When you hear the phrase “art technique,” you probably think of some sophisticated method of doing art. That might make you wonder, “Is there any art technique ideal for kids?” If that’s the case, you’ll be happy to know that there is. We’re talking about pointillism art, an in this guide, we’ll give you an overview of how you and your kids can have fun with it.
What Is Pointillism Art?
Let’s start with what pointillism art is. Pointillism art is an artwork consisting of a series of tiny dots placed in a specific way to create an image. At first glance, pointillism art looks like a recognizable picture because the dots blend. However, you can see the individual dots when examining the painting up close.
What Is the Technique of Pointillism?
Pointillism itself is the name of the technique behind pointillism art. It’s a technique relying on how your eyes and mind blend the series of colored spots to become a complete picture. Pointillism is slightly similar to divisionism, which is its more technical counterpart. The difference is that pointillism is more about the brushwork while divisionism is about color theory.
The name pointillism came from the French word that means dot or point. This technique uses contrasting colors to make an image appear with a blended color. The way the dots were arranged and how they worked in a pointillism art is similar to a pixel. The only way to see the full effect of a pointillism art is by viewing it from afar.
Who Started the Pointillism Art Technique?
The person who invented pointillism art is French Georges Seurat, born in 1859. He was a gentleman with a wealthy family background. Seurat was involved in making art ever since he was a child and even went to an art school, although he didn’t like the strict rules there. He soon dropped out of art school altogether, studying art by himself instead.
He thought the art in his time lacked freedom, so he wanted to create a new art style. Seurat succeeded in creating pointillism after studying many impressionist painters and mixing art and color.
The uniqueness of pointillism has to do with line and form, their power in changing perception. Impressionist artists used many colors to create their paintings, and pointillism is the same. However, it’s different as it puts the paint directly onto the canvas as a multitude of dots.
What Elements of Art Are Used in Pointillism?
The elements of art used in pointillism are color, line, and form. Out of the three, color is the most prominent as the series of dots used in creating the art comes in various colors. All these elements combine to create a pointillism art. However, these elements would not have worked if not for the science of the eyes.
Benefits of Teaching Pointillism to Kids
Now that you have some background about pointillism, it is easy to see how this art style can be a fun, creative activity for kids. It’s a technique that is easy enough for children and has numerous benefits. Those benefits are fine motor skills, creativity, neural development, and problem-solving.
Fine Motor Skills
Painting can help kids build fine motor skills. An example of this is holding a paintbrush, which requires them to use a pincer grasp and trains the hand. This isn’t just the case with any art, though. Pointlisim requires some level of precision, since kids have to make the dots larger or smaller. All of this helps them build fine motor skills.
Creativity
Doing art makes kids think more and allows them to express themselves freely. This provides the kids with the avenue to develop their creativity as they experiment creating different images, whether it’s from their mind or the world around them.
Problem-Solving
When painting, the painter usually plans to complete an image they had on their mind. In some cases, the resulting image does not look exactly as the painter initially intended. Problems during the painting process force kids to develop their problem-solving skills. This shows that doing pointillism art or any art can be a great activity to train their ability to solve problems.
How to Make a Pointillism Art
Materials
Before you start, gather your materials first. Here are the materials you need:
- White paper, construction paper, or paper plate
- Paint colors
- Q-tips
- Pencil
Instructions
Once you have gathered these materials, you and your kid can begin making pointillism art by following these steps:
1. If necessary, you can start by sketching a design lightly on the white paper or paper plate. Keep it light to avoid the lead tracings from being visible when you paint over the design.
2. Keep this design on the side for now, and practice the technique first. Kids might be confused by the method, so you can try it out first by painting randomly on an extra piece of paper. Do this by dipping the Q-tips in the paint and pointing them to the painter to create your practice designs.
3. Once you and your kids are at least a little bit used to the technique, you can start painting the actual designs you made. Tip the Q-tips in the paints you want and paint the design by pointing them over and over until it covers the design.
4. Do step number three until you have wholly colored or painted the design. Once you do, set it aside and let it dry. When finally dry, you can try to see how the dots looked from afar to see for yourself how the colors blend.
You have now created your very own pointillism art. As you can see, it isn’t that hard. Kids would enjoy the repeated action of pointing the paint-dipped Q-tips onto the paper. Moreover, we are sure they will love the various colors used for this painting. Pointillism sure is an art technique that suits children, perhaps even toddlers.
Pointillism Art Ideas for Kids
What kind of artworks can you make with pointillism? Well, there are plenty of paintings you can make with it. After all, pointillism art is not about the subject but how the art was made. In that sense, you can make pretty much any art with this style of art. Below are some pointillism art ideas we think you and your kid can enjoy doing.
1. Pointillism Landscape Painting
One of the easiest artwork to make with pointillism is simply the landscape around you. For instance, you can paint your garden. It doesn’t have to be an accurate painting of your garden, even just an image similar to it. You and your child can create a picture of a field of flowers and plants, colored in various colors and dots.
2. Pointillism Pointed Bookmark
If not an ordinary painting, you and your kids can also use this technique to create your very own bookmarks. First, you just need a piece of carton or thick paper in the shape of a rectangle. With the piece of paper have your kids draw or paint the design they want. It can be anything – flowers, moon, stars, anything – and once they are done, you can laminate it so it lasts.
3. Pointillism Ornaments
You can make various ornaments too and then design them using the pointillism technique. You will need the ornament’s surface to be paintable, so paint them white or use paint primer. If you will use a jar or a similar object, paint them white and then start designing by pointing dots all over in the shape of whatever design you want.
Wrapping Up
Pointillism art is an excellent, easy painting technique that both kids and adults can enjoy. There is a great history behind it, which we think even kids can appreciate. Learning about pointillism and its history is an excellent story to share between kids and parents. Making art with the technique is even better.