1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Art

We began a cultural awareness unit focused on the visual language and traditions of Dia de los Muertos. We talked briefly about the symbols of the celebration, what the tradition embodied and looked at several example of the colorful masks. The students created a plaster cast using a face mold and plaster gauze strips. Three layers of material had to be carefully applied to create a strong and smooth surface to decorate. The students had 6 paint colors to build their color palette- gold, black, red, orange, green and blue. They had samples of the traditional designs to inspire their own designs. The masks were to be bright, symmetrical and carefully painted using as much detail as possible.