Black Metallic Clay Mask Magic

Somewhere someone invented this lesson.  It wasn't me.  I don't even remember when or where I saw it first, and I've never carried out this lesson until this year.  My fifth graders have been learning about four artists: Paul Klee, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and Jasper Johns.  Right after our Picasso posters, we made small clay faces using slab methods. We just used low fire white clay, and students could make whatever sort of face they wanted, but texture was strongly encouraged. Students were also told to use straws to create holes along the top of their slab (to later add hair or other embellishments). Once fired, black acrylic paint was painted over it all (insert fifth grade whining here).  After the black paint dried, I gave out small amounts of liquid metallic acrylic paint and had students use their fingers to add it to their projects:

We learned the half-hitch knot and frayed yarn to add some oomph.
Oomph is a real made up technical term

The black adds something under the metallic paint, even when students used way more metallic than I advised.  These will be a great addition to our art show in two and half weeks!