I am a Nigerian, and we have our own unique cultures. In order to celebrate cultural diversity, I decided to make a wall art of a lady, using Nigerian fabric.
The Nigerian fabric is one of the biggest symbols of Nigerian culture. Through this fabric, we showcase our culture to the world.
I saw this as the perfect opportunity to showcase the uniqueness of the Nigerian fabric, and in extension, the Nigerian culture.
In this art, I use some leftover fabrics, instead of just throwing them away. The fabric came in handy and the art came out well.
Materials
Carton
A piece of paper
A pair of scissors
Pieces of Nigerian fabric
Buttons
Gum
Steps
Step 1
I put the white paper on a large carton and traced the edges of the paper on the carton. Then I carved out a rectangular carton following the lines I traced. So the carton had the same shape as the white paper.
Step 2
I applied gum on the surface of the carton and placed the paper on the carton, so that they would stick together.
Next, I cut a piece of fabric, giving it a design such that it will serve as the clothing for the body in the art.
Step 3
I made a sketch of a lady on another carton, and then I carved it out.
After that, I applied gum on the back of this sketch I carved out, and I placed it on the white paper.
Step 4
It was time to apply the Nigerian fabrics. For the head, I took little pieces of fabric, folded them and placed them diagonally. I placed some diagonally on the right layer by layer, and I also placed them on the left diagonally, layer by layer. I applied gum to make them stick.
With every layer, I made the fabric bigger. I ensure that I followed the edges of the head.
As you can see, the combination of fabrics on the head looks like a head cover. This is a popular fashion for Nigerian ladies. When Nigerian ladies dress up in such fabric, they also wrap a piece of the fabric round their head, trying to match it with what they are wearing.
I also applied the fabric I carved out earlier for the clothing. I held it to the paper using gum.
Step 5
I applied two buttons on both sides of the head to serve as earrings. This is the final result.
This is a very simple diy art to commemorate the World Day of cultural diversity. The reason why I love this art is that it doesn't just project the Nigerian culture, it projects African culture. The Nigerian fabric is very popular. It is well known and used beyond Nigeria. I do hope you like the art.