Paint with Playdoh (Week 2 Theme: Tinkering as Method)

By Helen Kwok

Theme: Tinkering as Method

Context:

• Artist Recreates Famous Photos Out of Colorful Children's Play Doh
• 10 Classic Photographs — Reinterpreted Entirely in Play-Doh

I was drawn to these artworks where playdoh was used like paint, and used to create flat artworks that were viewed from one perspective (in contrast to playdoh, which is usually used to create three dimensional works).

Method: To create a piece of artwork using playdoh as my paint/drawing medium.

Response:

When I saw the playdoh on the trolley in the studio, I was immediately drawn to it. I thought it was a perfect fit for this week's theme - as kids, when we get given playdoh, we'd often just start making something without a specific goal in mind. I was inspired by the playdoh artists to create a piece of art - not knowing what I was going to do, other than to have fun! :)

Some thoughts as I was going through the tinkering process (refer to the photos above):

1. Starting with a blank canvas and my three basic colours.
2. Trying to blend colours - is it possible to create purple from red and blue?
3. Painting the background and blending colours.
4. Adding some swirly patterns to create some dynamic.
5. I wanted some foreground and background, and decided to add a tree. Tree colour was red, blue and green combined.
6. Playing with the thin shapes of playdoh like drawing with a line.
7. Negative space - what happens if you let the paper show through?
8. Adding details like flowers.