Presto-ism

Presto-ism! A new twist on an old favorite- pointillism made even easier. Explore the artwork of Georges Seurat and create a masterpiece of your own.

• 1.

  Cover a sheet of heavy paper such as oak tag, posterboard, or foam board with a thin, flat layer of white Model Magic®.

• 2.

  Add color to your blank canvas! Explore the work of Georges Seurat for inspiration! Seurat was a French painter, who mastered the technique known as pointillism, more commonly described as painting with dots. His most famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon on The Island of La Grande Jatte" features a lakeside landscape of a crowded park. How did Seurat use the dots of color to create his paintings? What colors did he use to create grass, water, and sky? How can you mimic Seurat’s technique in your drawing?

• 3.

  Where is your favorite outdoor place? Use Presto Dots to make a landscape of your own! Plan ahead by making a sketch with crayons or colored pencils so you’ll know what color dots to use in each area of your landscape.

• 4.

  On a flat surface, flatten a small amount of Model Magic to be about as thick as your fingers. Be sure to tightly cover the remaining Model Magic in the container to prevent it from drying.

• 5.

  Press the Model Magic Presto Dots tool firmly into the flattened Model Magic. Lift the tool, and press gently onto the sheet. Model Magic that is fresh from the pack will stick to itself. Dried pieces can be glued on. Repeat to cover the entire sheet with

• 6.

  Be creative! Use brilliant colors and patterns to add excitement to your landscape.

Benefits

• Students recall their favorite outdoor location and visually recreate a memory of that place.
• Students will analyze the painting technique of Georges Seurat and adapt it to create a new style of pointillism.

Adaptations

• Challenge older and more advanced students to use various colors of Model Magic Presto Dots to create their landscapes! It might help to draw and sketch a guide before working with the Presto Dots.
• See your masterpiece in 3D! Continue adding layers of dots to create depth or a focal point in the drawing.
• Share your landscapes with the class. Does anyone recognize the locations in the drawings? Are the colors and dots used to create the landscapes the way that Seurat painted his works of art?