the Mexican authorities and NGO'southward began to tout. Nowadays many wonderful mexican artisans, particularly from the state of Guerrero, have expanded Amate bark painting into a vibrant, thriving art form.

Two traditional Amate paintings from Mexico: Beautiful, brightly-colored birds and flowers in ornate patterns on Amate bark. — *Examples of present-day Amate paintings*

Amate painting uses bright, assuming, sometimes fluorescent colors, and typically depicts birds, cacti, flowers and other images of nature, forth with ornate, organically shaped patterns and designs that embellish the main subjects. Additionally all elements are outlined, normally in black. Not only is it mesmerizing to look at, simply the feel of the soft, velvety bawl delights the more tactile of us. If possible when teaching this lesson accept an Amate painting or two on hand for students to touch too as notice.

Two traditional Amate paintings from Mexico: Beautiful, brightly-colored birds, cacti and flowers in ornate patterns on Amate bark. — *Ask students to discover how color is used; to find patterns; to notice how every element is outlined*; and *what the subjects tend to be*

To make the Amate painting, students will first get to plough their brown kraft paper into "bawl". They will first crumple the paper several times into a brawl, then utilise smoothen rocks, about the size of their petty hands, to pound on the crumpled newspaper. Not just will this give the paper more a bark-similar await, only the texture will be like to that of the soft Amate bawl. They volition be asked to depict whatever themes from nature they would similar, first drawing information technology in pencil. It volition be up to the pupil whether they add together the black outline side by side, or await to paint the images and then outline them once dried. Information technology'south fun to observe their decision-making process, and see what works best for each child.

Objectives –

Students volition: learn the history of Amate painting, and notice how this art grade is currently expressed in Mexico. Using some fun methods for turning patently brownish paper into "bark," students volition paint onto it with similar colors, and employ similar subjects, and include the characteristic black outlines.

Goals – Students should…

Sympathise:

The relationship between contrasting colors in Amate painting
How outlining is used for event in Amate painting
How to locate patterns within representational imagery

Know:

Where Amate originates, and what the paper is made from
How to identify contrasting colors
What is meant when referring to texture

Be able to:

Draw what Amate was originally used for
Choose vivid and contrasting colors for their painting
Outline all elements of their painting

Resources and materials –

Examples of Amate paintings (endeavour to accept a couple of existent ones and then that students tin can feel the bark)
Brownish craft newspaper
Small, smooth rocks
Pencils
Blackness sharpies
Brilliant, brilliant paint (I used tempera and acrylic)
Pigment brushes
Cups
Paper towels

Questions –

(While sharing existent Amate paintings)

What does this feel similar?
What practice you remember this is made out of?
What images practice you meet?
What practise y'all call up of the colors? What kinds of colors are used? Why are the colors organized this way, what do they exercise for each other?
Practise y'all remember this looks realistic? Why or why non?
What else do yous detect about how this was painted? (Without keading, guide students towards observations of the shapes, the patterns, the designs, and the outlining)
What does outlining do for the images?
What other themes from nature could you paint?
How can we make our paper look and feel like bawl?

Evaluation – Did students:

Express an understanding of the characteristics of Amate painting?
Employ colors to create dissimilarity?
Outline all elements of their imagery?

Informal:

Group discussion
Oral responses to essential questions
Classroom observations
I finished slice

The following are examples of tertiary grade students' Amate paintings. I apologize if some are out of focus. Some of these were completed at schoolhouse, while others were completed at home during distance learning, hence why some of those photos are fuzzy.