Creative Explorations

  Working on dark-coloured paper is a fascinating study in mark-making and tonality. When you limit the palette to a single colour, the focus shifts to how the materials are explored and manipulated, and to the relationship between the artist and the medium. Over the holidays, we explored drawing on black paper with white markers. It reminded me of the time the children investigated white as a colour. The materials offered were black paper, white-coloured pencils, white oil pastels, white crayons, and white paint.  Through the process of creating with these materials, children learn that pressure, movement, and time shape the outcome of their mark-making. The journey of exploring how materials interact drives children’s early art explorations. Often, you can observe children working with materials until the paper becomes saturated, ripped, and muddied with colour. This is part of a developmental experience that deepens as children nurture their understanding of how materials...