Mehandi
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The art of tattooing the hands and feet using henna paste
Create a drawing of your hand with mehandi inspired designs
inside.
Ayyanar Horse
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A terracotta sculpture that is believed to protect a village from evil
Color the horse template with elaborate designs
Cut the horse out and paste to colorful paper
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Symmetrical designs drawn with colored sand or rice powder outside the
home as a symbol of welcome most often done during the
holiday of Diwali
Create your own rangoli design using markers or pencil colors
Rangoli
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Mithila Painting
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Folk art paintings from the town and surrounding areas of
Mithila, India. Originally painted on walls to mark holidays, Mithila
paintings have become very popular. Characteristics: Figures appear to be
floating, figures are drawn in profile, brilliant colors, bold outlines, borders
around the edges, and limited negative space.
Create your own illustration of a Mithila painting
CHINA
Chinese Calligraphy Banner
Use watercolors to paint your banner with an array
of color.
Use India with a bamboo brush to write the Chinese
characters.
Hot glue banner to cardboard strip and string with yarn to
make a hanger.
Dragon Drawing
Draw a Chinese inspired dragon.
Good Fortune Boxes
Trace the template and cut out
Paint or draw a Chinese design on the box
Fold template into a box. Use hot glue gun
Chinese Carp Collage
Glue your handmade paper to a sheet of construction paper
Add decorative paper to you design
Emboss a fish on a piece of thick aluminum and cut out
Spray paint metal fish
Use Chinese stamps on your collage
Roll up Chinese script into a scroll and tie with raffia and glue to your collage
You can add more raffia and even glitter too!
Sand Mandala - Tibet
Draw a circle on a firm piece of cardstock.
Sketch out a radial design with pencil.
Fill in your design using glue and colored sand.
JAPAN
Gyotaku
Fish Print
Paint background of paper
Paint fish, place paper on top of fish, rub the back of the
paper to create a relief print
Write a haiku about your fish
Block Printing/Relief Print/Linocut
Draw a design on a piece of linoleum
Use a burin to cut out the design from the linoleum
Use the brayer to roll ink onto the linoleum plate
Use the barren to rub the back of the paper to transfer the
image
Origami
The art of folding paper
Create a origami crane
Manga Self-Portrait
Japanese style cartoon
Trace picture of yourself onto tracing paper
Flip the tracing paper over and retrace to transfer to the
paper
Add manga features, large eyes, crazy hair, etc.
Color
INDONESIA
Batik
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Use a white wax crayon or oil pastel to draw a design
Paint over design with water colors to create a wax resist.
Wayang Kulit
Shadow Puppets
Work in groups to create a story line and script
for a puppet play
Design your puppet based on your character in
the play.
Cut design from tag board cut out designs for
light to shine through
Paint and add glitter
Attach arms and bamboo sticks
OCEANIA
Savi Mask or Butterfly – Papua New Guinea
Paint a scary mask using earth toned colors
Glue raffia or yarn to the tops and sides
Use a string to tie mask on.
Or use butterfly template, cut out two
butterfly shapes. Paint butterfly design,
glue/staple two pieces together stuff with
shredded paper, add pipe cleaner antenna,
and fishing line to hang.
Maori Hei-Tiki or Hei-Matau – New Zealand
Use Sculpy modeling clay to create a Hei-Tiki
or Hei-Matau
After pendants have been baked in oven
paint with a metallic paint
Hei-Tiki
Hei-Matau
OCEANIC ART
Hawaiian Warrior Sculpture (Tiki) – Hawaii/Polynesia
Use balsa foam carving blocks or plaster carving block to carve
a tiki warrior god
BATIKI – Indonesia/Polynesia/Hawaii
Combination of Batik and Polynesian Warrior Tiki
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Fold paper in half to make a crease
Unfold paper and draw one side of the tiki face
Fold paper over and make a rubbing to transfer the
image to the other side making the face symmetrical
and complete
Use crayons to create a waxy resist
Use watery tempera paint to paint over the paper representing the dye
Tapa Cloth
Use brown paper
Create a pattern using stamps and earth tone colors to
replicate a Tapa cloth pattern
Hula- hukilau
Traditional Polynesian dance which tells a story using hand movements
Aborigine X-ray Painting or Lightning Man – Australia
Choose to paint a X-ray or Lightning man
X-ray paintings of animals were bones and organs can
also be seen
Stylized man with stone
hammers on his head, elbows and
knees for making thunder
Use earth tones
Lightning Man
X-Ray Painting
Latin America
Aztec/Mayan Calendar
Draw a circle
Use examples of calendar symbols to
draw your own Aztec/Mayan calendar
Add brilliant colors.
Tumi – Inca
Use the template provided
Add color- pencil colors, markers, paint or combination
Use gold and silver metallic paint and turquoise for a more authentic look
Cut out template and paste to construction paper
Add gems or glitter
God’s Eye-ojos de diosHot glue two or more bamboo sticks together
Tie yarn onto the center then wrap around until the entire
center is covered and sticks are not showing
Begin wrapping the yarn around each stick once.
To change colors just tie off yarn to the stick and tie another
strand of yarn on and begin wrapping again.
Tree of Life
Cut a tree shaped armature from cardboard.
Hot glue cardboard armature to a cardboard base.
Cover armature with flour-salt clay.
Cut out ornaments from the clay.
Paint tree when dry and glue on ornaments.
Mexican Metal Tooling – Tin Ornaments- Milagros
On a square of aluminum use a tooling tool to etch in designs in the tin.
Cut into an interesting shape if preferred.
Add color with permanent markers.
Native America
Dream Catcher – Ojibwe/Lakota
Use a round wire frame.
Cover wire with yarn.
Tie yarn on to the covered wire frame, tie yarn again about an inch farther down the
frame. Continue until you go all the way around the wire frame.
Then loop the yarn through each of the loops created. Continue until you create a web
with an open circle in the middle.
Add feathers and beads for extra embellishments
Prayer Ties – Choctaw
To create a prayer tie take a square of cloth.
Place into the center a bit of dried herbs.
Fold cloth over and roll up then fold in half (should look like a tadpole)
Wrap string around the center 9 times. Thinking of a prayer or sending good
thoughts to someone as you wrap the string around.
Tie off the string and continue the process until you have several prayer ties made.
Traditionally, prayer ties are thrown into a fire and burned to release the prayers.
Paper Coil Pot – Southwestern- Pablo/Navajo
tear pages from magazines and fold into .5” strips
Coil strips together to make a base
Continue to glue strips around base by raising each coil a
little more each time to create a bowl
Totem Pole – Pacific Northwest- Tlingit/Haida
Use the handout to draw your totems, each symbol representing a family member or friend.
o Use air dry clay or polymer clay to sculpt a totem symbol onto a cardboard tube
o Each totem will be stacked onto each other to make a pole
 This project may vary depending on available supplies
Rain Stick – South America – Chilean
Decorate a paper towel roll
Insert twisted foil and dry rice
Cap the ends
Add beads and/or feathers
AFRICA &THE MIDDLE EAST
Kente Cloths - Ghana
Divide 12x18 paper into 3x3” squares
Paint a different pattern into four boxes and then repeat
Use bright colors
o Or you can do a paper weaving
Coptic Crosses - Ethiopia
Draw and cut out a cross from cardboard
Glue items onto the cardboard to raise the surface and create texture
Adhere heavy duty alluminin foil to the surface and rub flat.
Paint over the surface with black paint and wipe paint off leaving the paint
in the recessed areas.
Baule Pendant- Ivory Coast
Use the air dry or polymer clay
Press the clay into a face mold
Then sculpt or carve designs in and around the face
When the clay dries or is fired paint with gold paint
MASKS – paper mache
Choose a plastic mask mold to use as your armature
Cover the plastic mold with strips of paper mache;
several layers
Use mashed paper mache to build up features
Paint when dry
Arabesques – Islamic Art
Fold your paper in half to make a crease
Draw a non-objective design on one side
Fold the paper together and rub to transfer the image to the other side
Choose two colors to paint your image
EGYPT
Decorate a Pharaoh or Egyptian Scene
• Choose an Egyptian coloring sheet.
• Color it with markers, pencil colors, watercolors
or acrylic paint. (metallic paint is best)
• Cut out the design and paste it to a piece of
construction paper
• Decorate it with glitter pens, glitter glaze and
sequins.
Egyptian Cartouche
• Use the handouts on hieroglyphics to decipher
your name.
• Draw you Egyptian name on the Cartouche
handout.
• Add color.
Design a Sarcophagus
• Use the Sarcophagus template to draw a design on the
stone coffin.
• Use any media. Add glitter etc.
• Cut the Sarcophagus out and paste it to a piece of
construction.
GREECE
Greek Vase Drawing
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Use yellow, orange or red crayons to completely color the paper.
Paint over with black tempera paint.
After paint is dry. Select a vase template and trace around it with a scratch tool.
Draw/scratch a Greek inspired design inside the vase outline.
Greek Temple
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Draw a Greek temple. Choose what kind of columns you would like to
use. Or use all three in your design.
Start your drawing off by drawing the stylobate (steps) then draw the
columns up from the steps.
Then draw a long rectangle across the top of the columns for the
entablature. Then a triangle on top of that for the pediment.
Once the form is drawn you can add details and scenery around it.
Poster of a Greek/Roman God or Goddess
Read the handouts with explanations of different Greek and Roman
gods and goddess.
Choose one you would like to depict in a poster.
Draw and color your design
Add symbols that help identify your deity
ROME
Roman Helmet
Color the roman helmet handout. Use pencil colors, oil
pastels, paint, or markers or a combination.
Cut out the helmet and paste it to a piece of construction
paper.
Outline the helmet with glitter glue, add other
embellishments like sequins.
Roman Shield
Design a shield out of cardboard.
Shield must be at least 3’x 2’
Paint shield using acrylic paint.
Use examples of Roman shields as inspiration for your design.
Don’t forget to make a handle on the back of your shield.
How you construct your shield is totally up to you. Just
remember it needs to be sturdy enough to protect you.
Early Christ ian and Byzant ine Art
Early Christian Symbolism
Create an illustration using secret Early Christian symbols.
Mosaic
Select pieces of tile to use
Cut a piece of contact paper to fit the mosaic mold
Create a design out of your tiles and stick them to the contact
paper
Place contact paper and tiles in the mosaic mold
Pour grout mixture into mold, smooth the surface and scratch your
name in the bottom
After it is dry, remove the coaster from the mold. Glue a piece of felt to the bottom
to protect table surfaces.
Art of the Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
Illumination
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On a sheet of paper draw one large, decorative letter.
Add designs on and around the letter
Use bright colors and metallic paints to give the letter the impression
that it’s “glowing”
Use a variety of media to complete your illumination.
Coat of Arms
Use the template provided to create your own coat of arms or you may
design your own
Draw images inside the shield that best represent you and your
personality
Cut the design out and paste it to construction paper
Gothic and Romanesque
Gargoyle
A: use air dry clay to sculpt a gargoyle figure
o Paint the gargoyle figure with gray paint to give it the appearance of stone
B: draw your own version of a gargoyle figure
Rose Window – Stained Glass
on black paper sketch out your design lightly with a pencil
go over the sketched design with white craft glue.
Once glue is dry, use chalk pastels to color in between the “leading”
(dried glue)
Italian Renaissance
da Vinci Invention
Leonardo was a great inventor. He even drafted ideas for
a flying machine centuries before it would actually
become a reality.
Create an invention of your own.
Nature Sketches
Leonardo da Vinci drew much of his inspiration from
nature
Find something in nature and draw a detailed sketch of it
from three different angles.
Painting in the Round
Many paintings in the Renaissance were done in a circular format.
Look through the provided examples to find an idea to paint a
Renaissance inspired artwork
Northern Renaissance
Project: Fantasy
Triptych
Use the triptych stencil to trace out the panels on 12”x18” paper
Study works of Heironymous Bosch
Create a landscape in each panel with weird out of place
elements. Use pencil colors
Surreal landscape: each panel should be able to stand alone
incorporate elements that will unify them as one whole piece.