Day of the Dead: Oct. 31-Nov. 2

Art Studio 6 students are making Day of the Dead skeletons. In Mexico, the Day of the  Dead celebration coincides with our Halloween. But unlike our scary skeletons, the Mexican celebration honors their ancestors with skeletons dressed in every occupation and activity you can imagine. 

Students studied movement by doing gesture drawings. Focusing on how knees, elbows, hips and shoulders move, students drew quick 15-30 second drawings of their classmates. Their sketches looked more like stick figures or skeletons than portraits as they captured the action lines of each pose. 

Students created armatures from tin foil, covering them with plaster-craft (the material casts for broken arms are made from) to create exciting sculptures. They mounted their sculptures on wooden bases and added props or costumes to create a character skeleton. Action lines make a sculpture come alive. Look for the bends in these sculptures backs, knees, heads, hands and hips.
to learn more about the Day of the  Dead Celebration, check out: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/