Dots, Lines and Circles

So, I love a good mural as much as the next art teacher, but I get a little freaked out with the whole "kids roaming free with loaded paintbrushes" thing. So here are two approaches to mural painting with young ones you may like!

First, get inspired! Check out circle painting and see this really simple, community centered approach to collaborative art making. This inspired my Grandparent's Day mural. I recruited some kindergarten/1st graders in our after school program to help me. 

Here are the rules:

1. Only paint circles, lines and dots.

2. Do not paint out anyone's work, only embellish.

3. Paint until everything touches.

Of course my usual (control freak) painting rules apply, like not painting on yourself, your friends, or pretty much anything but the paper. 

I know- OOOH! Right!? Need a little more control for a smaller group try this...

Think musical chairs, with paint. I know what you're thinking, "How is that more control-crazy lady??"

Well, the power when out at my house during a Labor Day storm so we made a circle mural like this:

I set the table like this. I happen to have some 6x6 canvas pieces. Everyone painted for three minutes on their own painting with the same rules as above.

Then we rotated and repeated every three minutes. When you returned to your original painting you got to put the last touches on it for the last five minutes.

This is my son's finished piece. (Age 7)

This is my daughter's piece. (Age 4)

This is mine. (Age unavailable )

 This is my husbands painting.

You hang them together for a 13x13 finished piece if you leave a space. You can mount them to a painted board or hang them individually. I love it and my whole family had fun doing it!! I could see doing it by table at school on larger canvases to create six panels per class. The possibilities are endless!!