art-breaks – Art-Breaks

Sometimes Art Is Messy

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 Art-Breaks

Charcoal cloud low res

So one thing that I find I am constantly saying is, “Sometimes art is messy.” In our culture we tend to have a fear of mess. This fear can act as an inhibitor to our creativity. We tell our children, “Don’t make a mess.” We tell ourselves, “I can’t do that it is too messy.” Sometimes though it is good to embrace the mess, to let it in. When we let go of all that control we can begin to feel free to be creative. In my last post I wrote about sensory art play for infants and toddlers. It is probably the messiest class that I lead. It is a ton of fun. In order to enjoy it though one must let go of the need to be tidy. It is a pretty easy sell for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, It is somewhat acceptable for very young kids to get messy. They after all are messy with pretty much everything they do! It is a much more difficult sell for older children, and even more difficult for adults. My argument though is that there is a time and a place for being messy, and that it can be quite freeing to our creative nature to allow ourselves and our children to embrace the creative mess on occasion. After all, “Sometimes Art Is Messy!”

messy hands collage — Messy hands of all ages enjoying the process of art.

Some of my favorite projects are the result of messy art. Once you let go and embrace the process of messy art, some really cool things can happen. For me this is where art meets mindfulness.

You get in the flow. You become in tune with the moment.
You let go of a need for control. You let the process unfold.
You have fun. When you are not so worried about controlling the art, you are able to just enjoy it.

Fluid Acrylic Art

Fluid acrylic or ink pours like the one in the video above are a perfect example of letting go and embracing the process. This is a very messy technique and it is quite difficult to control the outcome, but if you can embrace the mess and let go of your need to control it then you begin to realize just how interesting and enjoyable it is to watch paint move! Sometimes you love the finished painting, and sometimes you don’t. Not all art is meant for a gallery wall or even the refrigerator. I find this method of creating to be quite therapeutic. For me it allows me to become present in the moment. It gives me a reset and a change in mindset and attitude.

String Painting

A favorite messy art project of mine is string painting. I have done this project with preschoolers, school age children, and adults. This method is always fun, always messy, and always satisfying! I love how they turn out. They remind me of my favorite flowers, the calla lily.

string art collage

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Shaving Cream Marbling

Who does not love playing with shaving cream, right? It has a pleasant scent, and fluffy texture, and best of all it is so much fun to use as a marbling medium. Once you have marbled your papers you can use them in so many ways. They can become collage papers for future projects or backgrounds for more detailed paintings, or even journal pages.

paper marbling collage — Shaving cream marbling is fun for all ages.

finished marbled pages — Finished Marbled page and a collage using marbled papers.

Scrape Painting

Scrape painting is a favorite of mine for younger kids. I use this a lot for preschoolers and elementary age children. It is a great way to explore color mixing. It is quite messy but I love how these turn out! I could see adults having fun with this as well, I sure do!

scrape painting finished art collage — Finished scrape paintings always remind me of the art of Eric Carle.

Blow Painting

I have written about blow painting before here. It is a super fun messy art project that is worth mentioning again. It is absolutely something that you have to let go of expectations and control to be able to enjoy. Young kids are really good at that. Older kids and us adults, well sometimes we need a bit of help in that area. I typically do these types of projects with preschool and elementary age children. Sometimes we turn our splatters into more “refined” art such as paint monsters or flowers. With adults I mostly have done blown paint with alcohol inks, but the idea is the same and te results are similar!

20171115_110109 — Preschooler blowing paint splatters.

pixlr_20170517190602773 — Flower blown paint art by elementary age kids.

Scan_20161116 (2) — Flower blown art by me! Made with alcohol inks

I hope that you and the kiddos in your life will try out some of these fun messy at projects at some point. Yes they are very messy, but the mess is worth the experience.

A fun little bit of info: The name of this blog Art-Breaks, came from some of my experiences with messy art! Last year, when I still had my art studio, my friend used to pop in on her lunch break for art time. We made some huge messes during these short little art breaks. We experimented with acrylic pours, and string art mostly. Several of the photos above are from those little breaks. I wish we were still able to do them. I miss it so much. Anyway these little breaks were so important to me that I named this blog after them!

Feel free to leave a comment, question, or little story about your experiences with messy art!

Adult Art Project, Art Project, collage, Kid's Art Project, Preschool Art, Process Art

More fun with collage, part 2.

January 21, 2019January 16, 2019 Art-Breaks

prompt 8 collage

In Fun With Collages, Part 1 we looked at torn paper collages, cut paper collage, and vision boards. The post was getting long, but I felt like there was still so much more to cover! So today we will look at recycled art paper collages, cardboard collages, fabric collages, and found object collages.

Just a reminder of the supplies you will need for your collage work:

Old magazines, Papers, Cardboard or even Fabrics
Glue (Glue sticks work well for lightweight papers, Mod Podge for fabrics, or a stronger craft glue for cardboard.)
Scissors
Something to glue your collage to. If you are working in a sketchbook or journal great, if not any piece of plain paper or cardboard will do.
Found objects and a low temp hot glue gun for our final collage project!

Recycled Art Paper Collage

old art collage — Old art from several different activities with kids between preschool and elementary age. I cut both geometric shapes and more organic shapes out. In many cases I let the shapes on the painting dictate what I cut out.

So in the last post we were mainly using magazine pages and other decorative papers such as scrapbook papers. Today we will be focused on recycled papers and repurposing old art work for our collage purposes. I enjoy doing a lot of process art with kiddos and myself, but you end up with a lot of art papers that really don’t have a function. So what are you to do with the ever-growing stacks of paper? Well collage of course!

20181115_142858b — A quick little playful ocean life collage made from the fun shapes found in abandoned process art which was left unclaimed.

I often will cut up old art papers into fun shapes to reuse at a later time either myself or with a kid’s art class. I like to keep fun cut up papers on hand in a collage basket for kids to experiment with.

20171220_164100 — This beautiful landscape collage was done by an elementary aged child using several of their own process art pages we had created in class throughout the year.

Cardboard Collage

Cardboard is a great medium for collage. Shapes can be cut and arranged on a larger sheet of cardboard to create a new image. Paint can also be used to unify the piece of art created. You can play with texture by peeling the top layer off a piece of corrugated cardboard to reveal the fun rigid texture! I recommend using either a craft glue such as Elmers or even a low temp hot glue gun as the cardboard will need a bit more sticking power!

cardboard collage

Fabric Collage

Another fun twist on collageing is using fabric scraps instead of paper. For fabric I like to use Mod Podge instead of glue sticks or craft glue because it dries flat without any ridges. I usually will use the Mod Podge both under the fabric and as a top coat to make sure it is sealed. I usually will use cardboard for my backer but you could experiment with other substrates as you wish.

20181210_094831 — A quick little landscape that I created one afternoon.

img_20170712_134616_379 — **Some fabric collage landscapes from a summer camp I ran. The kids were elementary aged.**

Found Object Collage

The final style of collage that I want to discuss today is found object collage, sometimes refered to as assemblage art. For these projects you will need the low temp hot glue as many items are too bulky for craft glue. You will also need a sturdy backer or substrate. I often use wood or corrugated cardboard.

bird collage 2 — This fun little bird used both old cut up pieces of art work and various found objects!

Quick tip: When working with children always be sure to use low temp glue guns. Point out the hot parts and let them know to place the glue on the backer surface and then add the small found object to avoid holding tiny items in their hand to glue which could lead to a burn. Show them how to use a small popsicle stick or some other stick like object to pres into the hot glue instead of pushing the object with their finger.

clooage mandala 1 — A foun object mandala from a yoga and art camp I helped lead.

Kids love to use the hot glue, and it can be done safely even with very young kids as long as you pay attention to safety measures. Yes, small burns do happen from time to time but small injuries are a valuable learning experience. It is worth the small risk to see the sense of wonder and excitement in the face of a child who has acted independently with a tool!

bottle cap art — Remember incorporating a bit of mixed media is also a fun way to unify found object collages as is the case with this awesome flower vase with bottle cap flowers!

I hope you have enjoyed this series of collage projects as much as much as I have. I love to both make my own collages and teach collage workshops and classes! They are so much fun and the possibilities are limitless!

Adult Art Project, Art Project, collage, Kid's Art Project, Preschool Art, Process Art

Fun With Collage, Part 1

January 15, 2019March 12, 2019 Art-Breaks

making collages collage

Collages are some of my favorite projects to do. There are so many ways to collage making this such a diverse medium. I have done colleges with children as young as 3 yrs old and I have done collages in my adult classes. You can go as simply or as intricate as you want. I encourage you to play with different papers and fabrics in your collage work. Below you will see some examples of my favorite collage projects from many of the classes I have taught throughout the years. These have been classes both for kids and adults…collage is for everyone!

For these projects you need:

Old magazines, Papers, Cardboard or even Fabrics
Glue (Glue sticks work well for lightweight papers, mod podge for fabrics, or a stronger craft glue for cardboard.)
Scissors
Something to glue your collage to. If you are working in a sketchbook or journal great, if not any piece of plain paper or cardboard will do.

Torn Paper Collage

IMG_20160616_134913

Try tearing your papers instead of cutting them. There is something about tearing little bits of paper that is quite therapeutic! The above rainbow color collage above was a simple little project I did with bits of torn paper. It was a quick and playful little collage that I did as part of a yoga and art class I was hosting one time. Plus, there is no right or wrong way to tear paper, simply start with colors, pictures, or words that resonate with you. Any size or shape will do. The idea is to overlap your torn pieces of paper so that you cover the entire page you are working on.

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This collage was part of a vision board workshop I hosted for women. I combined the torn paper with a cut out image and a bit of wet on wet watercolor play.

Cut Paper Collage

If tearing is not your thing try cutting out images and or words that resonate with you. Cut paper collages, just as torn paper collages can be done with many age groups. For the very youngest children I sometimes provide a series of already cut shapes (both geometric shapes and more organic shapes). If the child has scissor skill though it is better to let them cut their own shapes!

Cut pieces can be arranged in any way you wish. They can be layered over one another, used to create a new picture, or simply collaged to highlight the specific image or word chosen (Think Vision Board).

20171117_201815b — This landscape collage was completed by an adult student, again they focused on colors and textures to create the sky and water, but they highlighted a chosen image for the flower field.

20181015_153508b — The child who completed this collage was about 3 years old. This is an example of a collage using pre-cut shapes. For this project we were focusing on the gluing skill, so we isolated that aspect of the collage by eliminating the need to cut shapes. A large variety of shapes, colors, and patterns were offered for the child to choose from.

Vision Boards

Vision boards are collages that focus on a goal or idea that you want to focus on. They are a very useful tool to help you keep your goals in mind as you strive to reach them. I have done vision boards with children and adults. They are useful, fun, and therapeutic! I like to start off my new year by creating a vision board for the year.

vision board collage — Three examples of vision boards. The far left was done by a child, we started by tracing her head then she collaged her interests and desires inside! The middle was in an adult board from a self-care class focused on intrinsic goals. The third was a board focused on life goals using a combination of words and images.

This should get you started with some fun creative collage ideas for yourself, or your kids. Try using collage as a group activity in a class or with a scout group, women’s circle, or club! Most of all have fun!

For more fun collage check out part 2…

Adult Art Project, Art Project, Kid's Art Project, Process Art

Abstract Watercolor Project

December 4, 2018 Art-Breaks

Abstract watercolor

Check out this is a fun and easy project to get your creative juices flowing! This project is geared towards adults, however I have done this with kids as young as 9 before and it has gone really well. Children just need to be old enough to follow instructions and patient enough to work through the many steps.

Here are the supplies you will need for this project:

Watercolor Paper: I like 140# paper but you could use a 90# paper as well. This project does work best with paper made for watercolor paint.
Watercolor Paints and Brush: I used prang student grade watercolors and they worked fine. Just note that the better quality watercolors you use the more vibrant your painting will be!
Painters Tape
Rubber Cement
Black Ultra Fine Tip Sharpie
Hair Dryer (If you are impatient like me)

Step 1

Use Painters tape to tape your paper to your work surface. This will help keep your paper from warping as much, and it will create a nice finished looking border edge around your final piece.

Now drizzle rubber cement across your page. Let it dry. Rubber cement dries pretty quickly but you can use that hair dryer to speed it along. It does need to be fully dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 2

You will be working with three colors for this project. I would suggest using colors in the same color family to avoid mixing brown unintentionally.

Warm colors: Red, Yellow, Orange
Cool colors: Blue, Purple, Green
Analogous Colors: (Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel) such as Blue, Green, Yellow

Tip: Colors that are opposite on the color wheel tend to make a muddy brown hue such as red and green or purple and orange…

Begin painting with the lightest color of the three you have chosen for your piece. So if you chose blue, yellow, and green, begin with the yellow.

Paint with your first color across part of your page. Leave some white space for the other colors later. Allow the paint to dry (Use a hair dryer is desired).

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Step 3

Drizzle more rubber cement across your painted surface. Allow to dry completely.

Step 4

Paint with the second color. Paint across some of the white space you left previously but leave some white space for your third color as well. With the second color paint over part of your first color, allowing the two colors to mix and layer. Dry.

Step 5

Drizzle more rubber cement across your newly painted surface. Dry completely.

Step 6

Paint with your third and final color. Fill in the remaining white space. Paint over portions of your first two colors allowing the colors to mix and layer. Leave some of the colors unmixed as well. Once your are happy with your composition allow your work to dry completely. You can use the dryer for this as well, but make sure to dry it completely before you move on to the next step.

3rd color

Step 7

Using the pads of your fingers rub off all of the rubber cement, revealing the colors/white page beneath. This process takes a bit of patience and elbow grease!

rub off rubber cement

Step 8

Use your sharpie pen to outline some of the shapes created by the rubber cement resisting the paint. This will simply highlight some of those shapes. You do not need to highlight all of the shapes. Simply pick a few of the most interesting to you! Be creative and have fun! You can also doodle in some of the shape if you wish…you are only limited by your imagination.

Watercolor restis play pen

Step 9

Pull up the tape revealing the crisp edges of your finished piece of abstract art. Enjoy your masterpiece!

I hope you enjoy this playful project as much as I did! I would love to hear your thoughts or see what you came up with if you feel like sharing! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Watercolor restis play — My finished piece. It looks like some sort of space dog I think, lol!

Kid's Art Project, Preschool Art, Process Art

Simple toys for creative play.

November 19, 2018January 29, 2019 Art-Breaks

Simple Toys for

Back in 2011 Jonathan H. Liu wrote an article for wired.com called “The 5 Best Toys of All Time” The title is linked to the article if you wish to read the whole thing. Here are his selections:

Stick
Box
String
Cardboard Tube
Dirt

This article got me thinking about kids and creative play. As we enter this holiday season, our minds are focused on the next great toy. Each year there is that special coveted toy that makes every child’s wish list. It is usually flashy and colorful with buttons and noises. So much fun, right? Well yes, it is fun for a while… but have you noticed that once your child has played with it for bit they tend to lose interest in it? That flashy, great, must have toy usually ends up in a corner somewhere collecting dust when the child loses interest and moves on to something else. Why is that? Well I believe that it is because children’s interest is better served with much more open ended play things. Toys that allow for creative play and thought. Toys that can be used in multiple ways and for multiple purposes tend to stand the test of time. Often times those toys are much more simple in nature, such as the box or the stick. They can represent many things at many different times. They grow with the child’s interest and knowledge of the world. They are as dynamic as the child’s own brain.

Found Object Sculpture collage

I am not saying that these fancy toys are bad or that you shouldn’t provide them for your child. I am only suggesting that they be balanced with simpler more open ended play things. Items that last beyond the lifespan of a battery.

I am reminded of two of my very favorite toys from childhood.

toys

A wooden rope spool
2 pieces of plywood hinged together.

These toys were given to me and my brother for Christmas one year by a dear family friend and they provided hours of entertainment throughout the years…Yes I said years. I still had them when I went away to college! When we received these toys we were quite young. I do not remember exactly how old, but early elementary school anyway. At first the hinged wood became a fort/tent to play in. We would set it up and hide inside. Sometimes it was a doll house of the cave for a stuffed animal. The spool was often used as a car or a wheelchair. Sometimes it was a tower as we built with blocks. I used to even pretend that it was a two story condo for my barbies. I loved to try to walk on it, pretending I was in a circus act. Both of these toys provided hours of endless entertainment. As I got older the spool became a seat in my room or a night stand. The hinged wood became a table top, or a hard surface to draw on. These toys grew with us and allowed for many uses as we grew up and our interests changed. I can tell you I do not remember many of the toys I played with as a child. There are only a few that have remained in my memory, but these were two of them. These two simple yet creative and open ended toys remain as fond memories of childhood.

nature art collage

Throughout my work with children, I have seen the toys listed above turn into magnificent creations. When a child’s imagination is at play wonderful things happen. Creative play allows the child to process their own unique ideas and thoughts. It allows them to problem solve, to discover new ways to do things, and to build confidence in their own ability.

bottle cap art

So with all of that in mind I would like to expand the list of toys to include a few more items that allow for creative play and foster the child’s imagination and creative minds.

Sticks of all sizes.
Cardboard boxes, and sheets of cardboard.
String/yarn/ribbon
Cardboard Tubes (Toilet paper tubes , and sturdy mailers)
Nature Item: dirt, leaves, pine needles, pine cones, acorns, seed pods…
Corks
Bottle caps, both plastic and metal
Tin cans
Wooden Spools, (both large and tiny!)
Scrap wood (Large and small pieces, perhaps with a hinge!)

These are simple toys that are readily available to just about anyone, they provide hours of creative play, and are engaging to all ages! Children of all ages can enjoy playing with these items. The photos throughout this post have been made by preschoolers, school age children, teens, and even adults! So go ahead raid your own recycle bin or collect some items from your yard.

What can you create out of these items when you allow your imagination to run wild?

cardboard tools

Consider the following tools to use with your creative items when playing:

Low Temperature Hot Glue Gun
Scissors (Sharp enough to cut cardboard)
Tape (Try out different kinds!)
Sharpie Markers
Paints
Simple hand tools (hammer and nails, drill…)

child with hot glue gun

Note: All of these tools can be used with children, however adult supervision is necessary to prevent possible injury with some of them. Just remember not to take over if you are assisting a child. Your job is to assist them in creating their ideas… even if you can think of a better way to accomplish the task. Failure is ok in creating…it provides opportunities to problem solve and to learn perseverance. Most importantly it shows the child that you have confidence in their ability and that their thoughts are valid. And always, remember to have fun! 🙂

creative play art collage

box costume

I would love to see what you create leave a photo in the comment section or on Instagram with the hashtag #artbreaks

Adult Art Project, Art Project, Kid's Art Project, Preschool Art, Process Art

Blow Painting: Process art for kids and Adults!

November 9, 2018November 7, 2018 Art-Breaks

Blow Painting

Blow painting is a fun process art activity for multiple age groups. Simply change the type of paint or pigment used for different effects and for different age groups. Read on to find out the general process plus check out my top 5 favorite projects using this technique! There are projects for preschoolers, school aged kids, and even adults…so read on.

Be sure to check out my top 5 favorite blow paint projects!

For this project you are going to need:

Thinned paint or ink, depending on the group you are painting with. More on that later!
A dropper or pipette
Paper or canvas, the type used needs to work well with the choice of paint/ink you are using. Being sure to use a high quality substrate that matches the intended project will always offer the best results. For kid’s projects I like to use a 90# mixed media paper or a watercolor paper. For adults I might use the watercolor paper, canvas, or specialty paper depending on the paint medium being offered.
A drinking straw.
Optional: Additional items to finish out your project, i.e googly eyes, glitter, sharpies, ect.

Process:

20171115_110109

Prepare your paint. I love to use liquid watercolors but watered down tempera paints work well also for the first three projects. The 4th and 5th projects require their own special paints and papers/substraits.
Drip your paint/ink onto your paper using the dropper. 90# mixed media paper or watercolor paper work best for this project. Thinner paper tends to rip too easy.
Aim your straw at the paint drip and blow into the straw, allowing the paint to spread and splatter.
Try turning your paper as you blow through your straw to spread the paint around more.
Continue to drip paint and blow through the straw until you are satisfied with the result!

You can enjoy this projects as it is or extend it with one of the following project ideas to finish it out!

Check out my top 5 favorite blow paint projects below!

Project 1: Blow paint monsters

blow paint monster collage

Recommended Age: Preschool – 9 years

Simply add one or more googly eyes to the paint splatter to create a blow paint monster. If the paint is really wet you can probably just add the googly eyes to the wet paint, otherwise you may need to use a dot of glue on each eye.

Project 2: Flower Gardens

flower collage

Recommended Age: 6-12 years

Direct the children to aim towards the middle of the page to drip the paint and blow the splatters out. Encourage them to make several splatters, allowing colors to mix.
Next give them some green paint. I like to use a couple of different shades of green to create a bit of depth.
Have them hold their paper up or prop it up on an easel. Ask them to create the stems and grass for the flowers by using the gravity painting technique. Hold the dropper at the bottom of their blown out flower and allow the green to drip down the page.
Create a few leaves by blowing through the straw at the green stem in a few places.
Optional: Once the paint has dried completely allow the child to add details to the flowers or accent certain shapes using ultra fine point sharpies.

IMG_20170517_201720_229

Project 3: Blow paint portraits

hair collage

Recommended Age: 5-12 years

Have the child draw a bald character on a piece of paper, being sure that they leave room for the hair! I find that a bust (head and shoulders works best for this project).
Have the child use the dropper to drip the paint on the hairline.
Use the straw to blow the hair out and away from the face.

Project 4: High flow acrylics on Canvas

liquid pour collage

Recommended Age: Teen- Adult

For this project I like to use canvas panels as opposed to paper. Canvas panels are also cheaper and a bit sturdier than stretched canvas. They do not tend to droop the way a stretched canvas might under the weight of pooled up paint. You can use high flow acrylics or you can make your own by adding a bit of elmer’s gel glue and water to your acrylic paints. The consistency should be similar to pancake batter.

Tip: These will take a long time to dry so I have found it useful to place the canvas in a box as I work. Gift boxes work well for this. You can also use plastic bottle caps to hold the canvas panels off of the bottom of the box so that as it dries it does not stick to the box.

Set up your work space by placing the canvas on a level flat surface. See the tip above for ideas incase you might need to move the piece prior to drying.
You can either pour your high flow acrylics directly onto your canvas or you can add smaller amounts by using a dropper/pipette as described above in the other projects.
Use the straw to help move the paints around you canvas by blowing into it. You can also tilt the canvas and allow gravity to move the paint.

Note: Part of the fun of this type of painting is letting go of the control. Allow yourself to enjoy watching the paint move and flow. Remember that often the paint will continue to move a bit as it dries, so it will likely continue to change form as it dries.

Project 5: Alcohol Inks

alcohol inks collage

Recommended Age: Teen to Adult

For this project you are going to need a few more specialty items:

Rubbing Alcohol
Alcohol Inks, my favorite brand is Ranger.
Yupo Paper
Small plastic paint pallet
Droppers/pipette
Straw
Optional: small paint brush, old plastic gift card, alcohol wipes

Process:

Scan_20161116 (2)v 640

You can drip inks directly from the bottle onto your yupo paper if you wish.
Use the straw to blow the ink around. The ink will continue to blow around until the alcohol evaporates.
Alternately you can mix a few drops of alcohol with a few drop of the ink in your pallet and use the dropper or a small brush to add it to the yupo paper.
Play with ways to manipulate the ink by blowing through the straw, painting into it with the paint brush and more ink or even plain alcohol, or scraping it with the plastic card.

Note: The inks can be reactivated with more alcohol and reworked.

*To clean up your alcohol ink tools use the rubbing alcohol rather than water.

I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I do! I would love to hear your experiences. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

20160114_151357

Until next time,

Art Project, Preschool Art

Gravity Painting with Preschoolers

November 4, 2018November 4, 2018 Art-Breaks

Paint the Rain

One of my favorite projects with preschool aged kids is gravity painting. There is something so rewarding about watching paint drip. The kids alway have such a great time with this one! This project is very easy to set up and can be done easily at home. Keep in mind that it has the potential to be quite messy though so if you are worried about a mess you may want to try this one outside!

gravity painting collage

You will need:

Small jars
Eye droppers or pipettes
Washable paints, I prefer liquid watercolors though tempera paint works well too.
Water to dilute paint.
Paper to paint on. I like to use a watercolor paper or at least a 90# paper for durability.
Drop cloth for floor or table if painting inside.
Some sort of easel or wall that you can attach your paper to.

20180221_100611

Set up:

Prepare your space by covering the floor and or table where you will be painting.
Attach your paper to an easel or wall. Be sure that it is at the correct height for your child. They should be able to comfortably reach the top of the paper.
Prepare your paints by mixing with water. Paints should be thin enough to be collected in the dropper and to drip. I like a fairly watery consistency for this project. Just make sure that you have enough paint to give a rich color.
Place one dropper or pipette into each color.

A note on paints: For this project select 2-4 colors of paint to work with. Be sure to keep your paint colors in the same color family in order to avoid brown drips…unless brown is what you are after! Warm colors: reds, oranges, yellows work well together as do cool colors: blues, greens, purples…

Spilled paint — Remember messes are likely!

For this project I love to tell the kids that we are going to be painting rain! So I tend to choose dark blues, purples, and turquoise colors to paint with.

Process:

Gravity painting collage1 — A mom guiding her child to squeeze the dropper by gently placing her hand over his to demonstrate when to squeeze.

Invite the child to paint. As I said before, I love to tell the kids that we will be painting rain. This is a fun way to relate this project to their life experience a bit.
Show the child how to squeeze the dropper or pipette in the paint to collect the paint. I like to really slow this down and exaggerate my movements. Ex: Say, “Squeeze” and very slowly squeeze the dropper in an exaggerated way.
Then say “Let go,” and while the dropper is in the jar completely remove you hand from the dropper, showing the child your empty hand. This is important for children who do not yet have experience with droppers. Otherwise they tend to continue squeezing as they lift the dropper and the paint comes back out before they get it to the page.
Next demonstrate lifting the dropper out of the paint. Point out the paint in the dropper to the child. Finally show the child how to hold the dropper at the top of the page again. Say, “Squeeze” allow the paint to drip down the page.
Hand the dropper to the child and say, “Your turn.” It may take them several tries to collect paint and get it to the paper. That is OK. Unless they are showing signs of frustration allow them to continue exploring it unassisted. If they seem frustrated, repeat the above steps or gently guide their hand as you demonstrate.

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Exploration is key here. Allowing the child to fully engage with the tools is the goal. It may take some time for them to master the tools and they might instead try to paint with or draw with the dropper. All of that is ok. They are exploring something new and relating it to their previous life experiences. Most of all have fun with this project. If the child loses interest, don’t force it. Perhaps try again later. I have noticed that some children respond better to a project the second or third time it is introduced. So don’t worry if your child is not interested, simply try again at a later time!

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This project is a great exploration for older toddlers and preschoolers, but it can also be extended for older children. I have done this project with kids up to 12 years old with great results. For older children try having the child paint a landscape or an umbrella type rain scene on their page first. Then you can have them add the rain to finish it off. Kids of all ages enjoy watching the paint drip!

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I hope you have a blast with this project! I would love to hear your experiences with it. Feel free to leave a comment.