I love children’s art–especially art by children who haven’t been told to draw something or that the sky has to be blue and the grass green and don’t forget to draw a plume of scribbly smoke coming out of your house’s chimney! I’m talking pure color, no inhibitions, beauty of line for line’s sake. C’mon, harness their care(FREE) creativity and get some real original art up on your walls!

This is easy-peasy and when you are done, your friends will gasp at your chic painting, thinking you have blown your children’s college savings on a real Cy Twombly. So this is what you do to have a beautiful abstract expressionist painting ready by dinner:

Get a large canvas–the larger the better to make a bold statement and fool everyone that this is hi-falootin’ art. Or, do a series of smaller canvases to hang together. Get the gallery-wrapped canvases so you can hang it without a frame and have that contemporary art look. Make sure to get the ones with a deep profile, meaning the canvas sides are at least 1 1/2″ deep.

Next cover the canvas in two or more colors. Regular house paint would be just fine. This step just ensures that all the white gesso, or primer, is covered on the canvas and gives a nice base on which to turn your kids loose. I let my four-year-old help me with this step to take advantage of his serendipitous gestural marks.

Now lay the canvas down on the floor with a box of cheap non-toxic oil pastels and let the kids go crazy. I cooked dinner while they scribbled to their hearts’ content. And, not only did I have an original painting in the works, but I also cooked in peace. Genius!

When the kids finally get bored with the activity, your new painting is ready! If you don’t mind a little mess, you could also give your kids some cheap brushes and acrylic paints–those craft paint tubes work fantastic. Lots of colors for little money.

Wah-la! How great is this? Toddler art is all about color, line, and gesture.