Expert tips on kids' creativity

Art competition for children

Senior Interaction Designer at Electrolux, Tan Chin Chin shares these tips to get your budding designers started:

• Create the right environment for children to be creative; make sure they have a clear table to work at and remember to protect it either with newspaper or a plastic dustsheet
• Encourage them to look at the environment around them and draw what makes them happy and what they wish to keep forever e.g. trees, parks, a clean seaside, happy and people and pets etc.
• Children work better on large pieces of paper, as they tend to draw large scale; give them at least A3-size sheets of paper to work from to achieve the best results
• Provide young designers with as many different types of paints, brushes and crayons you can get your hands on – as far as they will be concerned, bigger is always better
• Encourage your little ones to have a few practice attempts and remind them that they do not have to produce the final version in the first sitting – that way you spread the fun and they will enjoy the exercise even more

When you are ready, help your child tap into his/her creativity by following these instructions…

Step 1. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination (and pen or brush) run wild –close your eyes and draw the first thing that comes to your mind. Art can be an expression of yourself – what you are thinking about, what you feel, what your dreams and aspirations are. Draw whatever you think about when you imagine a Singapore that is friendlier to our environment.

Step 2. One of the best ways to be inspired is to look at the environment around you- draw what makes you happy and what you wish to keep forever e.g. trees, parks, a clean seaside, happy people and pets.

Step 3. Be creative – anything goes! Substitute your brush, crayon or colour pencils for shapes cut from potatoes (potato stamps) or dip some dried leaves in paint of different colours and print them all over your canvas. What better way to express yourself than to use what is natural.

Step 4. Remember, practice makes perfect – Have a few practice attempts, or as many as you want to! You don’t not have to produce the final version in the first sitting – that way you spread the fun and you will enjoy the exercise even more!

Step 5. Last but not least, have fun! Your artwork doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, as long as your painting makes you happy, be proud of it! Enjoy yourself and put your heart into it.