Dots ....Pointillism

Kids love painting with dots and that technique actually has a fancy art name, pointillism. It continues to be an important art genre made started first by Georges Seurat ( Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte), and made famous also by Vincent van Gogh (Starry, Starry Night and Sunflowers), and Paul Signac (Harbour at Marseilles) followed by many other great artists. Viewed from afar, the individual dots in the paintings are not always visible, but the dots are evident when the art is viewed from a closer position. It is an amazing technique and can be fun for kids to try.

Here are a few good kid links to teach your child about the artists and the technique:

How to paint spot-on like Georges Seurat

Paint like Vincent Van Gogh

Scholastic lesson on pointillism

pointillism for kids

Dots can be made with finger tips, q-tips, the end of a dowel, or anything that is the desired size.
The only other supplies you need are paint and paper.    

                                         
Your child can make a picture, re-create Starry, Starry Night or Sunflowers, a bookmark, or a card and it can be of an object or scene or it can just simply be playing with colors. For young children, you may need to draw something lightly with a pencil and instruct them to fill in the drawing with dots.
                                           
Using dots is also a fun way to practice numbers and letters. Either you or your child can write the numbers, then your child can fill in the lines with dots.
                                           
Lastly, I want to share an item the kids and teachers love at the Day School, Do-A-Dots. They look like markers with paint in them and they make dots! We use them for all kinds of art and also for exercises like reinforcing the letters in a child's name. Definitely worth ordering if your child loves                                  
art!
                                         
Enjoy dotting!