O I can't wait to try this! (only 5 1/2 months pregnant- so I'll have to wait a little :))

that baby made a very beautiful artwork! looks like so much fun for kids.

Actually, we did do this with the shop dog here, a bulldog named "Muttley". We got the non-toxic kiddie paints, laid out a drop sheet and lots of bits of nice paper, and let him walk squidgy paw prints all over it. I finished off the paintings with some line drawings over the top and "bingo" - we had collaborative art that we sold to raise money for the bulldog rescue group that saved Muttley's life. In frames they look pretty good too!!!

my son's daycare constantly is sending home artwork and the other day they send home one which was totally beautiful like this piece. I am planning on framing it as well as starting a framed art wall in my son's room that will have rotating pieces. It is amazing what kids finger painting can create.

People who spent four years in art school are killing themselves now.

I love this!

People who spent four years in art school and are any good at what they do are not killing themselves now.

People who spent four years in art school and are an good at what they do think this is cute and fun...

lol, jnathan - true!

hmmm i guess i'll have to have a baby

This is why there are art critics. To distinguish some paint in a frame from true art. But, 30 years from now, they will cherish it much more than any Noguchi silk screen. Great memory!

I've been doing this with my son (who's now 6) since he was less than a year old. We have tons of awesome art from him. I scored a 100 sheets of large watercolor paper on amazon for $25 awhile back and it lasted me a few years between 2 kids (also painting on other things and drawing on smaller paper). I also never use coloring books and don't "show" or "teach" him how to draw things but rather let him observe, explore, and experiment. He recently started Kinder where the teacher has "Guided Art" (the kigs copy what she draws on a projector)...and it drives me nuts! I tried explaining the value in independent discovery versus direct instruction (its so important in art and science for little kids), but to no avail.

BTW - I love how she framed it :)

For baby-less adults: Set up your paints & poster board, or canvas or whatever you are painting on then get a blindfold and cover your eyes. Make sure it's tight so you can't see anything. Then go to town. Use your fingers, use a brush. It's super fun and you get great abstract art.

oh and i did go to art school, and this was one of the projects we did to loosen us up.

Party hard all night. Put paper over your toilet. Voila!

@radioriot: gross.

I'm gonna guess (as someone who has the aforementioned four years of art school and is PRETTY good at it...) that the framed example is maybe 1 out of 100 tries... It is a nice example, but 99% (or so) won't be. Not to discourage play, but don't expect this after three pieces of posterboard is all...

My friend and I tried our hands at creating her son's hand and feet as ink prints...we ended up with more on the babe-and us than on the actually feet-it was very fun!!

@Lisa: Couldn't agree more. As someone who is about to graduate from art school, a little part of me always dies whenever I see these DIY-"art" projects. It's kind of pointless (though I'm glad you tried) to try to make people understand the value of art and supporting artists if they don't know a thing about art or the industry in the first place.

The first photo seems to have so much depth, but odds are that's just something about the photograph.

I'm going to agree with others, odds are that you aren't going to come close to getting anything worth keeping, but your kid will probably have a fun time.

@Teleutte: I wrote this post. I also write about art and design for a living, which is why I was careful to point out that this isn't "Art" with a capital "A." Your post makes it seem like DIY art projects and Art are incompatible, but I couldn't disagree more. To state that "people" don't understand the value of art (or "don't know a thing about art") is kind of insulting (and snobby!), actually. Though I don't make much money as a writer, I have spent a substantial amount on original art over the years. Just because I would hang a painting made my best friend's baby hardly means that I don't value "real" art too. It's kind of like saying if you read a blog post written by someone who isn't a professional writer you don't value journalism or criticism or literature. Please read comments by BruceS63 and jnathanmiller for a more realistic perspective.

I am paying for my son's four years of art school and hoping people will distinguish between the work of trained and untrained artists.
(Cute idea.)

I am reminded of this NY Times story about chimps who make art: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/arts/design/09coli.html

It would be interesting to put abstract art by trained artists and paint projects by chimps and kids side by side, then ask industry professionals and ordinary people to vote on who made what. I bet there would be at least one or two incorrect guesses by the professionals. ;-)

Also, the documentary I referenced in this post is really interesting and sheds a lot of light on the controversy over modern/contemporary art.

de gustibus non est disputandum

Here I've been spending all this time at my easel....dammit I'm gettin' some Depends and getting down on the floor!!!!

My son Skye is the one who made this painting and I have to say the best thing about it is that I can tell that he's proud of it. He points to it everyday and we tell him you made that and he smiles. Whether its "art" or not it makes us happy and we like it. I think its awesome to let your kids be as creative as they like. It allows them to grow into being creative adults. Thirty years from now we will cherish his painting and hopefully many many more.

When I do art with my 9-year old niece, I constantly drive home that THERE ARE NO RULES IN ART.

Who's to say that baby wasn't using creating and using the right side of his brain?!?

I think it's pretty awesome and I imagine, a great experience for the baby. Shoot, it makes me want to roll around in some paint.

this reminds me of the outcome of a contest in Australia. Artists sent in their work anomously to be judged by a jury of professional art critics; the winner was a little girl whose mom had entered her painting. It created quite an uproar.

I'm an architect and if a little part of me died every time I saw someone DIY a shed or a renovation, I wouldn't be alive to write this. More often than not I learn something from the "untrained" person that years of school didn't teach me.

@Retropian: !!!!!!!!!

Ugh. I hate abstract art. I hate artists that think they're better than babies. I hate parents that think they're baby is amazing. I hate babies. I hate vomiting. And puppies, I hate puppies.

Mainly I just hate abstract art.

@teleutte: Get. Over. Yourself.

By your way of thinking, we would never have any trained artists, because their initial curiosity would be snuffed out in infancy
before they "know a thing about art or the industry."

You just keep on making your snooty art that none of us poor, uneducated buffoons could ever value, and we'll continue having FUN without you!!

P.S. I would also note that this person was not trying to SELL this painting, nor pass it off as something it is not. She hung it IN HER OWN HOME.

Babe may have done the squirming & sliding but mom made a nice choice of colors and placement on the paper -- a good collaboration in my book!

ha ha ha! @conejitoasesino

My son also loves making art and I love making "DIY" art, whatever that means. My family and I love being creative and exploring our creativity. If that's not "proper" art to others, well, that's not our problem.

Wow! People who went to art school and consider themselves artists are killing themselves now?
How pompous and arrogant of you to think that someone without the training you have couldn't be an artist. How stupid of you to be threatened by a 16 month old.
Did you all just miss the point here? Do you think your creative juices didn't start flowing at such a young age?
If that's the case then I guess you should just end it all now.
Thank goodness for little artists.

Teleutte-I spent 4 years in art school years ago, graduated with my BFA and am a professional artist. And I think this post and the resulting piece of "art" is wonderful. I think the folks involved have made it pretty clear that they aren't touting it as "Art" in the traditional sense and I think it's one of the best ways to get kids interested in and involved in art from a very early age.

What I don't think is fabulous? Art students (who haven't even graduated yet) with little to no life experience who can't get their own heads out of their rears long enough to see the beauty and worth in something like this.

What kind of finger paint was used? I'm trying to find something clearly non-toxic and made for babies to play with (and most likely put in their mouths).

@teleutte: Don’t worry… in 3 years when you are struggling to pay off your $50K in student loan debt with your job at Starbucks - we won’t judge you when you pimp out your toddler’s finger paintings at the local art fair because you’ve lost all inspiration due to your lack of ability to see the potential creativity in everyday life.

mamashafe-Thank you! Well said.
Creativity starts at a very early age and should be encouraged.
People seem to forget that.

@lindor411 we use the Alex Toys Little Hands, Washable Finger Paints. Its actually a really weird paint and I don't think I'd buy it again. Its kind of gel-like and takes forever to dry. I think we might try "Color Splash" finger paints next. They're non toxic and safe for children.

@ray44 - thanks! Do you think those brands are ok for a 9 month old who is still putting *EVERYTHING* in his mouth?

That turned out cool and is a fun idea. I believe art is indefinable the qualifications are different for every person. The process involved does not dictate if something is a work of art. Exploration leads the development of new ideas and the strengthening of techniques. I am in the fine arts program at ASU concentrating in fibers. My professor told a story of a graduate student she had who made a gorgeous piece of felt that she had made binding wool and fabric and processing it in the washing machine. The result was incredibly beautiful, but the student didn't know if she could call it art because she didn't totally control the whole process. My professor and the whole department told her sometimes great art is made by accident or chance and that does nothing to devalue the work. Why shouldn't a baby start painting and if the result is beautiful why not put it on the wall? If you care about art you should encourage kids and all people to explore art.

@lindor44 Skye is 16 months and still licks the paint. I just keep a really close eye on him to make sure he doesn't get too much in his mouth. I would just really monitor your babe when he/she is painting. There are some eco paints out there too that are plant based. Maybe you should consider something like that for a younger baby.

@mamashafe you hit the nail on the head.

and to those who are criticizing this post...perhaps your rude words would have more meaning if you used proper grammar? just a thought. i think the baby painting is adorable and i can't wait to do it on a big canvas with my 11 month-old twins. get a grip, people.

@teleutte: you had to have started somewhere. as an art student i'm sure you have loved making art for as long as you can remember. your mom just wasn't cool enough to get it posted on apartment therapy :)

btw...... skye comes from an immediate family of some pretty famous artists and musicians so we do know a thing or two about the art world.

This is heated, sadly. I do think it's clear, however, that knowledge of media and technique matter--so does the art history taught in those pricey schools, or at least it does to those who value learning about our culture and, perhaps, those of the past so we can improve our own (of course, we'd have to read something). Education bashing is decidedly uncool, folks. And sad.
I'll add that the reason some grads end up pouring coffee at Starbucks is because people expect art--writing, graphic design, et al--for free.
Our money is where our values are. Always.

Or maybe they pour coffee at Starbucks because they're not that talented or hard-working. I've met plenty of educated artists who ended up in other careers because they couldn't survive outside of school, just like I've met plenty of trained writers who have technique and knowledge, but not a lot of natural talent. Anyway, I don't think people were education bashing, but rather criticizing that particular commenter's haughty attitude.

I tried to get my cats to paint after reading the book "Why cats paint" as a condolence for my mum's cat's passing. It was not successful. At all. This is a really great idea for a sentimental piece.

For the people claiming that their degree is what makes them artists:

Baby's awesome piece is probably far more meaningful to the family than any million-dollar piece...but mostly just an attractive bit of color for the rest of us.

If the fact that non-artists can create "an attractive bit of color" is a threat to you, then you're not producing very innovative art yourself.

Bring something worth buying to the table, or don't complain when people don't buy. Your education WILL NOT sell paintings. How you use it? That just might.

Wow! I can't believe my sons painting has ensued this much of a heated discussion. His 15 minutes of fame have definitely been interesting to say the least!

I've been an artist all of my life. Art is in the eye of the beholder not in the amount of education, experience, or price tag.

Oh, and I love the painting. I have a lot of my son's abstract artwork on the walls in my home too.

I love this idea! I have a thirteen month old son and he would love to do this.

I also have two older daughters (5 and 7) and they make lovely art for our home all the time. Watercolor paintings, charcoal sketches, etc...Some of the works I keep because they are my children and some I keep because I love the piece of work and would want it in my home regardless of who created it. I am a big proponent of having things in your home that reflect you and what you love. I keep encouraging my children to create so that hopefully they never come to believe ,as some do, that one must have been technically trained to produce art. Art is nearly impossible to define and, to me, you do not need to be a fulltime professional artist to create art. My most treasured pieces of art are those that were done by my children (the ones done with real thought, intention, and beauty, not some crayola scribbles) and my husband who paints lovely oil and watercolor portraits of people.

what is the debate here really? I went to an art High School. playing around during lunch one of us kids would ball up a napkin, chuck it on the table & proclaim "ART!". more than once, teachers, stopped to critique and offer praise. so who really determines what is art, the artist, or the critic!?!

@conejitoasesino, before you go around saying you hate everything, you might want to learn how to use their, they're, and there properly.

I'm a little surprised at how much strife this post generated. Art is in the eye of the beholder, so to speak. There is plenty of art I don't "get" or think is atrocious (personally, I think the baby did a pretty good job), but that doesn't make it not art. I have friends who are professional artists, and I love their work. I don't think any of them would be insulted by this finger paint baby piece. I own 'real' art, but I also have DIY art and found art too. People who go around claiming something is art and something else is not... well, it's kind of ridiculous and pretentious. Does it really matter?

Do people really take comments, like Lisa (Montreal)'s, seriously? Surely she wasn't meaning to insult artists. Sheesh.
I have a two year old I'm going to try this with. What a great way to spend a rainy day, like the one we are having now!
I will be calling our masterpiece "Art"! (giggle) It will be Sophia's art.

Art is subjective. When something is subjective it pretty much disqualifies anyone's ability to factually label something as art or non-art.

I know there is technique for much art (some involve more specifics and technique than others). I will admit I don't necessarily put as much value in education on abstract art as I do in other types of art (historical art -including abstract in a historical context-animation, illustration, reproduction) because I see it as more organic, less definitive. I never studied art so I guess what do I know.

I just think it's ironic to declare that there is a clear difference between developed and undeveloped artists then chastise people at the same time for not recognizing that difference because they have not studied art. If only people that studied art would be able to seek out and know the difference wouldn't it just be a bunch of artists selling art to each other? I guess that's why they are "starving artists".

If even one person thinks something is art, guess what, it is art. Deal with it.

This has to be is the most entertaining discussion on this site since that vintage candle that looked like...oh, never mind.

This is adorable and a half!

http://www.prevailingetquette.com/