Dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet was a French artist born in 1901. Though he wanted to be an artist, he was only able to pursue it seriously in 1942, when he was 41 years old. By that time: “I had given up any ambition of making a career as an artist… I had lost all interest in the art shown in galleries and museums, and I no longer aspired to fit into that world. I loved the paintings done by children, and my only desire was to do the same for my own pleasure.”
He ended up being a famous artist, but the important thing to remember here is that he made art because it was fun!
And he was highly inspired by the art of children — you! — and now we are switching it around by making some art inspired by Mr. Dubuffet.
Here are a few samples of what we are going to be working from.
Mr. Dubuffet liked to make really textured backgrounds… he sometimes added sand or straw to his paint, and then create these people. Sometimes he did just a head and shoulders like this, and sometimes he did whole bodies, like this.
So that’s what we’re going to try and do.
Get out some watercolor paper, some watercolors, and an old brush. Using lots of pigment and lots of water, paint a dense field of color. Mix your colors… it’s okay if they bleed together and make brown. Work quickly.
Once your paper is covered, sprinkle some salt on your paper and let dry.
Rub the salt off, and with a dark crayon, draw your person The only rule is that “something must touch all four sides of the paper. Fill the page!
Now, take some dark acrylic or tempera paint and paint out the background.
Once dry, add a bit of texture back into the whole thing with a crayon.