In preschool, painting is often a sensory experience. Children enjoy painting using their fingers and hands while painting themselves in the process. Regularly, we create group murals by covering a long table with butcher block paper. This process is usually messy!  The paint brushes are quickly abandoned as they fully immerse themselves in the slippery paint. Children create hand prints, mix colors, and belly laugh while giving their classmates a painted high five.

For our individual art pieces, we studied an artist who paints with her feet. Linda Riveros was born without arms and is a Colombian-born artist living in the US. She is also a member of  The Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World (VDMFK). We watched a short interview with her while she was painting by holding a paintbrush in between her toes.

After watching the video, the children were inspired to paint with their feet. We started the process by laying down a large sheet of paper on the floor and placing trays of paint for the children to step into and walk across the paper. Each child had a chance to let the paint squish under their feet as they walked across the paper. We did this several times, the colors mixed creating a vibrant mural of footprints. 

After the collaborative mural was completed, we moved on to creating individual pieces. Each child was given the opportunity to paint with their feet on a large sheet of canvas paper. After several layers of paint were added to their paper,  they tried the technique of holding the brush with their toes. Each child created a piece that represented their own style and individuality.

Linda Riveros had her first solo art exhibition, entitled “Painting with My Feet,” in 2017,  and stated, “I feel very proud of myself”. The children in this art show share that sentiment.

The idea for creating our group pieces came from the concept that art is not always created with a paintbrush and paint. Paint can be applied in many different ways through motion, force, and stored energy.

We discussed the different ways that artists can create art using movement instead of a paintbrush. We learned that Jackson Pollock never touched his brush to the canvas. He splashed and dripped paint in very deliberate ways to manipulate the paint, creating his masterpieces.  As a class, we experimented with applying paint without brushes. Using round magnets and magnetic wands, the children guided marbles across black paper placed on trays, controlling the motion from underneath. We also raised wooden ramps under large sheets of paper and dipped toy car tires in paint, letting gravity pull the cars down the page to create bold tracks and lines.

For our final group pieces, we introduced a new tool: a catapult.

First, we built mini catapults using popsicle sticks, elastic bands, and plastic spoons. The children tested different materials, like cotton balls and paper pieces, to experiment with how their catapults worked. We observed that weight affected distance—lighter materials didn’t travel as far as the heavier materials.We then built a larger catapult and introduced it during morning meeting. Each child had the opportunity to learn how to operate the catapult and practice loading a cotton ball into the catapult cup and launching it. Once the children were familiar and comfortable with using this larger catapult, we began our group piece. We placed a tarp on the ground, and using canvases that we had coated the week before, we loaded the catapult.

Each child chose a color to load into the catapult, positioned it, and decided how far to pull back the arm. When they were ready, they let the arm go and the paint fly!  Every launch created a unique splat, line, drip, or splash. The children learned that small changes in angle, paint amount, or force created dramatically different results and patterns. As a class, we gathered to name our group pieces and have been eagerly awaiting the art show opening, to share them all with you.

The Toddlers have thoroughly enjoyed exploring a variety of painting techniques this year. We work at the easels each day with brushes, making long lines, squiggly lines, big blobs and quick, tiny dots. Combining colors always guarantees wonder and amazement as new colors emerge. 

We used brayers to roll paint onto big sheets of paper and painted large boxes, giving us the opportunity for big body movement and the ability and satisfaction to cover large areas with paint. 

We’ve squeezed paint into a spin art machine, printed with a variety of objects, and splattered paint across the room (very popular), just like Jackson Pollock. We used tools with serrated edges to pull paint across the paper and our favorite technique of all: painting with our hands!

Working together, we used all of these methods to create a mural inspired by Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

For our Art Show pieces, we gave each artist the opportunity to combine techniques and color to create their own individual masterpieces. We hope you enjoy viewing them as much as we enjoyed making them!

Each child chose their base color(s) and, working with acrylic paint,  rolled it onto flexible canvas paper. Some children covered the entire canvas with one color, while others rolled out thick stripes of multiple colors.

Next, tempera and glitter paint were spooned onto the canvas and pulled across with serrated tools and paint brushes. For the finishing touches, the children splattered their favorite colors across the top and added finger and handprints where needed.

The result - the pieces are as colorful and unique as the artists that created them!

For our group pieces, we tried an entirely new painting technique - pulling string and chains through paint. 

We began by dipping thin and thick pieces of yarn and string into different colors of paint. We placed them on paper in a folder, leaving a small piece of string hanging off the edge of the paper. Next, we closed the folder and pulled the string. The folder was opened to reveal swirling patterns of paint!

For our first piece, we worked on a larger black canvas. Each child chose a paint color, dipped their string in the paint and laid it on the canvas. One by one, the strings were pulled, and our first collaboration was complete!

We moved on to using chains in place of string. Thin and thick chains with different sized links were dropped into paint and then onto the canvas. The chains were pulled off the edge of the canvas, leaving a trail of paint behind them. The chains had more weight to them and made the process easier, allowing the children to be very independent with this technique. It was also really fun to pull and pull and pull the longer chains!