Pointillism: dotty about dots

“Great things are done by a series of small things put together” Georges Seurat

Dot art – otherwise known as Pointillism dates back to the late 1800’s when Georges Seurat along with Paul Signac developed the process of painting scientifically close together dots of pure colour that would blend in the viewer's eye, rather than on the canvas.

I personally tend to use the time-consuming stippling technique using pigment ink pens (nib size 0.05 to 0.3). I build up images one dot at a time to create an image, sometimes taking up to 40 hours to complete or approximately one million dots.

I start by sketching out lightly in pencil my chosen subject on good quality paper. I then use the 0.05 nib pen, and start with the eye, as it tends to make the artwork come alive for me. I like to lightly dot the outline to the different areas leaving the light areas blank and building up the layers where there is shadow, using different nib sizes for a variation in textures and shades. It’s a good idea to walk away every so often and look at the piece with ‘fresh eyes’.

I find the process of dotting quite meditative, and feel quite relaxed and happy after an art session.