Hello to everyone out there in the Do Art Nation! We hope your creative projects have been going well, as we prepare for an amazing year of wacky workshops and assemblies. Mr. Jerry is out in Michigan this week for a creative assembly, while Ms. Karen continues to rock our acting workshops at the Tinley Park Park District.
Meanwhile, I have been painting! It’s been a little while since I’ve done a paint workshop, so I figured I would share one of my favorite painting exercises with you: one line drawing.
When learning to paint, it is actually very helpful to practice a design before you actually start painting it. We get kids inspired to paint by asking them to make a drawing with one line on a whiteboard to warm up their imagination and drawing skills. After warming up with a one-line drawing, we have them draw a black line with a dry erase marker on their canvas. We start painting!
In this video that I made to demonstrate, we use something called a color wash to lay down a nice base layer. In the beginning, you create a color wash with acrylic paint by taking a whole bunch of water, and mixing it with your paint to create a soupy watery mix. Adding the color wash to your canvas, you’re able to paint over the whole canvas while still leaving the marker outline visible. Then, you’re ready to add more color, and more wacky action!
When doing our paint workshops, sometimes kids will get frustrated because the results do not match their expectations. I like to share a quote from Jerry’s Aunt Sue, a very accomplished painter. Whenever she makes a mistake painting, she likes to laugh it off and say “I meant to do that!” Oftentimes, a mistake can be a starting point for a wacky unexpected painting, taking us from the idea in our heads to something real and beautiful.
So the next time you’re painting, remember to tell yourself I meant to do that! What wacky exercises do you use to practice your painting? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to keep creating!