Intro

Learn about dots and artists who contributed to turning something simple into something creative and bringing to light the idea of starting small and building up.

Age Level

1st-2nd Grade

Objectives

Children will learn about the background of dots and the complexity of something as simple as a dot. Children will create something of their own made entirely out of dots with a better understanding of the history of dots and the art style.

They will learn about the art style of Pointillism and famous artists whose art is based around dots. They will be able to identify artists who impacted this and their art works.

What Is a Dot?

A dot is a spot. A sailor’s knot. A blazing sun. Some homers fun. One of a million grains of sand. A tiny beetle cupped in my hand. It’s a slamming, jamming hockey puck. A wheel on a wailing firetruck. A flashlight’s gleam. A full moon dream. A kitten, curled. Our colorful world. It’s a golden coin in a leprechaun’s pot, and a dot plus a dot plus a for makes a lot! A dot starts a line that grows to a tree. Delicate dots form the wings on a bee. Foaming dots swell into the sea.

They all start with a dot.

And the dot is in me!

– Laura Purdle Salas

The Dot.

Discussion Questions Throughout Reading

Have you ever felt like you weren’t good at something?

How did that make you feel?

What did you do to overcome that?

Georges Seurat

A Sunday Afternoon

This painting is made entirely out of dots! Can you see them?

Georges Seurat was a dot pro, all of his artwork was made out of dot. He was able to make a lot of really cool pieces of artwork while only using dots!

Yayoi Kusama

Dots Obsession

By adding all-over marks and dots to her paintings, drawings, objects and clothes she feels as if she is making them (and herself) melt into, and become part of, the bigger universe.

“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity.”

-Yayoi Kusama

Pointillism

pointillism, also called divisionism and chromo-luminarism, in painting, the practice of applying small strokes or dots of colour to a surface so that from a distance they visually blend together.

Dots Activity

Create With Dots!

Get creative and create a whole piece using only dots.

Use any material you have, paint, brushes, stamps, even the tip of your finger! Make them big, make them small, its up to you!

Don’t forget to sign it!