From top to bottom: Painting alongside my children – finger painting with my three-year old; observing my seven year old start some abstract art (which I joined in with towards the end); the resulting finished painting.
Ingredients: A range of paints – finger paints, acrylics, watercolours, oils (and linseed oil), mark-making tools, and materials to paint on – wood, canvas, cartridge paper, collage paper.
The Big Sell: Let’s paint beside each other and see what we can make together.
Strategy: It occurred to me early on as a mum and an artist there was a big gap between mine and my child’s expectations of a painting. I expected them to sit quietly and to concentrate on forming a well composed painting with narrative and clear bright colours. They expected to swish some paint around a space (which included paper but also included the table, chairs, floor, their hands and feet) until a muddy blend plastered the area and they could run off half-decorated and leave me to clear up!
I wondered whether my boys would ever come to enjoy the tranquillity and focus of painting in the way that I did and what the steps were to this taking place. The answer was … yes they would, and here are some of the steps along that journey to my now seven-year old, who received mainly painting materials for his seventh birthday and loves abstract art more than any other style of painting.
- From 2 – 3 years onwards, make painting fun. Do it outside in the sun and paint on rolls of old wallpaper to make train tracks down the garden path. Paint hands and feet, toys, leaves, stones, feathers – anything that makes a print. Be well prepared with a bowl of warm water and wipes at the ready to clean them up and hang a washing line and pegs against a space wall if you are lacking in drying space.
- Introduce dialogue into their work from the word go. Once their paintings are dry (an hour or two later) reintroduce them to your child and using a fat marker pen show them what images you have seen in their paintings – turn a splodge into a face, a splash into a fish, a stripe into a stick man.
- Once your child starts to understand and enjoy ‘painting with mummy/daddy/carer’, try some tandem-finger painting. Pick the subject of their favourite book (such as The Hungry Caterpillar above) and show them how you can recreate the images using sharp shapes and clear bright colours with your hands, if you clean them in between with a wipe or bowl of water.
- Now turn to DIY toy-making. As they grow in confidence building images from shapes and colours, make their favourite cartoon character by giving them a basic outline to paint in, add finishing touches with black marker once dry, cut out and cover in sticky-back plastic so they can carry it around with them, attached to buggy.
- Alongside figurative art work, introduce elements of abstract art play – arrange patterned collage cut outs alongside swishes of paint and discuss what looks pleasing to their eye. Don’t be afraid to show them famous works of art to inspire them – any age can appreciate Matisse, Pollock, Picasso. Talk to them about the colours of their feelings and dreams and ask them to show you.
- As your child’s confidence and knowledge of painting grows, support them with increasingly interesting materials – by the age of five my eldest son was painting on wood and papier mache, and quickly progressed to canvas at six. Gather interesting mark-making tools – run down pens, bamboo scratching sticks, an old comb – and try using ink and wax to explore ways to build light and dark in images. By this age, they will appreciate a visit to child-friendly art galleries or sculpture parks. Explain that new materials are precious things to be considered and explored, parts of the rites of passage of becoming a skilled artist.
- Exhibit your child’s art work – not just with a magnet on the fridge – but by providing them with their own gallery space. If you can’t attach any permanent fixtures to a wall, just use a cork board covered in white or black fabric and lean it in a temporary space. Invite the child to be a curator of this exhibition and talk visitors through their paintings, rather than speaking for them.
Accompany this arts play with a culture of carrying sketchbooks on any long car or train journey, ready to play ‘Oops!’ – one person makes a ‘mistake’ (jabs a hole in the paper, creates a fold, line or squiggle) and the other has to turn it into something beautiful, before you swap turns.
The verdict: I’m aware that I may be making this arts development sound too serious and prescriptive, but that is possibly a response to the type of person my eldest son has become – a serious young man who craves authenticity and a ‘grown up’ approach. Other children may prefer to pursue a more freeform route, continuing to explore mess and mayhem indefinitely.
However, I don’t think there is any danger in exposing children to established artwork from a young age, nor from introducing this idea of dialogue and the closeness that comes from ‘drawing alongside’ a parent with their own style and artistic choices. And it goes without saying, NEVER describe yourself as ‘hopeless’ at art, no matter how lacking in confidence you are – to them you are wonderful and any poor self-esteem you display will only provide them with the weapons to be ashamed of their own efforts.
Differences between you and them as unique artists are a great gift to emphasize, as you journey towards a shared understanding of art as key to expression and freedom.
Catchphrase: I love painting beside you! It shows me what the world looks like to you.
Left wanting more?
- Does anyone else remember the fantastic retro-joy of watching Bob Ross paint a laidback landscape?! Type his name into Youtube and enjoy watching him at work with your child!
Great steps. Thank You for sharing
this is an awesome post. my niece loves making art!
Some great ideas here ..for many of us who wouldn’t know where to start to inspire artistic creativity in young children!
My grandchildren love painting and drawing.You have clearly shown how to develop it and to make it interesting both to the mother and child.Thank you.
This is wonderful! I just have to re-post!
Reblogged this on EMPOWERED RESULTS ~ Creating A Difference In Our Communities… and commented:
I truly believe that everyone has a talent/gift. Some are naturally able to display their talent openly, while others have to be nurtured to bring out the best in them. This post is a wonderful way of bringing out the artist in a child!
My grandson loves to use the Paint Tool on the family computer. This may be a great tool to inspire him to use real paint for his wonderful works of art! 🙂
Enjoy!
Thanks for the post.
Encouraging the imagination at an early age is a great idea.
It gives them the basis on which they’ll develop their creativity later in life.
I wish I’d started much earlier with art, as it would have given me a better foundation for my cartooning (see my blog).
Bob Ross! Great memories. Thanks for the tips. I was recently wondering how I should approach painting with my two-year-old beyond water colors in a coloring book. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Thanks for the great tips. I look forward to doing more painting with my four year old and one year old. 🙂
Wonderful posting. I will start the steps tonight.
Thank you for sharing! I think I would take a more freeform approach (granted, I don’t have any children as of yet), but these suggestions are fantastic springboards 🙂
Excellent ideas! I have also tried to show my nieces established artwork through conversations and photos and they began to love it. I’ll try these steps next!
This is so dear: I love painting beside you! It shows me what the world looks like to you.
Thank you for sharing. Creating artists requires that we suspend “neatness” in favor of messes, encourage “mistakes” and provide lots of space for curiosity and inventions. I think your “prescriptions” give parents an idea of what that looks like! Keep up the good suggestions and lovely photos!
Hello,
Many thanks for this post.
I am a mom of two girls 4 yrs old and 4 months old. The older loves crafting, painting, drawing etc.
I found that if I give her too much advice ( like watch out, the blue paint is wet, if you put yellow close to it it will mix up) she does not enjoy paint so much.
So I let her go on her own, and just do my own painting
Interessantissimo per un’amante della pittura come me. Grazie.
WOW! Thank you WordPress for featuring my Blog! I’ve never had so many views and comments in one day. Thank you everyone for taking the time to look and offer comments – it’s wonderful to hear so many people love to encourage and inspire their own children / grandchildren / nieces with painting too .. what lucky children out there!
Great article and tips! I will try it when my child is big enough. At what age do you think that it is good to start with this inspiring?
Good question, I guess it depends on each child’s interests – my 7 year old was into visual arts from about 2 onwards, but my youngest is more into creative writing and music so with him I engage in more homemade storytelling and singing. I see the ‘arts’ as something broader than painting or crafts, children don’t tend to differentiate between art forms – they just play!
I teach combined arts workshop to 2 – 5 year olds each week in a local museum and we use puppets, masks, play dough mark-making, even set-building from cushions, scarves and props to create a whole ‘play world’ from which we can become explorers, artists, archaeologists, etc… and through this multi-sensory approach I think you could probably start to introduce the arts from babyhood?!
Excellent post Beth, art is truly an exciting way for children to learn about self direction and experimentation and of course to have fun as well.
Reblogged this on Calvary-For-Me.
Good job. Arts must be a part of a child’s curriculum. The way students are forced into studies in India and China are ruining their whole life after money.
this is beautiful. i used to be one of those who think of myself as ‘hopeless’ at art so thank you for telling me otherwise. my son has the makings of an artist i just never knew how to get it out from him.
If I ever had a kid someday, I’m gonna make him/her love art.
If you would like to inspire your child further, please check out this short story ‘The Incredible Finvention’ I wrote for the charity Access art earlier this year. It’s FREE to download on i-pad or as a PDF.
http://www.accessart.org.uk/?p=9264#comments
Used to own an art supplies shop and the other thing I would add to this lovely post is that the best paper for a child usually the biggest.
And the cheapest way to do this is to buy rolls of wall paper or lining paper. Ends of batches are available in DIY shops for next to nothing. Even the embossed ones are fun if you are little.
Awe, this made me smile. Thanks!
a very useful post 😉
Reblogged this on OnlyArt and commented:
When I have kids I will definitely inspire them to paint and also follow any other dreams they are interested in. (As an artist, I really hope that my kids are interested in art though.) 🙂
Great tips! Thanks a lot!
I hope this post inspires a lot of parents and kids!
My post today is on a similar there, (although not just for kids), about why we need to keep trying new things, even if (as is often the case) we’re initially “lousy” at them. I think a lot of kids are totally turned off of making art when they are told to do it “right” when there is no objective right! There’s just the joy of making something, to start with.
I draw and paint well, and have been told by so many people they “can’t” when they were held to crazy standards instead of allowing themselves the pleasure of moving more slowly…
I hope you don’t mind my sharing this link.
Reblogged this on Tidbits of Our Life and commented:
Painting is so much fun and Colin loves it. Sometimes I try to avoid it because it is such a mess. I guess I should take the advice in this blog… AND I will! Tonight, we paint!
Reblogged this on Featherblues53's Blog and commented:
Enjoy these great suggestions for developing young artists. We all have a creative side, here is a great way to develop it. You can use this with young, old and any place in between. Enjoy!
We LOVED Bob Ross! He was fascinating to watch work.
Reblogged this on viventium and commented:
Great post for inspiration. It can easily be applied to other creative skills as well.
great tips. i especially like the one about finding things in the scribbles and smears and bringing them out with marker. i will definitely try! i have always been way artistic but my little boys, 5 & 3, don’t seem all that interested. disappointing! but maybe some of these ideas can bring them around. thanks for sharing!
WOW Thank you for posting this…What a great breakdown! I’m going to implement these suggestions into our homeschooling this year. I like how you break the steps down so it can be applied to each developmental age. I have a toddler who loves to “do school” and I am always looking for projects for her to do. I sometimes add shaving cream to the paint to give it a 3D effect for my toddler. She enjoys making skies and suns. The shaving cream makes the blue sky have texture and often resembles clouds. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing ,i like nice post
One thing my little artist loved was painting with dried corn. You dip the cob in paint and then roll it around a paper. It makes interesting marks! Also, old toy trucks can have their wheels dipped in paint and then run over pages of paper.
Thanks for the cool tips!
Reblogged this on DUDE*n*DIVA.
wow have you ever heard of an artist named Erik Wahl?! he talks about this all the time! I saw a semainar that he hosted and one of the questions he posted was “when asking a group of pre schoolers who can paint, they all raise their hands, when asking high schoolers the same question, they hesitate. At what age do we lost te belief that we are all artists?”
Inspire the artist not only in your child but also in your grown children 🙂 art is a matter of perception
I haven’t heard of him but I’ll check him out. I certainly agree, I am going to be working with teenagers again v soon and I think a major part of that job will be reigniting that confidence and self belief to ensure a happier and more fulfilling adulthood.
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