Amate Bark Folk Art Amate (p ronounced “ah-MAH-tay”) is a type of bark paper that has been manufactured in Mexico before indigenous peoples had contact with outside cultures. Amate comes from the Nahuatl word amatl (paper). It was the most used paper by the Mesoamerican cultures. Amate, although called paper, is more like a nonwoven fabric. In today’s Mexico, the Otomí people of Central Mexico produce this paper in a way similar to its historical origins. The paper is created from the bark of the wild fig tree, the nettle tree and mulberry tree, each with a different tone of color, ranging from coffee browns to silvery whites. Men peel the bark from the trees and women make the paper. They wash the bark and boil it in a large pot with ashes or lime (calcium hydroxide) for several hours until softened. Next the crafters rinse the pulp and lay it on a wooden board to beat it with a stone until the fibers fuse into a paste. The paste is molded and left to dry in the sun. The village people use this paper to make highly decorative paintings that usually include flowers, birds, animals, or scenes from everyday life, depicted in a fanciful manner. This type of art is called Folk art which refers to the artistic creations made by peasants, indigenous people or craftsmen with no formal artistic training. Wh at you need: Paper bag or brown construction paper; cut to 9x12 Crayons Black Sharpie or black crayon Pencil Scrap paper (optional) What do I do now? 1. Tear edges of the paper to give it a natural look. Be careful to stay close to the edge so you have a good size to draw on! Go slow, tearing a little at a time - see if you can get one long piece! 2. Create texture by crumpling your paper then opening it up - repeat 2 more times! You could do this after you have drawn and colored your pictures! 3. Draw a border around the edges of your paper. See ideas on pages below. 4. Sketch several designs on scrap paper first! Use the Rule of Three when creating your design; this encourages repetition and creates balance! Rule of Three: 3 of the same birds/animal (can be different sizes) or three of the same flower, or one large sun and 2 birds of equal size - you decide! 5. Draw your favorite design on the textured paper with a black sharpie (or black crayon using firm pressure). You could draw with pencil first and then go over your lines with sharpie/crayon. 6. Color in your designs with bright colors! Add embellishments with a white crayon = white dots or lines (optional)! 7. Outline your designs with black sharpie (or black crayon) to make them stand out. This is an optional step. Some design ideas and examples! .