Amate Bark Painting

Amate Bark Painting

Learn how to make your own “bark” paper and create a beautiful painting that mimics Latin American Amate Bark Folk Art.

Materials

Poster Paint Tempera 6 Pack

Paint Brushes 25 Pack Assorted Styles

Oil Pastels

Watercolor Paint Palette

Brown Craft Paper (or brown paper bag)

Small Bowl of Water

Instructions

Step 1. Gather your supplies.
	Step 2. Crumple your brown craft paper into a ball.
	Step 3. Unfold the craft paper. Add lots of water to your brush and paint the crumpled paper with the black watercolor. The paint should be very watery as you are applying what's called a “wash” of color to your paper. The watery paint should just make the paper a little darker, not completely black, as shown.
	Step 4. When the paper's dry, it should look aged, and similar to tree bark.
	Step 5. Draw your design on the paper using a light color oil pastel. Research typical Amate bark paintings and choose one of these themes. Make sure to add a border around the edges of the image. We drew a turtle and added a border with a simple flower at each corner.
	Step 6. Pour some poster paint into the palette and paint your design. Make sure to keep the colors bright. Tip: use white paint and see how brightly it appears on the brown "bark" paper you made.
Further Discussion: Amate Bark painting is a form of folk art practiced in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It is named for the special paper, made from the bark of the Amate tree. Partner this craft with a book or online images of traditional Amate Bark paintings. Encourage children to find common themes and colors used in this form of art. Traditionally, you will find bright and colorful images, such as tropical birds, flowers, turtles and lizards and the edges are completed with a decorative border.. Many of these paintings also include the color white, which shows up well on the dark background.