Dot Painting & Its Difficulty
Dot Painting
Invented in 1923 by artist Paul Durand-Ruel, it was the very first dot painting technique that allowed artists to express themselves. It is also the first technique that many artists used as the concept wasn’t really taken seriously at first and many artists could not understand why others didn’t take it seriously. The technique itself was nothing more than adding different sized dots onto a canvas and then rubbing them onto the canvas in such a way as to leave a raised dot. Artists soon realised that if they did this carefully and with some skill, they could make extremely detailed paintings that would not only look striking, but were also unique creations. This idea soon spread to France and from there it took off and became known as the dot pad painting.
Within the dot painting technique, indigenous artists can overlap or ‘close’ various dots together, or they can be very closely related to brush painting and give the illusion of straight lines by creating thick strokes with the acrylic paint. Many years later, after the art had truly taken off, artists realised that the technique could be used to recreate traditional indigenous designs and patterns as well. As the world slowly began to open up to the idea of indigenous art, so did the art of the native people. The native people had used their natural surroundings as well as their artistic craftsmanship to create their art. In doing so, they not only helped to preserve the heritage of their tribe but also created works of art that would endure for centuries and would then be passed on to future generations.
In keeping with the timeless spirit of the traditional aboriginal art style, many artists from around the country have been inspired to create original works of artwork that are based on the dot painting technique. Some artists specialize in one particular style of work while others dabble in a number of different styles. The advantage of working on canvas is that canvases can be sized from large, medium and small sizes and paintings can be hung on a wall without much trouble. In addition, most artists use a combination of painting techniques and combine materials that would have been found only in their traditional aboriginal art style. For example, one artist may mix traditional aboriginal images of native birds, kangaroos and other wildlife with abstract and computer generated elements to create striking images that would appear as though they had been drawn from the traditional aboriginal painting style.
Dot Painting & Its Difficulty
Another popular style of dot painting that has gained popularity in Australia and other countries around the world is the Australian Outback Dot Painting. This style of dot painting is also called ‘brush painting’, and is a recreation of the deserts and outback of Australia and other parts of the world. Most artists who specialize in this style are true-blooded Aussies who have spent their lives travelling and experiencing the great outdoors. Some of the artists who specialize in this style of dot painting are John Langan, Glen Billings and Glen Walpole.
The ‘brush painted’ dot painting technique is also practiced by artists in Africa and Asia. It is called ‘hand painted’ or ‘hand painted landscapes’. The advantage of using this type of dot painting technique is that the paints are applied by the artist directly on to the surface of the subject using the artist’s own finger tips. There is no blending of the paints; they are simply wet and used on the surface. In addition, using this type of technique the colours do not need to be mixed like traditional acrylic paints. The colours simply seem to fall into place, even though the colours themselves are different from traditional acrylic paints.
All of these styles can be applied to almost any subject, although there are those who prefer the Australian aboriginal style of dot painting to the other styles. There is no magic about these paintings. They are simple paintings that anyone can apply themselves. This is why the majority of people who dabble in dot painting eventually become true-blooded Aussies and are able to paint in the same traditional style for their art.