We just love this embossed metal skull project from our “Art with Alyssa” contributor (Alyssa Navapanich). It’s perfect for Día de los Muertos, Hispanic Heritage Month or anytime of the year. Metal embossing has been popular since the Middle Ages, and repujado, the traditional Mexican art technique, was brought to Mexico from Spain during that time. This style of metal art is typically made from tin or copper and used for decorative purposes. To simplify the process for kids and families, our art project requires tooling foil, available online or in art stores. Use the repujado skulls to decorate the house, greeting cards or as place cards on a table.
Repujado = embossed
Calavera = skull
SUPPLIES
- Metal tooling foil (I used 5”x 5” 36-gauge squares)
- Piece of foam, felt or magazine
- Line drawing of a calavera skull (*see our printable pdf below) or other Día de los Muertos symbol
- Tape
- Drawing tools such as ballpoint pen, dull pencil, knitting needle or wood craft stick
- Brightly colored permanent markers (like Sharpie) or Posca paint pens
- Scissors
- Optional: Brightly colored paper to glue your image to or string to hang your project
DIRECTIONS
Cover your workspace with an opened large paper bag, placemat or plastic cloth.
- Place the plain, metal foil on top of the felt, foam or magazine, then tape the calavera skull drawing (print pdf below) onto the metal to secure.
- Trace over the lines of the drawing with your drawing tool (pen, knitting needle or craft stick) to make impressions in the foil; then, remove the paper.
- Glide your tool over the lines again to press into the foil a little more.
- Turn the foil over and push/press the metal to indent sections you want to appear “popped out” on the other side. See images for reference.
- Turn the foil over and trace around the images you pressed so that they are more defined. Note: Press firmly but not too hard or you might go through the foil. Keep repeating this process of pressing and turning over until the image looks the way you want it.
- Add color to the image using permanent markers or paint pens.
- To finish, you can cut out the image and glue it onto colorful paper or you can fold over the raw edges of the foil and poke a hole in the top to hang it. They can also be used to decorate cards or as place cards on a table.
Alyssa Navapanich is a nationally recognized art educator who teaches elementary school kids in East San Diego County. She is also the contributor of San Diego Family’s award-winning column, “Art with Alyssa.”
