• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Amate Bark Painting Ideas

Pick another idea: one design in the manner of Mexican bark-paper painting, with its colors.

Amate Bark Painting Ideas

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  1. One vine climbing the whole sheet with a bloom at every bendGreen, pink, orange, yellow, black. Paint the vine first, corner to corner, then hang the flowers.

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Birds 12

  • Fantasy bird whose tail feathers end in flowers Purple, orange, pink, green, black. Each tail feather is a stem; finish it with a different bloom.
  • Heron wading with a fish in its beak White, blue, orange, green, black. One S curve for the neck; wavy blue lines round the legs.
  • Hummingbird hovering at a trumpet-shaped bloom Emerald, pink, orange, black. Wings as two fans of thin strokes; the long beak touches the flower.
  • Long-tailed bird on a flowering branch, tail curling to the corner Turquoise, orange, magenta, black. Fill every shape flat, then outline the lot in black, tail last.
  • Mother quail and chicks under tall flower stems Brown, ocher, pink, green, black. Speckle the backs with dots; the stems arch over all of them.
  • One large bird and three small on a looping vine Blue, yellow, pink, green, black. Draw the vine in one pass and seat the birds in its loops.
  • Owl on a branch with dotted wing feathers Ocher, white, orange, black. Rows of white dots down each wing; ring the eyes in orange.
  • Pair of doves on a branch heavy with blossom White, pink, green, black. White shows brightest on the brown, so paint the doves first.
  • Pair of ducks on wavy water lines Green, yellow, white, blue, black. Three wavy blue lines under them; a white ring round each neck.
  • Parrot among leaves, no two leaves the same green Red, yellow, three greens, black. Mix a new green for each leaf and vein them all in black.
  • Rooster crowing on a fence, tail in long curved plumes Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black. One curved stroke for each plume, a new color every time.
  • Two birds beak to beak over one large flower Red, yellow, blue, black. Paint one bird, mirror it, and give the pair matching wing bands.

Flowers and vines 12

  • Bouquet tied with a ribbon, stems crossing below Red, blue, yellow, white, green, black. Cross the stems in an X and tie a bow where they meet.
  • Corn plant with tasseled ears and curling leaves Green, yellow, ocher, black. Long leaves that curl at the tip; grid the kernels in black.
  • Flowering tree in a patterned pot, blooms in five colors Brown, green, five flower colors, black. Branches in pairs; leaves fill every gap.
  • Four corner flowers joined by one looping vine Orange, pink, turquoise, green, black. Paint the corners first, then loop the vine between them.
  • Large many-petaled bloom flanked by two buds Red, magenta, white, green, black. Small petals in the middle ring, longer ones in each ring outward.
  • One vine climbing the whole sheet with a bloom at every bend Green, pink, orange, yellow, black. Paint the vine first, corner to corner, then hang the flowers.
  • Single bloom with a spiral center filling the sheet Yellow, orange, red, black. Start the spiral in the middle and widen the petals toward the edges.
  • Tall cactus in bloom with a bird perched on top Green, yellow, magenta, blue, black. Ribs as upright stripes; a flower at the tip of each arm.
  • Three tall stems of bell flowers leaning one way Magenta, orange, green, black. Hang five bells down each stem, the smallest at the tip.
  • Vase of five flowers, each a different shape Blue, red, yellow, pink, white, black. A round, a star, a bell, a fan and a daisy; pattern the vase.
  • Vine in an S curve with paired leaves and berries Green, red, white, black. Leaves in pairs down the S, three red berries at each pair.
  • Wreath of flowers and leaves around an empty middle Pink, purple, yellow, green, black. Pencil a circle and alternate bloom and leaf along it.

Animals 12

  • Armadillo with a banded shell Gray, ocher, white, black. Stripe the shell in bands and fill each band with dots or dashes.
  • Column of butterflies with mirrored wings Orange, blue, yellow, pink, black. Paint one wing, copy it across the body, then dot the edges.
  • Deer leaping over flowering plants Ocher, white, pink, green, black. White spots on the back; plants as tall as the deer's knees.
  • Donkey carrying two baskets of flowers Gray, red, yellow, pink, black. Baskets cross-hatched in black; flowers spill over the rims.
  • Fish in a pond ringed with reeds and flowers Orange, blue, green, pink, black. Scales as rows of half circles; reeds lean in from every side.
  • Frog leaping between two flowering stems Green, yellow, pink, white, black. Legs stretched out behind; spots in rows down the back.
  • Horse grazing with a bird on its back Brown, white, red, green, black. Mane and tail as wavy stripes; a small bright bird sits on the rump.
  • Iguana on a branch with rows of dotted scales Green, yellow, turquoise, black. A row of spikes along the back; dots in lines down the side.
  • Jaguar with ring spots walking under a vine Yellow, orange, green, black. Paint the body flat yellow; each spot is a broken black ring.
  • Rabbit sitting among oversized leaves White, gray, three greens, black. Make the leaves bigger than the rabbit and vein each one.
  • Tortoise under a vine, shell plates striped by turns Green, yellow, red, black. Divide the shell into plates first; stripe one, leave the next plain.
  • Two lizards chasing each other in a circle Turquoise, orange, black. Each tail curves toward the other's head; pattern the two backs differently.

Village scenes 12

  • Cooking over a hearth outside a house Ocher, red, white, gray, black. A round griddle on three stones; smoke as one curling gray line.
  • Farmer planting corn in rows below a hill Green, ocher, blue, white, black. Rows curve with the hill; the farmer is small and flat, in a white shirt.
  • Fishing from a small boat on a river full of fish Blue, brown, orange, white, black. Show the fish through the water as if it were glass.
  • Goats on a hillside path with a herder behind White, brown, green, blue, black. Goats in a line, each with a different pattern of patches.
  • Harvest with figures carrying corn to a cart Yellow, green, brown, white, black. Baskets on backs, a cart at the right, bent stalks behind.
  • Hillside village with a path winding up between houses White, red, green, ocher, black. White walls, red roofs; plant something in every gap.
  • Market stalls with baskets of fruit and flowers Red, yellow, green, pink, white, black. Three stalls in a row; heap each basket with one color.
  • Oxen pulling a plough across striped fields Brown, white, green, ocher, black. Stripe each field a different way so they read as a patchwork.
  • Potters painting jars outside a workshop Terracotta, white, blue, black. Jars in a row, some plain and some patterned; a brush in each hand.
  • River running corner to corner with houses on both banks Blue, white, red, green, black. Paint the river first; a small bridge joins the two sides.
  • Sun and moon together over the roofs Yellow, white, blue, red, black. Sun at the left, moon at the right, a row of roofs along the bottom.
  • Whole village at work with every gap filled by plants Six bright colors, black. Scatter small scenes over the sheet, then fill between them with leaves.

Borders and brown-paper sheets for a class 12

  • Border of repeating leaves and dots around any picture Green, white, black. Leaf, dot, leaf, dot along a ruled band; turn the leaf at each corner.
  • Border of small birds walking beak to tail Blue, yellow, black. One simple bird repeated; reverse the direction halfway along each side.
  • Brown paper bookmark with a vine and three flowers Two colors, black marker, a strip of bag. The vine runs the length; flowers at top, middle and bottom.
  • Brown paper card with a sun and two birds Yellow, blue, red, black marker, folded bag paper. Sun at top center; a bird in each lower corner.
  • Butterfly on brown paper with matching wings Three bright colors, black marker, a brown bag. Paint one wing, fold while wet and press to print the other.
  • Class frieze of one long vine with a bird from every child Bright tempera, black marker, brown roll paper. An adult draws the vine; each child adds a bird.
  • Crumpled grocery bag with one big bird Four bright temperas, black marker, a brown bag. Crumple it, flatten it and tear the edges before you draw.
  • Fish outlined in black marker and filled with bright paint Orange, turquoise, black marker, a brown bag. Outline first for young painters, then fill inside the lines.
  • Flower-and-vine border with a bloom in each corner Pink, green, yellow, black. Corner blooms first; a wavy vine with paired leaves joins them.
  • Torn-edge brown paper with a single flower in thick outline Three bright colors, black marker, a brown bag. Paint the flower flat; outline it thickly when dry.
  • Your own pet among flowers on a paper-bag sheet Bright tempera, black marker, a brown bag. Pet in the middle, flowers taller than it on both sides.
  • Zigzag and dot border in two colors Red, white. Rule two lines a finger apart, zigzag between them and put a dot in every point.

How it works

Amate is bark paper made in Mexico since before the Spanish arrived. Nahua painters in Guerrero cover it with birds, flowers and scenes of village life.

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From painted pottery to bark paper

In the 1960s Nahua painters moved the designs of their painted pottery onto amate, which is easier to carry and sell. Landscapes and scenes of rural life such as farming and fishing came later. Each village keeps a painting style of its own.

Amate bark painting design ideas for kids

A class paints on a brown grocery bag in place of bark: crumple it, press it flat and tear the edges. Eight ideas are written for brown paper, among them Crumpled grocery bag with one big bird and Fish outlined in black marker and filled with bright paint.

  • No idea copies the Otomi cut-paper figures of San Pablito, which come from ritual designs.
  • When you show a picture, say it is in the style of amate painting from Guerrero.

Questions and answers

Which amate bark painting design ideas came first?

Birds and flowers. They were the first designs the painters put on the paper, and they fill two groups here: Long-tailed bird on a flowering branch, tail curling to the corner is one, Vase of five flowers, each a different shape another.

What are easy Mexican bark painting design ideas?

A border or a single flower. Zigzag and dot border in two colors needs a ruler and two paints. Torn-edge brown paper with a single flower in thick outline is one shape, three colors and a marker.

What can I use instead of amate paper?

A brown paper grocery bag. The Mexican Museum in San Francisco starts its own amate activity with one. Crumpling it and tearing the edges, as these ideas do, makes the sheet look less like a bag.

Who makes amate paper?

The Otomi of San Pablito, a village in the state of Puebla, where most of the papermaking is done by women. About half of the paper is sold to Nahua painters in Guerrero. The word amate names paper and paintings alike.

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