Drop art: a process art tutorial

Drop painting is a fun way for children to explore and create a unique piece of art.
This project supports children as they learn they can combine ideas and materials to create any design they can imagine. ​

Materials:

• Knee-high nylons (regular nylons will work too, just cut off at the knee) 1 per child
• Sand
• Washable tempera paint (variety of colors)
• Card stock or poster board
• Container for paint (a cookie sheet works well for this)
• *Optional: drop cloth

Setup:

• Choose a location where messiness is of little concern and/or lay down a barrier such as a drop cloth.  The project does not make a significant mess, however there will be paint on the ground if not covered. 
  

• Pour sand into the nylons, about a cup of sand works well. Tie a knot in the nylon near the top of the sand to keep the sand from falling out. 
  

• Squirt paint into your dish, a cookie sheet or tray works well for this project. Be sure to supply children with a variety of colors to choose from. 
  

• Prepare at least two pieces of paper for each child, they will want to repeat this process! In this case we chose both black poster board and white card stock. 
  
• Place the paper, a marker (in case children want to create even more pieces), and nylons in a container to bring to the creation station.
• *Optional- Paint will very likely get on their shoes. You might give them the option of removing them or placing booties over top. 
• Clear some wall space because the textures and patterns that result, beg to be put on display.

Process:
You're ready to invite the children to create! Give children a very brief explanation of the process, and then let them explore for themselves! 

Children begin by dropping the nylon sock into the paint and then dropping it onto the paper. 

As the children create talk about the patterns and textures. Some of the sand drops out of the nylons and sticks to the paper adding to the complexity of the design.

Try it!

We would love to see pictures of what your preschooler creates in our FB group!