Nefertiti was an Egyptian queen and the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten an Egyptian Pharaoh. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of Ancient Egyptian history. We were inspired by the bust of Nefertiti, presently exhibited at the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany.
Supplies:
- Cardboard cereal box or bristol board
- masking tape
- copy paper
- pencil
- scissors
- yellow and gold oil pastels
- black acrylic paint
- paintbrush or sponge
- skewer or sharp pencil
For this project, I used the cardboard from a large cereal box. I cut into a rectangle shape and taped down the edges. Then, I made a paper cutout of the bust of Nefertiti.
Start with the Crown Add the nose with a slight bump Add the lips and chin Add a long neck at wide angle down and back out again. Add the back of the neck Practice the placement of the face. Notice the ear is in line with the eye – check your own face to see where your eye and ear line up. Add 1/2 side of lips for profile.
Using the yellow and gold oil pastels, really colour in all the spaces as best you can – this will be a great art workout! After it’s all coloured in, paint over everything with a paintbrush and black acrylic paint. If you don’t have a paintbrush a sponge will work.
After you have covered over the entire area with black paint, gently lay down paper cut out of Nefertiti bust. Use skewer or back of your paintbrush or pencil to trace around the outside. Then, carefully lift off the paper, you will see a slight print.
Now the scratch art begins! Scratch out the rest of the face and add all the different patterns and designs to decorate her “crown” and add jewelry.
Click here for a list of the alphabet in hieroglyphics to sign your name. You can do this scratch art again and again with so many variations – you could scratch out all the hieroglyphics if you love Egyptian history.
Send us a picture of your Nefertiti bust or anything else you’ve made at artinactiontoronto@gmail.com. I’d love to see what you’ve made!
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