THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO

Process Art
By Sally Haughey, Founder of Wunderled
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO

Process Art
By Sally Haughey, Founder of Wunderled

© 2023 Fairy Dust Teaching

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted on a specific page, no

portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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Welcome to the incredible
power of process art!
Process art is a great way to promote creativity, exploration, and self-
expression in children.

By highlighting the academic benefits of process art, such as fine motor

development, language and literacy skills, and social-emotional growth,
parents and educators can understand the value of these activities beyond
just being fun and creative.

The Action Formula of process art is a great tool for educators and parents,
as it provides a framework for creating a wide variety of art experiences that
can engage children of all ages and abilities. By understanding the key
elements of process art, such as the materials used, the focus on exploration
rather than outcome, and the role of the adult as a facilitator rather than a
director, it becomes easier to design and implement art activities that are
meaningful and engaging for children.

Finally, the section on preparing materials for children is crucial, as it helps

ensure that art activities are safe, age-appropriate, and accessible to all
children. By taking the time to gather and organize materials, parents and
educators can create an environment that is conducive to creativity and
exploration, and that supports a sense of curiosity and wonder in children.

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 What is process art?
Process art is making art for the pure joy of it – no end
result in mind. It's playing, experimenting, exploring
making art without concern of how it will look.
Process art is open-ended and engages children in
the experience, not the end product.

Process art is an actual art movement that arose in

the 1960s and '70s. It was a philosophical approach to
making art that placed emphasis on the process of
artistic creation rather than the finished work that
comes out of the process.

Process art provides children the most powerful

access to the benefits of art making.

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Process Art
Helps Prepare
Children for
Reading &
Writing
Many people may not realize that the
physical development of the eyes plays
a crucial role in reading readiness. The
eye contains seven muscles that must
develop in order for a child to read. It is
the PHYSICAL development of the eyes
that determines the readiness for
reading. It's important for children to
develop their visual tracking, eye
teaming, and other eye muscle skills in
order to read and process information
efficiently.

Process art is a great way to support

this development, as it requires children
to use their eyes in different ways and
to track visual information as they work
with materials. For example, when a
child is drawing or painting, they are
using their eyes to track the movement
of their hand, to distinguish between
colors and shapes, and to follow the
contours of the image they are creating.

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 Process Art
Helps Children
Self-Regulate
Art can be a wonderful tool for children
to develop self-regulation skills. When
children engage in process art, they
have the freedom to create without any
expectations or pressure to produce a
specific outcome. This allows them to
focus on the experience of creating and
the process of expressing themselves,
rather than on achieving a specific
result.

Process art can also help children to

regulate their emotions by providing
them with a safe and non-judgmental
outlet for their feelings. Through art,
children can explore and express their
emotions in a healthy way, which can
help them to better understand and
manage their feelings.

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 In addition, engaging in art can also
help children to develop their sensory
awareness and processing skills. By
experimenting with different materials,
textures, colors, and sounds, children
can become more attuned to their
senses and learn how to regulate their
responses to sensory stimuli.

Overall, process art can be a valuable

tool for children to develop self-
regulation skills, express themselves,
and learn about the world around them
in a safe and creative way.

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Process Art
Helps Children
Develop their
Fine Motor
Engaging in process art can help
children develop their fine motor skills,
which are essential for many daily
activities, including writing, drawing,
cutting, and manipulating small
objects. Fine motor skills involve the
small muscles in the hands and fingers,
and developing these muscles can be
particularly important for young
children who are still learning to control
their movements.

Process art provides children with

opportunities to engage in a wide range
of fine motor activities, such as using
scissors, manipulating clay, painting
with brushes, and threading beads.
These activities can help children
develop the hand-eye coordination,
dexterity, and strength necessary to
perform a variety of tasks. Additionally,
art activities can be a fun and engaging
way for children to work on their fine
motor skills, which can help keep them
motivated and interested in learning.

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The Magic of the Process
There is a secret to process art that takes children on a journey of wonder.
Inside of process art is an underlying process which captures the child’s
interest. And that interest fulfills a deep desire to experiment, invent and
create.

Most importantly, process art honors each child and their individual
expression. The heart of the journey is the making and creating. Everything
else is a by-product of this magical land of art making.

The heart of process art is the experience of mark making with tools and
materials. Process art has its own language grounded in the ACTION -
swishing, moving, pounding, dabbing, swirling, squishing, pressing, and
more.

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 TOOL

ACTION SURFACE

ART
MATERIAL

The Action Formula

Process art harnesses both gross and fine motor skills in an engaging and
dynamic way. It is in the ACTION part of process art that children develop
gross and fine motor skills. It is also what engages their interest.

Tool = the ACTION

Surface = where the art is applied (paper, canvas, cardboard, box, etc)
Art Material = what kind of medium is used (paint, clay, markers, water, etc)

You can use this formula to innovate 100's of ideas for process art. Let's look
at the world of tools for painting.

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 KITCHEN SCRUB BRUSH BATH SCRUB BRUSH

Scrubbing/
Swirling
Cellulite Massagers

Mini Spatulas

Make-up Spatulas

Kitchen/Bathroom Scrub
Brushes

Basting Brushes

BAMBOO SCRUB BRUSH BASTING BRUSH

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 PLASTIC SHOT GLASS POTATO MASHER

Pressing/
Pushing
Potato Mashers

Plungers

Flowers

Balloons

Cardboard Tubes

PLUNGER FLOWERS

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 Q-TIPS FORK

Scraping/
Dragging
Back Scratcher

Combs & Brushes

Cake Scrapers

Q-Tips

Forks

CAKE SCRAPER HAIR COMB

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 SPOONS DOUGH CUTTER

Pounding/
Hitting
Fly swatters

Mallets

Hammer

Spoons

Cardboard Tubes

FLY SWATTER MALLETS

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 CHILD'S BROOM TABLE BROOM (CRUMB)

Sweeping
Hand Brooms

Dust Brooms

Children's Brooms

Household Brooms

Large Face Brush

HAND BROOM BROOMS

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 The Art of Presenting Materials
When materials are set out with intention and beauty, the message is, “This
is a special moment.” In my teaching practice, I have noticed something
magical about beautiful invitations to art making. Children bring a deep
respect for the materials and the activity.

Research was done on the development of aesthetic in young children

(Douglas and Schwartz 1967). They found that when the aesthetic was
considered in presentation and discussion of children’s art making, the
children displayed a greater artistic interest and participated more fully in
the creative process.

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 Setting up a beautiful invitation is not difficult. You do not need expensive
containers. It is all about arrangement and creativity! Remember the
objective of setting up an invitation is to create a space of wonder that
holds mindfulness and intention.

I use real authentic containers made of ceramic, glass, and wood in my

classroom. This sends the message, “I trust you.” I like to introduce these to
the children and let them know the ones that can shatter or break. We
might practice lifting them up and placing them down with respect and
care. Throughout my teaching career, very few containers have been
broken. And when one did drop and break, it was an opportunity to sweep
and clean-up.

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The Materials Guide
 ART MATERIAL:

Tempera Paint
Tempera paint, also referred to as
“poster paint”, is a water-based paint
that is made from starch, water, calcium
carbonate, cellulose, and pigments.

There are two types of tempera paint -

liquid and dry:

Liquid Tempera
Premixed tempera paint comes
ready to use.

Tempera Cakes
A tempera cake is dry tempera
paint in the shape of a disc.
Simply moisten the cake with a
brush, and paint as you would
with an opaque tempera or a
watercolor wash.

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 How to Prepare Dry Tempera
Preparing dry tempera:
Dry tempera cakes are easy to move from one tray or container to the
next.
This allows you to remove black or make a tray of warm or cool colors.
The cakes fit beautifully in smaller ramens. This allows you to set out
individual colors in the atelier.
Muffin liners also work nicely for containing individual cakes.

How to use dry tempera:

The biggest challenge to tempera cakes is getting children to add enough
water PLUS to ”stir” the water into the cake to produce a thick paint. This will
give the most intense and vibrant colors.

Thicker brushes work best.

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 How to Prepare Liquid
Tempera Paint
Preparing liquid tempera:
I like to pour the liquid tempera into condiment bottles.
If you have children who like to "squeeze" the bottles - use the 2 oz size of
condiment bottle and fill it half way.
Providing bottles of paint allows children to help themselves to refilling
paint cups.

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 ART MATERIAL:

Watercolor Paint
Watercolor is known for its
translucency. Watercolor is a water-
soluble paint made of pigments
suspended in a water-based solution.

There are two types of watercolor paint

- liquid and dry:

Liquid Watercolor
Liquid watercolor is a
concentrated pigment-based
solution providing incredible
brilliant, transparent color that
can be diluted with water to
achieve varying hues.

Pan Watercolors
Watercolor paint in pans are dry
“cakes” that are fitted into
individual pans. The little cakes
are dry to the touch and are
activated with a wet brush.

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 How to Prepare Liquid
Watercolor
Preparing dry Liquid Watercolor:
Liquid watercolor is highly concentrated and should be diluted before use.

I like to prepare the watercolor in baby food/jam jars or oil and vinegar
jars.
Prepare the watercolor using the instructions on the bottle.
Test vibrancy on swat of watercolor paper. I usually add a bit more
concentrate than recommended to get deep, rich colors.
When not using – keep lid on the jar.
ANOTHER WAY: Pour prepared watercolor into oil & vinegar jars. Let the
children shake the watercolor liquid into a small jar for use.

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 How to Prepare Pan
Watercolors
Watercolor palettes hold “pots” of color. The quality of your watercolor set
will vary greatly from one brand to the next. Crayola is a fairly trusted brand
for it's pigment.

How to prepare the palette:

Cut off the black and brown pots. Put in baggies or a basket for later use.
Cut the palette in half – separating the warm and cool colors.
Put in separate baskets or containers.

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 TIP!

Paint
Containers
A great container for tempera
squeezing or watercolor pouring:

Small votive candle or tea

light holders.

This limits the amount of

paint used.

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 TIP!

Favorite
Water Jars
The right water jar is very
important for preventing
children tipping over the
container. I have found that
heavy mason jars or wide
bottomed plastic containers
work best.

For very young children it is

helpful to have a wide open
mouth to your container so they
can easily dip their brush. I have
noticed that the smaller the
mouth of the container of water
- the more likely the water
would be knocked over.

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 ART MATERIAL:

Potter's Clay
Clay is a natural material made up of
tiny particles of rock that has water
added to make like a soft, gluey mud.
Unlike plain mud, however, clay will
hold its shape. There is no other
material as tactile as clay.

There are two main types of clay for

classroom use:

Low-Fire White Clay

The white clay is gray in the
package and fires to a bright
white. There are two 25 lb bags of
clay in each box.

Terra Cotta Earthenware Clay

Earthenware is a type of clay that
when fired to make pottery is soft
and can be scratched with a knife.

I have used Laguna Clay Company

for purchasing both types.

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 How to Care for Clay
Clay dries out easily when exposed to the air. Keep clay moist when not in
use by storing in a tightly closed plastic bag.
Store the bag of clay in a dark place.
Clay that is too hard can be remoisten by putting wet paper towels
around the clay and enclosing in a plastic bag. It should be ready in a few
days.
If you have a lot of scraps of clay – put into a plastic bag and squeeze a
little bit of water into the bag.
Clay can air dry or be fired.

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 My Favorite Surfaces for
Clay Work
Clay can stain wood and other surfaces.
I recommend putting down burlap or heavy canvas on the table. In the
image below, burlap was used with canvas boards. You can purchase
these boards from large art supply companies.
You can also use foam craft sheets instead of canvas boards.

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 ART MATERIAL:

Pastels
A pastel is an art medium in a variety of
forms including a stick or a pan of color.
Pastels consist of powdered pigment
and a binder. Pastels can come in either
round or rectangular body shapes.

There are two main types of pastels:

Oil Pastels
Oil pastels are molded sticks of
pigment, wax, and oil. Oil pastels
do not blend easily like soft
pastels.

Soft Pastels
Soft pastels are the most popular
type of pastel, and molded sticks
of pigment, chalk and a binder.
The addition of chalk into the
blend for soft pastels will make
them more likely to crumble
when used.

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 How to Use Oil Pastels
Oil pastels are bright and beautiful on paper. The problem is they are messy.
It is super easy to smudge your art work. I tell the children to put a folded
piece of paper towel under their drawing hand to keep from smearing the
drawing. (I often pre-fold paper towels to have ready.)

I love using black construction paper with oil pastels. It makes amazing
drawings.

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 How to Use Soft Pastels
Soft pastels are vibrant and blend beautifully on paper. The challenge with soft
pastels is the excess powder that comes with drawing. Children love blowing it
away or smearing it into the paper. It is messy but easy to clean up.

Clean up the powder with a wet rag. Clean hands with water!

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 How to Store Soft Pastels
The best way to store soft pastels is in individual containers for each color or
something like this embroidery floss organizer.

At home with my children – I liked using glass shot cups as it would hold a few
sticks of each color.

Do not store the colors mixed together as they will rub off on each other and
become dirty.

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 TIP!

A Child’s
Glue Gun
This is a game changer. Artist
Heavy gel medium that dries
clear will alter your art making
with children.

The gel medium is like a super

thick glue. A tiny tad of it will
hold a bead to a pinecone – or
whatever you wish!

Be sure to look for non-toxic

versions for those children who
might taste it.

How to prepare it for children:

I like to cut card stock a little
bit bigger than a business
card.
I will put just about a nickel's
worth on top of the card.
I provide the children with a
popiscle stick to apply the
glue to their art work.

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 About Sally
Sally Haughey began Wunderled™ (Fairy Dust Teaching) in
2010 from a desire to share her own journey, bringing play-
based education to public school settings that often left little
room for imagination, curiosity and wonder. After 20 years
working on the frontlines, Sally knew there was so much work
to be done – so she began sharing what she had learned about
how to bring play-based practices into even the most
traditional learning environments.

Wunderled™ has now grown into a thriving team that

supports a community of over 200,000 educators — and a
worldwide movement that is changing the face of childhood
education, day by day.

Do you know another early childhood educator who may

enjoy this guide? Please feel free to share this guide with them.

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 References
Galuski, T. and Bradley, M.E. (2018) Open-Ended Art for Young Children

Haughey, S. (2019) Wonder Art Workshop: Creative Child-Led Experiences for

Nurturing Imagination, Curiosity, and a Love of Learning

Hill, Deya Brashears (2016) Dribble Drabble: Process Art Experiences for
Young Children

Pelo, A. (2016) Language of Art 2nd Edition: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in

Early Childhood Settings

Rucci, B. and McKenna, B. (2016) Dribble Drabble: Process Art Experiences for
Young Children

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