Painting with kids is fun, interactive and will open your eyes to how children see the world around them. Since my niece, Courtney was a toddler; we have been painting together on the same canvas. The fun, joy and laughter we have had, has created a lasting bond that is amazing.
Kids love bright vibrant colors. For toddlers, crayons and glitter glue, colored pencils and magic markers are great. Experiment, mix pencil colors together! Try putting a yellow pencil down before green...Watch as the color comes to life. When Courtney was seven, we started using acrylics straight out of the tube, without mixing, because they are vibrant and quick drying, water soluble with easy clean up.
Painting
Part of the joy is choosing colors together at the art shop. Our favorite colors are, luminous reds, pyrrole and quinacridone. Bright neon yellows, hansa and cadniums. Shimmering blues from manganese hues to ultramarine. Dark greens with blue and yellow shades. Dazzling, cobalt violets and ultramarine purples. Mix with titanium white and no black as adding black tends to make colors dirty. To get vibrant glossy colors we add gloss acrylic glazing liquid mixed to a milky consistency.
If you are inexperienced in mixing color get a color key/wheel as this is a great teaching tool, which demonstrates how the primary paint colors red, yellow and blue go together to create intermediate colors.
Kids have wonderful imaginations. Let them create the subject for your project; encourage exploration, nothing is impossible! Have them sketch out the idea on a sheet of paper prior to the canvas. Feeling unsure, research it together on the internet or in a book. That's all part of the fun!
As a toddler Courtney and I painted these subjects; Will you jump with me, dance with me, paint with me, at the time we observed they would make a great book. Numerous Christmas, birthday cards and thank you notes later, we had a formula for success.
Our recipe for success. Take turns in painting. If you are painting a rainbow, chose the colors in turn, mixing the chosen colors then painted them in concert, discussing where each color should go. For a sky take different blues and white take turns with your color, most of all be creative.
Fast and furious is fun, no painting should take hours. This means that prior to painting prep the canvas or paper. When painting solid color pre-paint with titanium white to bring out the vibrancy of the color or for wet techniques chose a good paper.
Brushes do make a difference and how you use them counts. Pull, move the paint on the tip of the brush. Encourage a light touch, let the brush do the work. For example when painting a star, dip, pull in one movement each point of the star, finishing with a dot in the middle. We use three soft brushes the most, round number 3, 8 and 18, for large skies a brush from the hardware store will do.
Today we paint landscapes, incredible universes and even bird boxes, which we got at a hobby shop. What fun we had putting it together, painting flowers and suns all over it. Always finish by signing and dating in indelible ink and varnish.
Can't paint a stick figure! Hers a fun project for all the family. What you will need:
• A canvas as big as you can afford.
• Acrylic pouring liquid
• Acrylic Paint samples from the hardware store. At least eight.
• Plastic cups to mix the paint in
• Old sheet or tarp.
Lay out the sheet on a flat area of grass, placing the canvas on top. Mix up the paint per the instructions and take turns pouring lines, splattering or dotting the colors on to the canvas! Yes that's it. Sit back and watch those colors merge with time... A masterpiece!
Painting with your kids will, produce more than a work of art it will be the subject of great conversation and memories that will last a life-time. Have Fun!
Painting With Kids - Fun Projects for All Ages
Peter John Lucking is the writer and illustrator of SANTA & THE LITTLE TEDDY BEAR. A magical ride with Santa and the reindeer takes a teddy bear on a whirlwind adventure to become a special Christmas gift. The book inspires families to sing, to dance, to explore other cultures and places and how they celebrate Christmas. Peter had a successful career in the design for the arts culminating with, "The Ellie Caulkins Opera House".