Wednesday, May 18, 2011

concentric circles canvas art...

I made this colorful canvas art to add to my kitchen decor...
(Yes my kitchen is accented in crazy bright colors.  That's how I roll.)


The idea stems from an artwork by Russian abstract painter, Wassily Kandinsky - "Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles."


I like to use this painting to get my little art students to experiment with shape and color.  It's a fun project.  The results pack a great visual punch, but don't require a ton of skill.  If 3- to 8-year-old kids can do it, you can too!  Here's how...

Supplies:
Canvas - Mine's 8 x 10, but any size will do
Pencil
Ruler
Assorted acrylic paint - I just used 10 different colors of craft paint.  (I was too lazy/cheap to bust out the good stuff.)  It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.
Mod Podge (or whatever clear coat you like).

Start by drawing a grid of squares right on your canvas.  You can make them as big or small as you like, with however many rows/columns as you want.

Next, just start painting circles within circles!
(They don't have to be perfect, anything circle-ish will do.)
Seriously, it's that easy.

Sometimes I started in the center and worked my way out.
Sometimes I started with an outside ring and worked my way in.
Whatever floats your boat.
And after I finished each set of circles, I filled in the background square.

If you make a circle you don't like, let it dry and come back to it later.
Acrylic paint can be painted over...it's pretty forgiving.
But - you may find that a circle you thought you hated ends up looking great once you see it with all the rest.  So don't stress.  The "imperfections" are what make it interesting, I think.

Once your paint is dry, paint the sides of your canvas. (I went with black, but you can't really tell in the photos.)  Then give it a clear top coat, and you're done.

It's a fairly quick project that can be customized with ANY color scheme.  And it's super kid-friendly.  (You could have each child do his/her own version and hang them all together in their bedroom or playroom.  That would be so cute.)

And you don't even have to use a canvas.  I normally use watercolors on watercolor paper with my art students.  Then you could just throw it in a frame.  So many possibilities!


www.dickblick.com

23 comments:

  1. I absolutely ADORE this project! I think I'll have everyone in my household do one this summer... what a fun way to decorate the stair wall down to our game room!

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  2. Once again, this proves that you and I are just two peas in a pod! I think we are "blog twins" :D I LOVE Kandinsky, and bright colors (also in my kitchen), circles, and just fun, bright shapes! This looks great! :D

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  3. That turned out beautiful! I like yours better than the original :)

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  4. I love this!! Personally, I like yours much better than the original inspiration piece. :)

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  5. Love that! I'd love something like that in my kitchen!

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  6. I've always loved that piece and wanted to try and copy it! Maybe we will add this to our summer to do list. My boys would love to get messy with some paint:)

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  7. This is a really fun piece of art! I love the bright colors. Great job!

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  8. So fun! I love color!! I'd love for you to link up!

    http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/2011/05/welcome-to-party-im-so-excited-to-see.html

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  9. LOVE this!
    Jaimee @ craft-interrupted.blogspot.com

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  10. What a great project! Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Oh---I love projects like this...I taught art in public schools for years and seeing this makes me remember all the fun.

    Hum...I wonder if I could make my 6 year old give this a try. Even if it turns out scary the process will still be fun.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Wow, this turned out SO pretty looking! adds a great POP of color to that table :)

    I'd love for you to link this up to my link party, Your Whims Wednesday! http://mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-whims-wednesday-8-and-features.html

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  13. I did a paper-cut concentric circle art project w/my sons today and I'm blogging about it. Found your project while looking for similar projects to link to, so I'll be linking when I post it. :)

    http://dollarstoremom.com

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  14. LOVE it! I agree, I like it better than the original too!
    BTW- Where did you get your great letter W? I would love one of those too!
    Thanks!

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  15. What a great project! :) I've featured this post on Craft Gossip here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/concentric-circles-canvas-art/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  16. Love, love, love the painting!!! Yours is definately better than the original! Also curious where you got your letter w. I've been hunting everywhere for the perfect w with no luck.

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  17. The little "W" is from Hobby Lobby.

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  18. I tried out this project, it was great fun ! Thanks for posting the tutorial !

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  19. This is fantastic! So glad for the tutorial!

    Question: Did you purchase separate acrylic paints, or did you mix some? I'm never very good at mixing paints to achieve the colors I want, but I don't do enough painting to warrant purchasing a bunch of colors... Tips?

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  20. Love this project. Yours turned out absolutely beautiful. I will be picking up some colors and canvas this weekend, I will be putting this on my blog. I will link back to your post when I do. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

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  21. Such a lovely project. I came across this post and was tempted straightaway to make one myself. Turned out perfect and happy with the results. Wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing it😊

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