Spin Art

Spin Art, also Swirl Art, is an abstract painting technique that is used especially of children. The creative toys appeared under different names like Swirl 'N ' Paint, Swirl Art, spin -art device or even simply painting tool.

The toy consists of a turntable on which a mostly postcard-sized, white cardboard is attached. Outside there is a round or rectangular border higher. The turntable is brought into rotation by the motor. Color, mostly oil paint in plastic bottles is dropped from the top of the cardboard. Due to centrifugal force, the ink is jetted onto the paperboard to the outside. By combining different colors abstract patterns emerge (see links).

The toy was known in the early 1980s, but there are newer, mostly smaller editions.

Invention

The device was originally invented in 1962 in America (New Jersey) by the company Twirlapaint. Even today it is popular there and is mostly used at carnivals as a large double variant of wood. Larger units can also be rented.

Educational visual

The toy can be used alone or in pairs. It helps among others incoordination of eye and hand and difficulty with fine motor skills, such as may occur in children with Down syndrome, for example.

A professional artist who uses this style, Steven Igoh is. The U.S. rock band Venice continued this art also for the album cover of Spin Art (1999).

Related art styles are Action Painting, drip painting and splatter painting. Since items can be painted, are especially popular frisbees, counts this technique also for handicrafts.