Art doesn’t need to be fancy nor precise. When it comes to preschoolers, rarely will you get either attribute resulting from their art projects. Instead, aim for art exploration and the opportunity to be creative. One of the easiest activities to help your preschooler share their artistic talents with paint is splatter painting. Jackson Pollock made a living from this fabulous technique. Here’s a simplified and a little less messy version of splatter painting you can try at home.
The best thing about splatter style painting is that there are no mistakes. If you accidentally end up with a big blob of red where you ment to have green, so what, go with it! Go a head and let the brush touch the paper to add in lines or other shapes. Combine the drips and splatters with other techniques and see what happens with the art piece. Turn the splatters into intentional moments of creative genius. Once the creations dry you can display as is or use as patterned paper for another project.
Supplies you need for splatter painting:
- Washable watercolor paints. You can also use tempera or craft paints, just make sure they are washable and watered down to a nice liquid consistency.
- Paintbrushes in various sizes
- Paper
How to splatter paint:
- First, and most importantly, make sure to thoroughly cover the painting area or go outside on the drive way for this activity.
- Prepare your watercolors for painting.
- Start splattering – There are a number of ways to get this “splatter” effect when painting. One of the most common is simply flinging. similar to throwing without letting go, the brush abruptly down at the paper. If you have limited space, a better way to go it so use your index finger and “flink” the brush tip while holding the brush in the other hand.
Encourage your preschooler to experiment as they paint with different materials for their splattering such as sponges, wash clothes, Q-tips and other objects that can hold paint well.
Another fun resource to check out is jacksonpollock.org, play with splatter painting right on your computer.