One of my first ever school art projects was based on the Spin paintings of Damien Hirst. We had a very talented art coordinator in a school where the creative curriculum was a priority.
A few weekends ago I took the girls to the Walsall New Art Gallery. This is a brilliant gallery which is set up for children with their own space to explore art works. Unfortunately the Damien Hirst spin painting is down at the moment but hopefully we can view it when they have an exhibit of his work in the Autumn.
How to make a spin painting
You need something to spin the painting. We used a lazy Susan (a retro turntable to help you pass the condiments) You can use a salad spinner for smaller paintings. We also used round canvas.
Spin paintings provide a good opportunity for colour mixing as you have to mix the colours you need. We stuck to a colour scheme of pinks and purples so it matches the children’s bedroom.
Mix some water with the paint and drop from a small height onto a spinning canvas. The faster you spin the canvas the better as it creates more of a splatter effect. This is great to do outside on a sunny day. If you do have to work inside then you need old clothes and lots and lots of newspaper as the paint does splash everywhere.
If you hold a paintbrush still while someone else spins the canvas you get circles forming in the paint. The more paint on the board the more the paint will create interesting textures as you spin.
We used glitter glue for some added texture and sparkle.
The only problem is they are going to take ages to dry as the paint is so thick.
If you prefer your art less messy – and who can blame you – then you can use computer program. We made this using an internet program – I think it was on Nick Jr but it doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
