Miniature blue and white pottery iconic houses became popular when KLM, a Dutch airline, presented their business class travellers with them as souvenirs in 1952. They eventually became a collectors’ item— there are 96 different types of houses, each with a number, and people would aim to collect all 96. Eventually, KLM made containers in the shape of these houses and served drinks in them with a cork on the chimney. These are still served to passengers.
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Here’s how you can make your own Delft blue and white pottery art on paper.
MATERIALS
- Coloured chart paper
- Poster paints
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
METHOD
- Draw the outline of the houses using a pencil. Try to draw it freehand. Notice that each house has a differently shaped roof.
- Add windows, doors and roofs to the houses. Each window should be different from the others. Fill in details like double lines in between the doors and windows with the pencil.
- Use white poster paint to paint the walls of the houses. Dip your brush in water to spread the paint. Leave it to dry.
- For the windows and doors, use cobalt blue or Prussian blue with white. Mix different levels of white with blue to get different shades of paint. You can also use pure blue for some windows.
- For the outlines of the windows and doors, use pure blue. You can also use contrasting shades of blue for the outlines. Also fill in the double lines and other details. Add details to the doors and windows. Try to keep each set of doors and windows different. Add a few basic patterns inside the buildings.
- For the roofs, use a mixture of blue and black. Add details like lines or dots on the roofs with other shades of blue.
- Your painting is complete. You can paint the background if you like.
Dipika Gurnaney studied at the Sir JJ School of Fine Arts and is a recipient of a scholarship from the Pont Aven
School of Contemporary Art in France. Dipika has been teaching children art since 2002.
ACTIVITY: Fly Right
Match the national carrier to its country.
