This simple guide will help you paint confidently and smoothly for the Six Million Project, ensuring your rectangles look neat and polished as you add your personal touch to this meaningful artwork.

Choose a color that you love.
Paint 10-20 rectangles in that color, spreading them randomly across the page. Outline each rectangle before coloring in the center. The corners should be square, not rounded.
Repeat
Things to Remember
TYPE OF PAINT
Use any colored markers. Make sure that you have at least 36 different colors. I recommend using acrylic pens (0.7 tip or smaller). Avoid using brush markers, which aren't as precise as thinner pens. These are the pens that I use, with 136 exciting colors! These pens are also excellent, with 36 colors.
CHOOSING YOUR COLOR
Choose colors that resonate with you and make you feel happy. The object of this artwork is to remember and celebrate their lives; not to focus on their deaths. You can use muted colors, bright shades, complementary colors or even glittery, neon or metallic markers! And yes, we can have white rectangles, too.
START PAINTING
Distribute your rectangles in a random, varied way, avoiding any repetitive patterns. The goal is to create a natural, organic look that reflects the individuality of human life, rather than a structured or mechanical appearance.
STRAIGHT LINES
Outlines should be as straight as you can. Start each rectangle with the outline, then color in the center. It's best to draw 4 separate lines for each outline (lift the pen from the paper 4 times), rather than drawing one continuous outline all the way around. Please keep the corners at straight angles (right angles), for a clean and consistent look.
Rectangles should have sharp corners and straight lines.
HOW TO AVOID SMUDGING
Move your hand from top to bottom and left to right across the page (just like writing) to avoid smudging any wet areas.
Painting to avoid smudging any wet areas WHITE SPACES
Please try to avoid leaving thin white spaces between or inside the rectangles.
WHAT IF I MAKE A MESS?
Oops, a wonky line? No problem! In a project this big, with such tiny rectangles, perfection isn’t the goal—that’s the beauty of it. We’re handpainting this, in the age of AI, to keep it real and authentic. If you're using acrylic markers, let the paint dry, then carefully outline the neighboring rectangle, which will erase the messy area.
REST YOUR EYES
Don’t forget to give your eyes a break as the rectangles are so small! Try the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 meters away for 20 seconds!
MINDFULNESS
This isn’t a race to finish quickly. Try to reflect as you color, this painting is about mindfulness. Take your time to connect to the memory of a person represented by one of your rectangles.
Be mindful that each rectangle you color is part of a greater story — together, we are weaving a powerful memorial that honors lives lost and keeps their memory alive.
AM ISRAEL CHAI!!!!!
Many participants say this time spent painting gives them a sense of peace and purpose.
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