No child is too young to begin learning about visual art. It is simply a matter of using the proper approach.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers will probably not enjoy visits to art museums, but there are a variety of ways to make visual art accessible to young children.
Most art museum gift shops carry boxes and books of art postcards. Dover also has a wide selection of books containing art postcards. Postcards provide inexpensive, hands-on access to works of fine art.
Many children's books illustrators are extremely talented artists.
Discuss the illustrations. How did the artist make them? There is often a reference on the copyright page, or the last page of the book which describes the artist's medium (oil painting, acrylics, colored pencil, pastels, etc.)
How does the form and style of the illustration impact the mood and feel of the story? Compare, for instance, the gloriously detailed and precise painting in The Forbidden Door (written and illustrated by Marilee Heyer), with the slightly rough and amusing portrayals in Sheep In A Jeep (written by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple).
Are many colors used, or few? Are they dark or bright? Pastel, jewel tones, earth tones, metallic? Are the colors bold and richly filled, or are they sketched loosely with abundant white space?
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These picture books contain exceptionally fine art work:
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The Big Big Sea Medium Colored pencil Card catalog description A young girl and her mother take a nighttime walk to the sea, creating beautiful memories of a special experience. |
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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Medium Watercolor paintings Book Description A woodcutter's wounded heart is healed and his faith is restored through a joyful miracle in this holiday classic. |
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Hattie and the Wild Waves Medium Acrylic painting with colored pencil and pastel accents. Card catalog description A young girl from Brooklyn, New York, enjoys her summer at the beach where she can paint and listen to the wild waves. |
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The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake Medium Egg tempera paintings Card catalog description As she is preparing a special angelfood cake for her mother's birthday, a girl is surprised by three angels who have dropped in for a taste. |
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Island Boy Medium Appears to be acrylic paintings with pastel accents Card catalog description Matthais grows from a little boy to a grandfather on a small island off the coast of New England. |
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King Bidgood's In The Bathtub Medium Oil paintings Card catalog description Despite pleas from his court, a fun-loving king refuses to get out of his bathtub to rule his kingdom. |
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The Last Dance Medium Combination of pencil sketches and brightly hued watercolors. Book Description An extraordinary story that speaks to children and adults alike about the value of promises and the limitless power of love. |
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The Magic Paintbrush Book Description A story of magic and wonder inspired by a Chinese folk tale. Full-colour throughout. Nib, a young orphan, has but one wish- to paint pictures so real people will think they are alive. One night Nib rescues an old man from a gang of thugs, and receives his wish as a reward for his bravery. But Nib's dream is nearly his downfall, as a greedy king tries to take advantage of the boy's gift. Nib finally triumphs, but only after he has learned a valuable lesson. |
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Miss Rumphius Medium Acrylic paintings with colored pencil accents. Card catalog description As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all. |
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The Napping House Medium Oil paintings. Amazon.com Editorial Review There is a house, "Everyone," in this case is a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse... and a wakeful flea! Uh-oh. Looks like the napping house won't be napping for long. With their very own brand of humor, Audrey Wood and Don Wood create an appealing bedtime book compatible with Margaret Wise Brown's classic Goodnight Moon. The sleepy household congregates on Granny's bed, slowly building a very relaxed pile of bodies in shifting positions. Young readers will enjoy tracking the critters as they make their way, one by one, to the bed--and then guessing what will happen when the wakeful flea joins the heap. - Emilie Coulter |
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Persephone and the Pomegranate Medium Oil paintings Card catalog description Demeter refuses to allow spring to appear until she has been reunited with her daughter Persephone, who has been abducted to the Underworld by Pluto. |
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Rapunzel Medium Colored pencil and gouache. Book Description Alix Berenzy's Rapunzel, based on sources that predate Grimm, portrays a strong heroine who survives many hardships before finding her fairytale ending. Rich, light-drenched paintings eloquently capture both the spirit and the landscape in which the story of Rapunzel began. |
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A Song for Lena Medium Watercolor and pencil. Card catalog description Lena's grandmother tells about the time when her mother in Hungary shared some freshly made strudel with a beggar who repaid her hospitality with a beautiful song. Includes a recipe for apple strudel. |
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The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks Medium Pastel and watercolor paintings done in the style of 18th century Japanese woodcuts. Amazon.com Editorial Review A beautiful mandarin duck is captured and caged by a greedy lord who wants to show off the bird's magnificent plumage. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against her lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. The grateful bird intends to return their kindness, but can he outsmart the cruel lord? Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year. |
Introducing Art to Children
Resources for introducing art to children.
Stop Motion Animation
Tips for getting started making animated films using dolls and clay.
Visual Arts
Resources for studying visual art media and art history.
Art is identical with a state of capacity to make, involving a true course of reasoning. - Aristotle
©2000-2008 Barbara L.M. Handley
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