by Frances Stanford

Created on: July 13, 2009

Stippling is a technique of creating artistic designs and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Basically it employs the use of painting with irregularly sized dots. The first part of this process starts with an image that you visualize in your mind. Then you transfer this image to paper by drawing out the design of your choice. Depending on this design, you can add more details to make it very complex, or you can have a very simple design.

Once you have a design drawn out on paper, then it is time to start the stippling process. You need to choose bristle brushes in various shapes and sizes because you will have both small and large areas that require the use of different brush sizes. You should decide on the colors you want to use and have them ready to use. In preparing to stipple, you also need to have two cups of water ready for rinsing and cleaning your brushes. There is no doubt that you will have unwanted spots of paint on the surface, which is why you do need to have a piece of cloth ready to wipe them off.

Choose the canvas you want to use for stippling. Now it is time to transfer your drawing from the paper to the canvas. This is something that you have to be very careful with because you do want to have the same design on the canvas as you have on the paper. Therefore you must be very precise in tracing the design on the canvas.

Once you have an exact copy of the design on the canvas, then you can start stippling. Start by holding the brush of your choice firmly in your hand and use little dots to create dots that outline the design. The size of the dots will depend on the pressure you apply on the brush when the tip makes contact with the canvas. The tip of the brush must always be pointed to make sure of the accuracy of the size of dots you want to make. When you have all the dots where you want them, you can complete the rest of the pattern.

Stippling does not just apply to painting. You can also use this technique to engrave images on wood aluminum or copper. For this process you will need a punching tool and a blunt tool. You do have to create the design on paper first, but all you have to do to trace it onto the medium you are using is to use place the paper on the medium and punch the holes through the paper so that they are visible on the medium you are using. In this way you create little holes when you are tracing out the pattern. Just as in making the dots, the size of the holes will depend on the amount of pressure you use on the punching tool.

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