How to Make Abstract Graphics
Artists have filled museums with abstract designs such as solid squares, splatter painted canvases and rows of dots, but you don't need any art supplies at all to make your own abstract graphics. Test out your artistic skills with Windows Paint, a small graphic-design program included in most operating systems. With Paint, you can make splatter designs, rows of shapes or something entirely new and museum-worthy, all with a few mouse moves.
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Instructions
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Open the Windows Paint software from the desktop icon or in the "Accessories" folder off the "Start" button or icon.
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Click the Paint drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the workspace. Select "Properties." Type the dimensions for the abstract design canvas in the "Width" and "Height" fields. Click the "Inches" radio button. Click the "OK" button and Paint opens the newly sized blank canvas.
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Select the small drop-down arrow on the "Brushes" button on the ribbon. Choose one of the artistic brush heads such as "Watercolor" or stick with the basic brush, "Brush."
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Click the small drop-down arrow below the "Size" button on the ribbon. Select the top/thinnest line.
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Select a colored square in the "Colors" section of the ribbon for the first painting color. Position the cursor on the canvas. Click and hold down the left mouse button. Drag the cursor to start the design, such as in an up-and-down motion, curly spirals or jagged zigzags.
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Experiment with the different thicknesses of the brushes, brush types and colors.
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Draw a closed design, such as a circle or cloudlike form. Click a new paint color, then click the "Paint Bucket" icon on the "Tools" portion of the ribbon. Click inside the design, which fills it with color. Test out filling different parts of designs with different colors, such as a rainbow of hues or all shades of the same color.
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Tips & Warnings
The beauty of making abstract graphics is that there are no rules. Use lines, spirals, swirls and anything else that strikes your fancy or makes you feel the most creative. You can also take advantage of Paint's "Shapes" collection, located in the center of the ribbon. Even though using shapes may not seem abstract, experiment with piling them on top of each other or scattering them around the canvas for a free-form feel.
