Danielle Henrickson, an avid artist, mom, and blogger
is excited to motivate local families make art projects exciting and
enriching for all ages.
These projects can be done by anyone, even if they have no experience
with art. It is always exciting to inspire your children to express their own
creativity. The projects are not complicated(or expensive) and only require
a few simple materials.
Danielle’s sons Liam (5) and Lance (3 ½) created 3 simple Abstract
paintings in the following pictures.
Abstract #1: Pressed Shapes.
You will need
a blank canvas,
acrylic molding paste(sold in the painting section of art supply stores and
craft stores like Michaels), a palette knife, paper cups and a beaded
necklace (or other items of your choosing), and children’s tempera or
professional acrylic paint.
Before starting I recommend reading these guidelines(link: www.pineapplepaintbrush.com)about safety
when painting with children.
Step 1: Spread the molding paste over the canvas with apalette
knife making sure it is at least 1/8th inch thick.
Step 2: Press the cups and beaded necklace (or other items you
selected) into the paste to make interesting designs. Allow it to dry 8 hours
or overnight. You may speed up the drying process with a hair dryer.
Step 3: Paint the canvas.Make sure your child wears gloves if
using professional acrylic paints.My son likes to make his paint drip so he
propped up the canvas and diluted the paint with water to make the colors
run together. He also decided to color the circles in to make them stand
out.
The finished product:
Abstract #2: Fun Lines.
You will need a
blank canvas, a jar of
acrylic clear tar gel (sold at art supply and craft stores), a palette knife,
paint and paintbrushes.
Step 1: Have the child dip the palette knife into the clear tar gel
and then move the knife over the canvas allowing the gel to drizzle and
make interesting lines and patterns. Allow it to dry for 8 hours.
Step 2: Paint the canvas. Liam took over the painting portion of
this project. He painted with Golden brand acrylics. He liked the shapes
that were made by the tar gel lines and decided to paint all the shapes in
different colors.
The finished product:
Abstract #3: Comb Lines.
You will need a
blank canvas,
acrylic molding paste, a palette knife, a comb, paint and paintbrushes.
Step 1: Spread the acrylic molding paste across the canvas with
a palette knife. Then drag a comb through the paste to create fun lines.
Allow the surface to dry 8 hours.
Step 2: Paint! Lance used Tempera Cakesfrom the store
Lakeshore Learning. I LOVE these! The colors are very concentrated and
mix really well.At the endhe added silver acrylic paint to the canvas just for
fun.
The final product:
The best part about simple art projects is that they
allow children a lot of
freedom of expression. The most important thing about the process is not
necessarily the final product but thefun in getting there!For more ideas
check out Danielle’s art blog. Danielle will even be offering an online
preschool art class soon.
Danielle Henrickson
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