Flyswatter Painting: Process Art

5/17/2020

This Process Art experience is fun for kids of all ages!
Super easy to setup and the result is frame-worthy.
This invitation to create would compliment your study of Insects, Fun in the Sun, or set it up just because!
We had a blast with this one, see our photos below.

Materials:

Washable paint
Flyswatters
Posterboard or other large paper
Art smocks optional but recommended

Process:

Preparation

Invite your preschoolers to help squirt paint onto the poster board. We used poster board because it is sturdy so it won't tear with globs of paint on it, and it can easily be hung afterwards.
We chose three colors for this invitation; purple, yellow, and red.

And...Swat!

After the first couple swats we paused to talk about the effects on the paper. We talked about the design the fly swatter left on the paper and how the colors blended together.

Once the kids noticed how the colors were blending together, they were inspired to slap their swatter on one color blob, then slap on another to mix further.

Add more Paint!

Keep your paint handy as they will likely want to add more. Adding a few drops at a time is helpful for keeping the paint from soaking in, and it gives a nice layering effect as the old paint dries.
Once we added all the paint we wanted, the kids decided to use the side of the flyswatter to create lines.

THe completed Piece of Art

While the art experience is the primary goal here, the final outcome is wonderful too!
The way the colors blend and the texture make this one frame-worthy!
Display on the wall as a classroom effort. You can take a photograph of each artist and place it somewhere on the piece along with a quote of their favorite part of the process.
Be sure to add photographs along with their quotes to their portfolios!