Have you ever seen a piece of artwork made with tiny dots and thought about how cool it looked? Did you think about how difficult it must be to actually make it?

If you want to create something as cool as what you’d see in a Seurat or Van Gogh piece made of these tiny dots, you need to start with the basics to understand how they made this art. You can try with paint, but in this book, we're going to be using pencils and fine tip markers as starting materials.

In this book, you’re going to learn how to use pointillism to create a few basic shapes with highlights and shadows that you can use for more detailed pieces like a landscape or even a portrait!

Van Gogh - Self-Portrait

Georges Seurat - A Sunday Afternoon on

the Island of La Grande Jatte

So, What is Pointillism?

Pointillism is a technique of art making in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image.

In this book, we will go over the process of creating a flower using pointillism so that one day, you can create pieces such as the following.

Let's get started!

Why Use Pointillism?

The reason many artists used pointillism in their artworks is because of the science behind it. When we look at a piece of artwork that uses pointillism, we don't typically look at the dots immediately - our eyes blend the dots together to make a full image.

Who Uses Pointillism Today?

Federico Pietrella - "From 14 to 16 February 2019"

date stamps with acrylic on canvas

Dr. Woo - Space Whale

tattoo on forearm

Step One: Gather Supplies

Paper

Eraser

Pencil

Fine Tip Markers

Reference Photo(s)

Step Two: Sketch Your Design

Using your reference photo(s) and a pencil, create a light sketch of what it is you want to make. Don't use too much pressure! You're going to erase the light sketch at the end.

Make sure you indicate what shadows and highlights you want to include! (Example is shown on next page)

Highlighted areas

Shadows

Why Draw it Out First?

You might be wondering why you need to sketch out your drawing if you're just going to be erasing the pencil at the end. Van Gogh and Seurat didn't use outlines, so why should you?

You don't have to, but as a beginner artist, your piece will come out much more accurately if you use a sketch as a basis for your finished piece.