Pipette Painting for kids
This pipette painting for kids is simple to set up and so much fun to do also, pipette painting is process art at it’s finest!
Simply squeeze the paint from the pipette onto the paper towel and watch your creation come to life. As the paper towel absorbs the paint, the colours begin to mix and blend creating interesting colours and patterns. Let me show you how we made these tiny squares of colourful goodness!
I found this amazing image on Pinterest the colours looked so vibrant, the concept was simple and it would work well with multiple age groups, this was certainly something me and my mini-maker had to try!
Children become spellbound as they watch the colours mix and move. Interestingly, there is also an art and science cross over to explore. If you wanted to take it a step further you could explore the different levels of absorption across different materials like cotton wool or a sponge.
Pipette painting can also help with learning colours and colour mixing. And let’s not forget about all the practice the child/ren will have using their pincer grip.
The naturally curious and independent toddler as well as the older child will enjoy making their own creative choices and gaining mastery over a new skill.
It was very well received by my curious little one. This activity is a jam-packed with so much: fun, learning, science and its process-driven which we love at APH!
Here’s what you need:
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- Watered down watercolour paints or liquid watercolours or watered down acrylic paints.
Step 1: Explore the pipette.
It might take a few goes for your child or toddler to master the action of pinching and releasing the pipette to draw up the paint. Try practising with some water first before moving onto the paint.
Step 2: Squeeze the paint onto the paper towel.
Make sure to cover the working surface, it’s best to use a baking tray or container to contain the paint.
Place a pipette into each paint jar and encourage the child to squeeze the watercolour paint onto the paper towel.
Once the child had mastered the action of using the pipette, sit back and let them explore. Children are wonderful at enjoying the process of creating. See what happens!
Space and time to explore the materials and the process will help to build confidence.
Talking with your child about the artmaking experience.
It can be nice to chat with your child about the artmaking experience. If you can, focus on the experience, the materials and the process of creating. Your questions might look like this:
“You looked like you enjoyed making that….” This gets the child to think and recognise how they are feeling when making art.
“This looks very creative…” (vibrant, colourful, strong, energetic). Find other words to say rather the good, nice or pretty. This reminds children that making art is more than just about making it look “nice” or appealing.
“I wonder what would happen if…… you mixed two colours together?” This gets children to think about the process and observe what is happening.
“I wonder how you made that colour?” Allows time for reflection about the process.
“You seem proud of what you have accomplished?” This allows your child to identify how they are feeling. It also helps to build self-esteem and not rely on the praise of others.
PLAYING AROUND: TRYING OTHER TECHNIQUES
Why not vary the process to focus on what your child enjoyed about the process?
Some ideas:
Was your child interested in the science/absorption aspect?
Why not explore absorption on different types of materials like watercolour paper, different fabrics like cotton or silk, sponges, cardboard, cotton wool balls?
Did your child enjoy the action part of the process the most?
Why not explore doing the process with an even larger piece of paper, the child can stand on or over the paper? Or place the paper at an incline and use gravity to help move the paint across the paper.
I love love loved how these turned out, my little one had a ball squeezing the paint and watching the colours mix and spread across the paper towel. Please give this one a go, you won’t be disappointed.
Do you have some leftover watercolour paint? check out my blog post on how to create resist art to use up the rest of the paint!
