Creating Art for the Very Young

Transforming Bookmarked Tutorials into Masterpieces

Many of you have grandchildren or a friend's child and want to create paintings for those young budding artists to enjoy. This is great, and we certainly encourage everyone to be exposed to the arts, starting at a young age, which is an excellent idea.

But did you know that some paintings are more appropriate than others, especially when creating art for young children? When painting simple illustrations for a child aged 1 to 5 years old, there are several important factors to consider to ensure that the artwork is both engaging and beneficial for them.

Consideration needs to be given to various aspects of the artwork, such as color, tones, contrast, complexity of the elements, and the “message” that you may want to convey to the young viewer.

Here are some key points:

1. Bright and Contrasting Colors: Young children are attracted to bright, vivid colors. A palette with high contrast and vibrant hues can grab their attention and make the artwork more stimulating. Acrylic paints are perfect for this because they can produce very bold colors.
2. Simple and Clear Imagery: At this age, children are still learning to make sense of the world around them. Simple and easily recognizable shapes, characters, and scenes will be more relatable and understandable for them. This simplicity helps develop their cognitive abilities to identify and connect with familiar objects and themes.
3. Educational Content: Even simple illustrations can include elements contributing to a child's learning. Integrating basic concepts such as numbers, letters, animals, and everyday objects can turn an artwork into an educational tool, encouraging learning through observation.
4. Interactive Elements: Incorporating elements that invite interaction, like finding hidden objects or simple puzzles within the painting, can make the artwork more engaging. These elements entertain the child and help develop their observation skills and attention to detail.
5. Positive Themes: Themes that promote positivity, friendship, love, and kindness can be very impactful. They help impart important values and make the child feel safe, loved, and happy.
6. Cultural and Diversity Inclusion: Including diverse characters and settings can help children learn about and appreciate the world's wide variety of people and cultures. This aids in fostering an early sense of empathy and inclusivity.
7. Safety Considerations: While this pertains more to the physical handling of the artwork, ensuring that the materials used are non-toxic and safe for children is crucial. Since acrylic paints are generally safe once dry, they're a good choice for creating art for kids' spaces. However, it's still essential to ensure the paintings are out of reach if they contain small, detachable parts or are coated with materials that could be harmful if ingested.

Creating art for children in this age group can be incredibly rewarding, as it offers an opportunity to contribute positively to their development and well-being. Your expertise in acrylic painting can certainly produce vibrant, engaging, and educational artwork that young children will love.

When creating art for children aged 1 to 5 years old, choosing the right colors is crucial for capturing their attention and stimulating their developing minds. With your variety of choices with acrylic paints, you're well-equipped to select and mix colors that will resonate with young viewers. Here are some color suggestions based on their appeal to young children and the emotions they can evoke:

1. Primary Colors (Red, Yellow, Blue): These are a great starting point. They're bright and engaging and can be used to teach children about colors. They also stand out well against each other, making them ideal for creating contrast in your paintings.
2. Secondary Colors (Green, Orange, Purple): Mixing primary colors to create these secondary hues can offer children a delightful range of colors. You can use these colors to add more variety and depth to your illustrations.
3. Bright Pinks and Turquoise: These colors appeal to young children. They add a playful and cheerful vibe to the artwork, making them perfect for themes of happiness and friendship.
4. White and Light Blues: Use these for backgrounds or to create a sense of calmness and peace. They can help make your brighter colors pop while providing a restful area for the eyes.
5. Bold Contrast Combinations: Pairing colors with high contrast, such as yellow against purple or blue against orange, can create visually stimulating artworks that capture and hold a child's attention. Use your complimentary colors to help your paintings “pop.”

When using these colors in your artwork, consider employing them in large, defined areas to help young viewers easily distinguish different elements of the painting. Additionally, varying shades of the same color can add depth and interest without overwhelming the simplicity that benefits young children's understanding.

It's also beneficial to think about the mood or emotion you want to convey with your artwork. Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange can create a sense of warmth and happiness, while cool colors like blue and green can be calming and soothing.

Given the versatility and vibrancy of acrylic paints, you have a fantastic palette to create engaging and educational artwork for young children. Experimenting with these color suggestions can lead to delightful discoveries and creations that young viewers will love and learn from.

You want to be conscious of visual noise that might be present in your reference. When creating illustrations for young children, such as one-year-olds or a little older, you should tailor the artwork to their developmental stage. One-year-olds are just starting to develop their vision regarding color and depth perception and are attracted to simple, high-contrast images. Older children can enjoy a little more complex painting with more elements to look at. Looking at the images above, you can see where we were able to remove some of the “extra” sea creatures so a 5-year-old would be able to enjoy the artwork and not be overwhelmed with too much visual noise.

For the first illustration with the whale, consider:

Increase Contrast and Brightness: The image has a lovely contrast between the dark sea and the lighter colors of the whale and stars, which is good. However, you could enhance the contrast even further, making the stars and the whale even brighter to stand out more against the dark background.

Simplify Details: The stars could be simplified to basic shapes without the sparkling effects, as the additional details might be too complex for a one-year-old to appreciate fully.

Enlarge Features: Making the character and the whale larger and more prominent would help a young child focus on these elements.

For the second illustration with the underwater scene:

Reduce Complexity: There are many characters and elements in this painting. For a one-year-old, it might be better to have fewer elements so they can focus and not get overwhelmed. Choose one or two of the sea creatures and make them the central focus of the painting.

Soften Colors: While the colors are bright and engaging, softening them can be easier on a young child's eyes, as their vision is still developing.

Increase Character Size: Like the first painting, enlarging the main characters or elements can help a young child to engage more easily with the image.

Final Thoughts

It's important to remember in both paintings that one-year-olds are beginning their visual development and are more likely to respond to images with clear, simple lines and bold contrasts. They may need to comprehend all the elements in a complex scene fully, but they will appreciate the general color scheme and the emotion conveyed by the large, simple shapes. Remember the safety aspects as well—ensure that the paintings are secure on the wall, as one-year-olds will likely reach for things they are interested in. 

Your paintings are already quite appealing, and with a few adjustments, they could become even more captivating for very young audiences.

Ginger Cook
Professional Acrylic Artist and Educator of Acrylic Painting