African Arts

This page is designed for those who are interested in the arts of Africa.

Draw your favorite African animal

Pick an African animal. Look at pictures and watch videos of your animal on the National Geographic Kids Website. Look carefully at your animal. Look for lines and shapes. It is often easier to start with the animal's nose or eye and then work outward from there. Keep looking at your animal when you draw. Record the lines and shapes you see. Now add texture and detail with pencils or crayon or watercolor if you like.-

Create your Animal Spirit Mask

Mask making is an important part of African culture. Using cardboard or construction paper, create a mask of your chosen animal. It doesn't have to be realistic, but it should capture the spirit of your animal. Look at the gallery of pictures on the left for ideas. Be inspired by the masks created by Ellery and her sister. You can color and paint your mask, but you don't have to. Many African masks use earthy colors, which you can recreate with layers of paper, cardboard, and natural materials. Cut and layer cardboard or heavy paper. Add ears, yarn or dried grass hair, and maybe some horns. Use your creativity and imagination.

Make your own Tapestry of African Design.

Decorative art is different from region to region in Africa. Different regions have different natural materials available, as well as different traditions. These have a big influence on the art people make.

Below are 6 different projects featuring design from different regions. The materials for these projects are in the African Arts Kit we made for you. Lay out your materials. Pick out a project that appeals to you. Have fun creating your own designs. If you do all 6 projects, you can combine them into a handsome African tapestry.

MUD CLOTH, is a handmade cotton fabric from Mali traditionally dyed with fermented mud and plant dyes. The colors are rich browns and russets. The patterns used are rich in cultural significance.

Using a ruler, divide your brown paper into several different sized sections ( click on arrows in photo gallery on left to see the process). Outline your sections, then fill each section with a different pattern. Refer to photos and your design sheet for ideas. Use browns, oranges, white and black. Glue the mud cloth label from your kit on the back.

ADIRE is a resist dyed cotton cloth made by the women of Nigeria. Adire Eleko uses cassava paste as a resist that is painted in divided areas using repeat patterns. The fabric is then dyed with dye made of indigo plants.

Using a white crayon and a ruler, divide your 6” X 6” piece of light blue paper into 4 equal sections ( see photo on left). Now using the white crayon, fill each section with pattern. Refer to the photo on the left and to the African pattern sheet in your kit. It is important to press down really hard on the crayon. When you are done, brush a layer of dark blue watercolor over your patterns. The crayon acts like the cassava paste resist and shows through your indigo watercolor. Paste your Adire descriptive label on the back of your work.

ADINKRA CLOTH is hand printed cloth developed by the Ashanti people of Ghana. Symbolic stamps are carved from gourds and printed in repeat patterns using dye made from the bark of the badi tree. It is sometimes referred to as the goodbye cloth.

Use a black marker and a ruler to divide your red paper onto 4 equal 3” squares (see photos). Refer to your Adinkra symbol sheet. In each square, draw or print a repeat pattern inspired by the Adinkra symbols. Use dark black. I used a stamp I happened to have and a pencil eraser to print circles and dots.

Glue your Adinkra label on the back of your work.

KENTE CLOTH is a colorful textile of interwoven cloth strips originally produced by the Akan people of Ghana. This name of this woven cloth comes from the word “kenten”, meaning basket. The colors used (black, blue, green, yellow, red, purple, maroon, white, and gold) have symbolic meanings.

To make your Kente cloth design you will first weave, then decorate. You will need the black 6” square of paper and your choice of a red, orange, or purple square. Fold the black paper in half and draw a line about ½ inch from the top opening ( see photos in gallery on the left). Beginning at one side, cut through the fold. STOP at the line. Leave a finger space, make another cut, and so on. Cut your colored paper into strips. Open up you black paper and lay it flat. Weave your colored strips OVER under, OVER under. In the next row do the opposite: UNDER over, UNDER over. Glue the edges of your strip in place. Now use white pencil and crayons or colored pencil to add pattern to your weaving, like you see in the photos. Glue a Kente Cloth label on the back of your work.

NDEBELE DESIGN is derived from a style of colorful geometric house painting practiced by Southern Ndebele people of South Africa. There are five main colours represented: red and dark red, yellow to gold, a sky blue, green, and sometimes pink. Shapes are outlined boldly in black.

With a black marker and a ruler, divide your 6” square of gray paper into 4 equal squares. Using the Ndebele tracers from your kit, create a bold geometric design in each square (see photo). Use crayons or colored pencils to add bold Ndebele color. Glue your Ndebele label on the back of your work.

TIEBELE HOUSE DESIGN OF BERKINA FASO. Built in a hot, dry climate, these mud houses have small openings and thick walls richly decorated with geometric designs. Wall decorating is always done by women. The colors used are black, white, and red, made using local natural materials such as clay, kaolin, and coal.

Use a ruler and a black marker to divide your tan 6” x 6” paper into strips (see photos on left). Use the geometric eraser stamps from your kit to stamp patterns on your paper. You can make your own stamp pad by putting paint on a sponge or folded up paper towel. You can also color your stamp with a marker and print it. OR you can simply trace around the eraser shapes and fill them in. Now add white accents with your white charcoal pencil. Then glue your Tiebele label on the back of your design.

CREATE YOUR OWN MAASAI FIGURE

The Maasai people are very tall and slim. They are known for their colorful clothing and beautiful beaded jewelry. Using the brown paper, black marker, and the Masai figure samples, create a handsome Masai figure of your own. Add rich pattern and color

You’re done! Now you may join your designs together to make one big beautiful tapestry.