Magic Marker Monday — Learning About Fresco Painting

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child."

~Pablo Picasso

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My seven-year-old has been learning about Michaelangelo through our homeschool art curriculum. We've been taking a close look at the Sistine Chapel and the techniques that Michaelangelo used in his famous paintings there — specifically, fresco painting, or painting on wet plaster.

This set us up for some messy fun! A small tub of spackling paste, some chipboard, a flat-ended plastic spatula, a pointed wooded manicure stick and a watercolor set and we were ready to go.

The first step was to spread the spackling paste out on the chipboard and let it set up until it was firm, but still damp. Then she etched in the lines of her drawing using the manicure stick (which I'm told was A LOT of fun).

In the last step, she added paint and voila — a fresco painting of her very own creation!

Now you wouldn't exactly see this particular crowd of faces in the Sistine Chapel, but I'd have to say that bunnies, bears, princesses, lions and rainbows are quite captivating in fresco.

This project was adapted from a lesson out of the exceptional art curriculum series by Artistic Pursuits.

What has your little artist been up to this week? Link up and share!

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