If you’re looking for some great books to pair with this project here are a few of my favorites below!
Dia de los Muertos sugar skulls sketches
In time for Halloween we learned about “Dia de los Muertos”! This “day of the dead” holiday is a colorful Mexican festivity and national holiday which takes place from Oct 31-Nov 2. The celebration revolves around honoring, remembering and celebrating loved ones who have passed on. Skulls (calaveras) made from sugar (“sugar skulls”) are brightly decorated with designs, symbolism and flowers, and placed on alters and graves together with food, drinks and trinkets for the deceased.
For our project we traced the outline of a skull on our paper and added our choice of features, patterns and symbols. I had plenty of visuals of flowers, symbols, and decorated sugar skulls for the kids to take inspiration from.
Precise attention was paid to symmetry and the balanced use of design elements and color. Skull elements designs were drawn in black permanent marker and colored in colored marker.
Skulls were cut out and mounted on deco paper. I think the black patterned paper works really well, since it doesn’t interfere so much with the colorful skulls, and it adds that graphic, bold quality.
For a fantastic animated movie about Dia de los Muertos, watch The Book of Life. Great movie, fit for kids of all ages (and adults).
The kids really enjoyed this project. They worked so intensively and without a peep. Totally immersed in their efforts to achieve total symmetry! I think they did an amazing job! Look at those roses! Happy Dia de los Muertos!
Best thing about this project? The parents of my five year old student had her sugar skull drawing tattooed on on their upper arms. Now that’s a compliment, for me and the little artist!!
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| 7-9 year olds |
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| 8-12 year olds |
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| 5-7 year olds |
Step 1: Fold paper vertically
Fold your paper vertically. This is important because we will be talking about a line of symmetry, and this fold will act as that.
Depending on the age and ability of your students, you may want to help them out with this first step by lightly drawing half of a sugar skull on the right side of the paper. I chose to try this my adapted students and pre-drew this line, but when I did it with my students who were 3rd and up they were able to draw the skull shape themselves.
Step 3: Have student paint on line & fold
Using black tempera paint, have students quickly paint along the skull line and then fold the paper in half and rub. The first line painted will create a print on the other side making a perfectly symmetrical skull shape.
Step 4: Continue painting and folding each feature
Using my free sugar skulls idea sheet (that you can download here) paint an oval for the eye and fold, half of an upside down heart for the nose and fold, etc.
Add decorations around the eyes, cheeks etc. until you are happy with your sugar skull.
Feel free to touch up any areas that did not transfer well with your black paint.
