Amate Style Bark Paintings

We began this activity as Cinco de Mayo approached and although we are sharing with you after May 5th you will find this activity valuable year round. This activity is a multi-step process that children can complete over the course of a day or so.

Amate comes from the Aztec word "amatl" used to describe their paper made from bark fibers of wild fig, nettle and mulberry. The tradition of making amate has stayed with the people from San Pablito in the Mexican state of Puebla. In the 1950's bright synthetic paints made their way to the rural areas of Mexico and when paired with dark amate a new art style was born. Amate style art usually depicts flowers, birds, animals, folk tales and daily life. There is also usually a defined or undefined border- meaning the painted subjects do not take up the entire paper surface. Although amate style paintings traditionally use acrylic paints, you may find tempera paint easier to use with younger children.

You will need:
Paper grocery sacks
Bright tempera paints
Paint brushes
Chalk or pencil
Black marker
Iron (optional)

We used super bright tempera paint from Lakeshore. Neon will work well too!
We mixed a drop of two into each teaspoons of paint to lighten the colors.

Cut the bottom out of a paper grocery sack but cutting down one side. Then cut this long sheet into 4 pieces. Our sheets were 11-1/2" x 13". Soak sheets in water and wad into a ball. Unfold and dry flat or hang on a clothesline being careful not to fold over (this will create a flat spot). 

Once the sheets are dry smooth with iron on low or smooth with hands.

Tape a piece of "bark" down on your working surface.

The tape helps secure the bumpy paper so the artist can focus on working on this unusual surface without worrying about having to stabilize the art surface. The paint tape also provides a great border of unpainted area once it is removed.

Begin by tracing a very rough layout with chalk or pencil-optional of course- some children may just want to begin painting.
If children are older and able to work on a project over a longer period of time in stages, painting the larger objects white before adding color will provide a brighter finished object.

Gently peel back the paint tape once the painting is complete. 

This unicorn painting was painted in one sitting without white paint layers.

The last step is to trace your painted objects with a black marker. We used a black fine tip Sharpie.

Even younger children can benefit from this activity. If they are unable to paint and trace a animals, they will receive the sensory experience of painting on a bumpy, darker surface. Be sure to provide them with paints that are bright so they contrast well on the darker paper. Adding a few drops of white paint into each color helps brighten the colors.

Below you can see a painting done with Discount School Supply Bio Colors without white mixed in.

And below is a piece painted with Lakeshore Super Bright Tempera with a few drops of white paint mixed in with each color.

Disfruta Pintar!