Level 2 diploma in Art & design Rhiannon Blackman One day Level 2 diploma in Art & design Rhiannon Blackman

Day of the dead Skulls

Tradition of the Skull The History of Day of the Dead. The Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an opportunity for Mexicans to remember and pay tribute to their deceased loved ones. Celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd, this holiday is similar to the American celebration of Halloween, with its themes of death and the spirit world. They believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them. Sugar Skulls are a traditional folk art from Southern Mexico used to celebrate Day of the Dead. Mounds of colorful sugar skulls are sold by Indian vendors in open air village markets during the week preceding the holiday. Spirits of the dead are welcomed back to their homes with beautifully decorated altars made by their loved ones. Sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, incense and special foods adorn home altars.

Artist links Making a contextual reference

Frida Kahlo Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter who is best known for her self-portraits. Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home known as the Blue House. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form. Mexican culture and Amerindian cultural tradition are important in her work, which has been sometimes characterized as naïve art or folk art.

Diego Rivera Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera was a prominent Mexican painter and the husband of Frida Kahlo. His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in Mexican art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted murals among others in Mexico City, Chapingo, Cuernavaca, San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City. In 1931, a retrospective exhibition of his works was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Emma Activity 1 Observational drawing

Study the skulls provided and draw a skull try to use tone to highlight the bone structure

Mel Activity 2 Draw a sugar skull using patterns to decorate it.

Sugar Skull

Designing your skull Use flower patterns to highlight the eyes of the skulls You could use simplified logos to modernize your skulls Add in bright contrasting colours

Nigel Activity 3 Stencil

Creating a stencil Make sure you simplify your design first Highlight the parts you need to cut on a different sheet Don’t cut all the way round as you will need to leave parts connected. Cut away from your body

Health and safety Always cut away from your body Keep your fingers out of the way of the blade Always make sure you are using a cutting knife Never run with a stencil knife Make sure you put the cover back on the blade when you are not using it

Using your stencil You can now use your stencil to add spray paint on or sponge paint on to it. Try using two colours but make sure the colours have dried between layers first

All of the work produced today will go towards your 1st project ‘day of the dead’ in September  Well done, and thank you for attending our level 2 art & design One day activity