My sixth grade students began a project combining batik and Adinkra stamps. I had them watch this clip about the meaning behind Adinkra stamps and how they were derived in West Africa and printed on fabric to emanate strength, power and much more. Students remarked on how they have seen these symbols in their own context such a jewelry and even tattoos.
I gave students an list of 14 different Adinkra symbols to use in their artwork. We talked about their African names, designs and symbolic meaning. The goal was to create a grid and fill it with the symbols that each student perceived themselves as either having or wanted to have. We used crayons as our "wax" and drew each symbol in black. Students then colored in each box, hard, so that the color remained present throughout the dying process.
When students finished their grid, the next process was to age the paper so that it appears wrinkled and worn. I had the students crumple their papers into a ball multiple times to make lines both in the wax and paper. Next was the dying process. Purple tempra paint works well for this project. The pigment in the paint is strong and makes a nice affect on the paper. Students applied a thick coat of paint and then let it dry before removing the paint to see what the results will be!
The revealing process. . .
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