5th grade students created Adire Eleko cloths with stylized animals!
Students learned about different types of African art, Adire Eleko cloths being one of them. These cloths are made to be worn around the body. Paste is used to draw on images to a cloth and then the cloth is dipped into a blue dye. Once the dye dries, the paste is scraped away leaving white designs behind (because the paste resists the dye!). We discussed how a resist works and then we used white crayons on blue construction paper to create patterns like those used on Adire Eleko cloths. Then students used blue watercolors to paint over top, kind of like dipping an actual cloth into blue dye. They watched as the wax crayon resisted the watercolor.
While those were drying, students then learned about the different animals in Africa. They drew these animals in a stylized/simplified way adding patterns on top. They cut out their animals and glued them down on top of their Adire Eleko cloth.
Students learned about different types of African art, Adire Eleko cloths being one of them. These cloths are made to be worn around the body. Paste is used to draw on images to a cloth and then the cloth is dipped into a blue dye. Once the dye dries, the paste is scraped away leaving white designs behind (because the paste resists the dye!). We discussed how a resist works and then we used white crayons on blue construction paper to create patterns like those used on Adire Eleko cloths. Then students used blue watercolors to paint over top, kind of like dipping an actual cloth into blue dye. They watched as the wax crayon resisted the watercolor.
While those were drying, students then learned about the different animals in Africa. They drew these animals in a stylized/simplified way adding patterns on top. They cut out their animals and glued them down on top of their Adire Eleko cloth.