Exploring Mediums in Art

    Along with doing picture study for art, I have also been giving Anna a chance to explore different art mediums.  Anna loves to paint, but many time the mess factor makes me reluctant to let her use paint when crayons and colored pencils are so much tidier.  However, since art is now part of her school work, I've decided that the mess is worth putting up with, and it really has been enjoyable for me.  Of course Anna loves it, and has made less mess than I origanally anticipated.   

Oil pastels, being so similar to crayons, were naturally first. The new painting technique I emphasized was was blending colors by layering.

Next was water colors.  I taught her how to do a wash for big areas like the sky.  Her painting is very high key, almost ethereal.  I particularly like the shadows; maybe one day we will do a lesson on how light creates the direction of shadows, but maybe this is a gentle, multi sunned planet.

Now it's time for the really messy stuff; acrylic paint. Not quite as bad as oils, but getting there.  For this one I had her pick a painting by Mary Cassatt (Our artist this semester) to copy.  She chose "Pattycake" which I thought was an ambitious choice.  Acrylics are very different than anything else she had used before, and they took some time getting familiar with the feel of them.  It took three weeks to finish, which also taught some patients.

 

Here is her painting finally all finished, side by side with the original.  She wont be forging paintings any time soon, but not bad for a first time with a difficult medium.  Now, do I dare oils?