Adinkra Cloth Printing

Submitted by: Meghan Yarnell
Art teacher at Perrysburg Junior High
Title of Lesson: Adinkra Prints
Grade level: 5th-7th grade

Goals / Objectives:

1.) Students will learn about Adinkra cloth from Ghana by completing a moodle lesson.
2.) Students will learn the difference between a hue, shade and tint by mixing the colors for their projects.

Materials Needed:

Tempera Paint, Construction Paper, Brushes, water containers, Styrofoam Sheets, Drawing Pencils, Adinkra symbols handout , Oil Pastels

Lesson Description:

Day 1
-Go over the rubric with students.
-Pass out the Adinkra Symbols worksheet and create a symbol together as a class. When the students are finished with this worksheet, they will have it initialed by the teacher.

Day 2
-Demonstrate how to create a stamp by carving the Styrofoam with a pencil.
-Have the students finish their worksheets.
-When they are finished, give them three foam squares to carve.

Click on the images for full size.

Day 3
-Have the students pick out a square of construction paper for their background. Demonstrate how to print the squares in the background by painting a Styrofoam square and pressing it onto the paper. They should print 9 squares (corners first).

Day 4
-Show the students how to make a layout by planning where they will print each stamp. Refer to the rubric for requirements. Demonstrate how to print the stamps by painting a thin coat of paint on them with a dry brush and pressing them to the paper.

Day 5:
-Demonstrate how to carve a potato into a stamp and print it. Have the students create potato stamps if they want to.

Day 6:
-Demonstrate how to create a pattern in the borders with oil pastels. Have them practice in their Sketchbooks and then on their projects.

Assessment(s):

See rubric

Procedure

1. We print the background first. I tell the students to print the 4 corners first, then between the corners, and the middle last. We use a tint that is the same hue as their construction paper. I cut 3.75'' foam squares to print with.

2.) I use a worksheet to help students think of stamp designs. They base the designs on important life events. 1 of the stamps is a traditional Adinkra symbol and 1 stamp will be carved with a potato (traditional Adinkra stamps are made with calabash gourds). We carve the stamps out of foam by pressing into them with ballpoint pens.

3. The students do test prints in their sketchbooks before printing on their projects.

4.) I have them make a plan where to print their stamps. They have to have at least 2 stamps per square and get higher creativity points for having symmetric balance.

**For participation points each day, we compare and contrast different African cloths.**

5.) The students print their stamps on their projects using a shade that is the same hue as their construction paper.

6.) We carve potatoes for one of the stamps. I have the students cut it into the shape of their foam stamps, then dig out their design.

7. We add a pastel pattern in the background. I let them use any color for this.

Resources

Book: African Symbols - From Adinkra symbols to the symbolic script of the Ashanti, symbols play an important role in all aspects of African life. These sacred items come in a breathtaking array of styles, and here, divided into six areas of cultural similarity, are some of the most beautiful, along with explanations of their meanings.

Book: The Adinkra dictionary: A visual primer on the language of Adinkra - Adinkra is the name given the colorful, hand-painted and hand- embroidered cloth used for mourning by the Akan people of Ghana and Cote D Ivore. Stylistic symbols called adinkra symbols are printed on these cloths. The cloth and symbols express the wearer s feeling and sentiment about the deceased. The symbols convey a parting message to that individual. When a person wears this type of clothing, one knows that the person is in mourning.