Pointillism

Pointillism is a painting method of placing dots on the painting surface to achieve various affects.

The dots can be placed singly, in rows, or randomly. The dots can also be placed by themselves or overlapping. You can also mix up the options.

The dots used can also vary in size. They can be uniform in size, or they also can be varied in the same painting.

There are a couple of ways to achieve the larger dots:

• One is to paint with round sponge tips by dipping them in the paint and then dabbing them on to the painting surface. To have the sponges last longer, wet them first and squeeze out the excess water, before dipping them in the paint. Be sure to clean them afterwords, according to the type paint that was used; water for watercolor paints, soap and water for acrylics.

• A second way, is using Sponge Paint Markers. The paint is already in the bottle, ready to use.

Georges Pierre Seurat was a French Post-Impressionist painter and draftsman. He is noted for his innovative use of drawing media and for devising a technique of painting known as pointillism.

Georges Seurat: 'Sunday afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte' (1886), Art Institute of Chicago

Georges Seurat: 'La Parade' (detail)

Author: Daniel Meré (3º ESO)