How little dots add up to a complete portrait.

Thousands of little dots add up to a complete portrait.

(Mixed media: Pointillism with various Micron pens and collage (2017).  Light wash with Gelato in the background on watercolour paper).  Read about this portrait here.

Revisiting dot art to create a portrait.

If you have never tried pointillism, or dot art, you should! (First published in 2018)

The word pointillism was first used in the 1880s to describe French artist Georges Seurat’s work.

Pointillism, quite simply, is described as hundreds (or more) little dots or strokes of colour that are placed together to form a pattern. The closer the dots are stippled to each other, the darker the area will be.

Pointillism fools the eyes; instead of noticing the little dots or strokes of colour, our eyes (and our brain) see the picture as a whole image.

I have only ever used pens to paint in this style. Other artists use oil or acrylic paint in a similar method. The small strokes of colour are more noticeable when the viewer is standing close to the work of art. Further away from the painting, the colours meld together to form the whole scene.

Dot art is a slow process...

My paintings are often completed piecemeal over many months and sometimes even years because I am distracted by other projects or experiments.

I don't know how many hours have been invested in these portraits; however, artists much better and more skilled than I am, such as photorealistic artists, will spend well over 100 hours on their realistic portraits.

Recently (2023) I was asked by a follower on Instagram how I started this type of art form. Honestly, I can't remember...but I must have seen someone's work and decided to try it for myself. That's usually the reason that, as an artist, I am always attempting new techniques, and of course, buying more art supplies!

Little dots, more portraits.

This vintage portrait was painted to honour the women who served during WWII.

(Canadian Women's Army Corps, also known as the Petticoat Army, mixed media: pointillism and watercolour wash on watercolour paper). 2016. Read the post here.

I use 6 or more different sized Sakura Pigma Micron pens for my dot portraits. If I want a smaller sized dot, I will choose the 005 nib, but I admit to cheating and have used Sharpie markers to finish wide swaths of dark areas.

Pointillism is perfect for travel.

Dot art is inexpensive (you can use a regular pen on paper). I like that it lends itself well to travel. On this particular trip (photo on the left), I brought along a sketchbook with two or three already started portraits and a small cosmetic bag to store my pens and pencils.

I always begin with a light pencil outline done at home, and I keep the black and white photograph close by as a reference. Using a light touch, I start stippling an area that will immediately give a sense of the person being painted, and that area for me is usually the eyes.

At times, the dots might turn into tiny strokes especially when there is shading. Usually, this means that I am getting tired and should stop.

Pointillism requires patience much like so many art forms.

Since ink dries immediately (or almost) there isn't any smudging as you might have with paint, for example. However, a few misplaced dots can spoil the effect, particularly if you are detail oriented. And there is no cleaning up either which is another reason pointillism is perfect for travel.

Pointillism isn't particularly popular these days. I have not seen it in any of the many art groups I follow on Facebook. This is unfortunate because pointillism is another method that helps the artist observe the correct values and shapes in the subject to be painted.

Pointillism updated with technology.

New on the market: I have seen a new way to achieve pointillism using a battery operated stippling pen. I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way even with the little errors here and there.

What do you think of using such a device instead of painting by hand?  Yes or no?

Most recent pointillism commission (2023).

I was contacted recently by a Canadian vet who wanted to buy one of my pointillism portraits. When we started emailing each other, I found out he had a WWII vet in his family and suggested that I paint her. He sent me her photo and allowed me to share the photograph as I work on the portrait. The woman in the photograph is now 98 years old. More information to come in a future post.