65 Painting Patterns
65 - 11x17 inch (A3) downloadable, traceable painting patterns for your art program. Suitable for beginning artists, and artists with dementia.
Purchase Your Patterns
A Simple Way to Paint Meditatively
Sometimes it is challenging to think of art directives that will engage everyone, especially for new artists who do not know how to draw.
Do you need a method to get your art participants happily and meditatively painting?
If you are just starting out as an arts facilitator, these 65 patterns offer hours of meditative painting for your art group participants so that you can sit back, relax, get to know your group, and devise new art directives without pressure.
Spontaneity Within Structure
Providing structured art projects that strike a balance between the relaxing process of painting, and the dignity of painting recognizable imagery without needing drawing skills, is the key to an enjoyable painting experience for people with dementia and other cognitive challenges.
For a person with dementia, staring at a blank piece of paper with no familiar structure can be a daunting experience indeed. Providing pre-drawn projects with easily sophisticated but recognizable imagery allows the spontaneity of colour choices to emerge. I have come to call this effective approach “spontaneity within structure.”
Art Projects for Cognitively Well Seniors
Beginning senior artists are often shy about creating art. For this reason pre-drawn projects also work well for cognitively well seniors. Many new artists enjoy creating a successful end product without having to develop drawing skills in the latter stages of life. Painting on patterns is a great way to begin creating art in an inviting and relaxing way.
Authentic Self-Expression
How can painting on pre-drawn patterns foster original and authentic expression? There is still a vast amount of choices available within a pre-drawn project, such as colour and its placement. The pre-drawn painting pattern process invites people to grow slowly within a comfortable structure that gently encourages creative success.
I have noticed that pre-drawn painting projects seem to invoke a great sense of ease, accomplishment and dignity for those with dementia and other cognitive challenges, as well as for cognitively well seniors. I have witnessed longevity of attention and deep concentration using this method.
Tracing Your Painting Patterns
You can use these painting patterns with canvas, paper or unbleached muslin fabric (to sew into cushions, quilts and fabric wall hangings.)
Paper: To trace a pattern onto paper (or fabric), you can put the pattern under the paper and trace it on a light table (a glass table that is lit from below.)
Canvas: To trace the pattern onto a canvas you will need to put some graphite paper (or carbon paper) underneath the pattern and draw on top of the pattern with a sharp pen so the design transfers through both the pattern and graphite paper onto the canvas.
It is best to go over all lines from the pattern with a Sharpie permanent marker so that seniors can see the lines better, and also so that the lines do not bleed when the paint is applied.
Saving Money in Your Art Program
Are you wondering about economical paint to use for your art program? Latex paint will work on almost all substrates. Brightly coloured latex house paint (one quart/litre cans) in bright colours will last you a long time. Your painting patterns can be drawn onto paper, fabric, t-shirts, aprons, and artist's canvas.
Water the paint down if painting on fabric. Latex paint is a bit stiff on fabric, but it washes well and does not require heat setting. Be sure to purchase plastic squeeze bottles for your latex paint. Squeeze the latex paint onto plastic palettes, so that you can offer paint to your artists a little at a time!
