Waldorf painting... well, almost

Last night was a 'bad night' in which Boo was screaming out 'can't sleep, can't sleep' from her bed, ended up in my bed (poor Dadda Boo retreated to the basement) and spent some time kicking me in the head before finally succumbing to sleep, only to wake up in a stinking whinging mood the next morning.  With tempers frayed, surely what a sleep deprived mother and daughter required was a spot of watercolour painting?  Watercolour might not spring to mind for painting in the early years, but Waldorf education espouses it for young children, using a 'wet on wet' technique.  Boo will be going to a Waldorf preschool next year, so I figured it might be good to give it a go.

There is a lengthy rationale and description for this mode of painting in 'You are Your Child's First Teacher' by Rahima Baldwin Dancy, but I will try to summarise.  The idea it seems is to move away from rigidity, hard boundaries and heaviness, allowing the colour to be experienced in its purest form, and for movement and fluidity to occur.  Sounds lovely, I've always enjoyed the unpredictability of colours bleeding myself.  So here we go.

I lay out all that we need:

Wooden board, good quality paper (mine was some overly expensive Fabriano that had got buckled in my portfolio, as I couldnt put my hands on any watercolour paper), watercolour pigment diluted in a small amount of water (I used Winsor and Newton), water jar, sponge to remove excess water, rags to clean up and a wide flat brush.

Baldwin Dancy recommends using one colour for a 2-3 year old, and choosing from red, blue, yellow.  The rounded edges apparently deter the young uns from painting around the edge.

First the paper needs to be soaked - we did this in the bath.  Then the excess removed with the sponge.  Then it begins.

Thirty seconds later, Boo becomes more interested in the water jar, and at this point I wonder why I have even prepared it when we are only using one colour?!  She enjoys turning the water crimson, and putting some of the tinted water onto the painting.

 

Ten seconds later and Boo is saying 'want the other paint'. I know the paint she means, the finger paint.  So out comes the finger paint and Boo is pretty absorbed in that for a little while.

I guess the thing about the wet on wet technique is that is more of a visual process, watching the fluid movement, the artist slightly physically removed by the length of the brush handle.  Boo is definitely absorbed by tactile sensory experience, the feel of materials on her hands and being able to manipulate them directly.  We'll try it again, and I'm sure by the time she goes to preschool she will find it mesmerising, but for now its fingers in and let's get mucky!