It's true I can't speak much Spanish past "Uno Cerveza Por Favor," however, there is one Spanish word I have been dropping a lot lately - "Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead. It's a rememberance of those who have passed on, a festivity mostly in Mexico and in other Latin American countries. Teaching students who have roots in Mexico drew me to these traditions, and to learn more about it. Happening November 1 & 2nd, people will go to cemeteries and honor those who have passed, as well as have family gatherings and decorate with "Catrina" and "Calavera."
This past week I had a lovely time decorating two Day of the Dead skulls, two different ways -- colorfully, and with just black paint pen and Sharpie markers. First, I headed to Michael's, coupon in hand, to clean out their supply. You know, these skulls come out in August/September, so it's important to get 'em while they're there! Then, I went to Home Depot and picked up some glossy double coated white spray paint to give the original brown paper mache skull a nice white shiny finish. It also helped the pens flow freely on the piece.
With this skull, I tried to use all my favorite colors and went to town with the elements of traditional Day of the Dead skulls -- flowers, (traditionally, it's Marigolds - for their color & scent to attract the spirits), crosses, swirls, flames etc. Of course, I had to use sparkle -- applied with good ol' Elmers Glue, as well as t-shirt puff paints I found in the garage from an art project long ago.
I taught an adult group this skull project, and one of the ladies inspired me with her detailed black and white skull. I tried it myself a couple of days later and love it. I also used silver glitter and black puffy paint to make it pop more.
Here are the paint pens that I purchased to supplement my Sharpie markers. (expensive, hence the Michael's coupon!) I loooooved the way they flowed across the surface. I went back and forth between the oil and the acrylic kind, and of course, Sharpies can do no wrong.
So much fun! This project's a keeper in my books.
