The Imagination Tree

Creative play and learning for kids

Muffin Tin Op Art

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I’ve seen this idea around a lot and love the simplicity of the printmaking process- just perfect for toddlers and preschoolers! All that is needed is a muffin tin, some paint and paper.
We got the muffin tin from the girls’ play garden and Cakie painted the upturned sections using her fingers. We used a mixture of poster paints and acrylics.
Then she laid it down onto an A3 sheet of cartridge paper and I helped her to steady it and lift it off carefully in one go.

 The results were instantly satisfying and visually stunning!

 I let her try all by herself and she slipped the tin slightly, resulting in this print. I really love the drama and movement that it creates- like a set of vibrant comets whizzing through the sky!  “Mistakes” often turn out much more interestingly than the intention.

Then we had a go at painting a different tin which had larger circles and without ridges to compare the effects. She swirled some of the colours together because her fingers carried paint from one place to the next, which looked lovely.

 And here’s the result! It really reminded me of Damien Hirst’s dot pictures and also some of the Op artists’ illusionary art work. Funky, bright and modern and would look great in a black frame on the wall!

 We left the garden tin as it was and put it back into her little play space as a piece of installation art, reflecting the colours in the windmill perfectly!

This activity is good for:
* promoting independence and a sense of achievement
* creativity and messy play
* talking about and looking at the work of real artists
* gross motor skills
* could be extended to include counting/ patterning/ sequencing/ grouping of numbers and objects
* talking about shapes and introducing the idea of patterns and repeating

Comments

  2. Cate says

    What a terrific idea – and so colourful? What will you do with the completed artwork – would look great framed and hung on a playroom wall 🙂
    xxxCate

  6. RedTedArt says

    Oooh I love this idea!! How fun and how wonderful and yes how very pop arty! Fabulous!

    Thank you for linking up to Kids Get Crafty 🙂

    Maggy x

  11. I am Laura says

    I love it. I actually like the “mistake” one the best! Thanks for sharing at my blog party. Hope you come back again tomorrow!