Art, Artifacts, Altars: Day of the Dead in San Miguel

Supplies List

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We will be collecting some materials on our excursions, especially the first day as we will be heading to the market.  If there is interest, we can walk to El Pato’s Art Supply, which is very small but packed to the gills. 

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• Sketchbook, minimum size 8x8.  Lisa suggested Sennelier’s Oil Pastel Pads with glassine sheets if you use oil pastels or charcoals.  Otherwise, any type of sketchbook work.

• Journal, if you write.

• Ephemera.  For example, old photos, ribbons, meaningful objects, buttons, things you’ve collected.

• Glue, e.g. Elmer’s. You can buy in San Miguel.

• Paper, such as decorative rice papers.

• OPTIONAL: Small panels or canvases…whatever substrate you’d like to work on. 

• Paints, pastels, pencils….again…whatever material you’d like to work with. 

• Brushes if you paint.

• Needle and thread.  Sewing and embroidery needles.  Thread, colors of your choice.

• Fabrics.  If you have some favorite fabric you’d like to work with, like tear up, bring it.  Jan will provide lots of fabric scraps.

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What can you buy in San Miguel? 

 

• Paint: American/European paints can be purchased in SMA, but they are double the price as in the U.S.  There are Mexican paints which are fine and come in many colors, but they are not as heavily pigmented as imported paints.

• Brushes

• You can find Mexican-made substrates such as canvases and panels (I don’t know what the panels are made of, but I’ve painted on them).  However, you won’t find nice wood painting panels, such as birch.

• Mexican-made glue and other mediums (they work just fine).

• At the handicrafts market you may find ephemera, such as tin milagros, amate bark paper, loteria cards, etc.