Get excited for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (or any French-themed celebration) by painting the Eiffel Tower! This painting project is inspired by artwork from the famous French artist, Georges Seurat. Kids and adults alike will love creating an Eiffel Tower masterpiece painting small colored dots!
Supplies
- Something to cover workspace
- Pencil
- Paper
- Red, white, blue, purple, orange, yellow and green tempura paint
- Paper plate
- Cotton swabs or a pencil with a well-formed eraser on the end (or you could fingerpaint)
Directions
- Using a pencil and leaving about two inches of space across the bottom of the page, draw (lightly) an elongated triangle or “A” on the paper.
- About 1/3 of the way up from the bottom, draw a horizontal rectangle to represent the first observation deck; draw another one between the first rectangle and the top for the second observation deck; add one small rectangle at the top for the summit; connect the “feet” of the tower with an arch. See photo for reference.
- Put small quantities of different paint colors on a paper plate.
- Dip the cotton swap (or pencil eraser or finger) in green paint and dot across the bottom of the paper to create grass. Fill in the area with white and yellow dots.
- As you paint, experiment with large and small dots or placing dots closer to each other or further apart. If working with smaller children, it might work best to let this area dry before continuing.
- Dip another swab in blue paint and put dots all around the tower to create sky. Fill in the sky with white and purple dots.
- For the tower, add red, orange and yellow dots, covering pencil marks.
Learn More About the Eiffel Tower
- READ Gustave Eiffel's Spectacular Idea: The Eiffel Tower (Story Behind the Name) by Sharon Katz Cooper
- EXPLORE all sorts of interesting information and fun facts about the Eiffel Tower at www.toureiffel.paris/en.
- ACCESS a fun activity book for kids (in both French and English) at www.toureiffel.paris/themes/custom/tour_eiffel/pdf/livret-suis-gus.pdf
Learn More About the Artist and Eiffel Tower Painting
- Georges Seurat’s original painting—created in 1889 before the Eiffel Tower was complete—is in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
- Seurat utilized the pointillism painting technique, which is derived from Neo-Impressionism (founded by Seurat).
- Pointillism is painting tiny dots of various colors together to form a larger image with deeper color and light.
Alyssa Navapanich is an award-winning art educator who teaches art to elementary school kids in East San Diego County.
