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African Sunset Shadow Tracing Art

Even though I moved to Australia when I was a child, I was originally born in South Africa. Something I still remember, and that Australia just can’t compete with, is the beautiful African sunsets. I’ve never seen those deep red colors anywhere else. If you love those colors too, then make this African Sunset Shadow Tracing Art with you kids. This is a fun art project if you want to try shadow art for kids, or just to explore some wonderful African animals. Read the step by step instructions to find out how it’s done.

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More African Art for Kids

African animals are always a fantastic theme to choose for kids art ideas. Here are some more wonderful African animal crafts to make with your class.

  1. Paper Plate Lion
  2. Toilet Roll Giraffe
  3. African Rain Stick Craft

For more ideas, visit 10 Traditional African Crafts for Kids to Make

Materials Needed

  1. White, red, yellow and orange construction paper
  2. Toy giraffe figurines
  3. Black pen
  4. Black paint
  5. Glue
  6. Paintbrush 


How to Make African Sunset Shadow Tracing Art for Kids

Step 1. Tear the red, orange and yellow paper into long strips

These will be the base of your African sunset. Of course you can choose whatever colors you want or have handy. However these ones remind me of all the beautiful sunset I got to see as a child in South Africa.

I like tearing instead of cutting because it gives an interesting edge to each of the paper pieces. It’s also a fantastic fine motor skill for kids to practice.

2. Glue the colored paper to create the African dusk background.

Use a regular piece of white paper and use it as a base for your African animal art. Glue the colorful strips onto the base in an alternating pattern, until the entire white sheet is covered. This will create a sunset look.

Wait for the glue to dry, you will be able to do the sunset shadow painting the next day.

3. Arrange the giraffe toys in the sun

Grab any wild animal toys you have on hand. I know these aren’t traditional craft supplies, but that makes it even more fun. I used giraffes, but you can choose your own African animal to trace.

Head outside on a sunny day and arrange the animals at the edge of your background. Or you can also use a lamp to make shadow tracing art.

I used some foam blocks to change the height of the baby giraffe because I wanted it to look like there was a giraffe in the distance. Using foam blocks this way is a good time to explore how the height and distance from the page affects the way the shadow art looks.

4. Trace around the shadows

Use a black pen to trace around the shadow outlines. This will let you know where to fill in your African kids art with paint.

5. Paint in the giraffes

To complete your African shadow art, fill in the shadow outlines with a little bit of black paint.

All done. Now you can enjoy your sunset artwork.

Are you going to make this African Sunset Shadow Tracing Art for Kids?
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