AMACO-Lesson Plan #31-Balsa-Foam
African Masks
By Michelle Zimmerman
Lesson Goals and Objectives:
Carve and paint an African mask from Balsa Foam®. Then each student can create a personal
‘cultural’ mask.
This project is suitable for grades 5-8.
National Visual Art Standards Addressed:
1. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and culture.
2. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.
3. Using knowledge of structures and functions.
4. Choosing a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas.
5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics of artwork.
6. Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
Materials & tools
Materials
• Small pieces of AMACO® Balsa-Foam®
• Acrylic paints such as Folk Art or Americana brands Gesso
Tools
• AMACO® EZ Grip Modeling tools (11139A)
• AMACO® Needle tool (70488R)
• AMACO® Clean-Up Tool (11135V or 11138Y)
• AMACO® Double-Ended Stylus (11141C)
• AMACO® Sgraffito Tool & Duster (11147A)
• Soft pencil
• Emery board or sand paper
• Paint brush
• Palette
Sculpted, Painted African Masks Technique
Preparation
1. If you have a large piece of Balsa-Foam® cut it into smaller pieces for the masks. Our masks are all
less than 3″ in height and less than 1″ deep.
Younger students can use the EZ Grip Modeling tools for carving the BalsaFoam®. Older students can
use the clay tools specified and the AMACO® Needle metal tool for carving.
A suggested class project involves students researching different African cultures and carving three
different masks representing the cultures they have studied. Students should explain how the masks they
have carved reflect the cultures they have studied.
Students can then use a 4th small block of Balsa-Foam® to carve their own cultural mask and explain the
importance of the symbols they have used in their design.
Carve A Mask
2. Sketch the design you plan to make. Using a pencil, draw an outline of the mask profile onto the side
of a small block of Balsa-Foam®. Draw an outline of the front of the design on the front of the block and a
rear outline on the back of the block.
Carving involves making a decision about the surface you remove and the surface you leave behind. The
sketched outlines will help you determine what to carve away and what to leave.
Start by removing the unwanted larger areas around your shape, referencing the outlines you have
drawn. Once you have the initial shape, start carving the details into the mask.
Work carefully and continually check against your drawing to ensure correct positioning of elements on
the mask. Continue to work the shape taking less away each time as you develop increasingly smaller
details in the mask.
3. When you are happy with your design, coat it with a thin coat of Gesso to seal it and set aside to dry.
4. Using acrylic paint colors of your choice paint your mask with a very light coat of paint. If you do this,
the texture of the Balsa-Foam® will still be visible giving it a very interesting surface.