Watercolor Flowers

Good paper
Watercolors (I used a little bit of everything)
Tape
Ink pen

All Bottled Up

Here is my new series of ATC's for trade-

Watercolor with vintage book page snippets.

Watercolor plus Tissue Paper

Watercolors are known for their beautiful translucent layers of colors. Here's a project that's easy to do and shows off the nature of the medium.

Ingredients:

140 lb. cold pressed cotton watercolor paper cut in ATC size... 2.5" by 3.5"

several colors of bleeding tissue paper that mix well (red and blues, or yellow and reds) cut in to small shapes

watercolors- I used an inky bright sakura tube of blue and yellow

shimmer medium- Grumbacher makes a really sparkley one

cut out/paper punch shapes from old mail for a stencil effect

painters tape

rubbing alcohol

salt

paintbrush

water

and a watercolor sponge or paper towels 

Tape down a ATC card blank cut from the watercolor paper

Mix up the paint with a dab of the shimmer medium or just blend it once it's on the paper

Add little bits of dry tissue to the wet background of the ATC.

Smooth them on with your paintbrush 

Add layers of paper cut outs, tissue, and paint/shimmer mixture

Continue to dab off extra water or add more color and paint (to keep the colors fresh use a limited palette on each surface)

Add drops of rubbing alcohol for fun visual texture

Add a sprinkle of salt for a nice texture too

Dry for as long as you can stand waiting!  Over night is best or you can dry it with a dryer...but the longer it sits the better the dyes and colors will merge. 

Peel off the tape and layers to reveal the surprise! 

Have fun!
XOXO

Willow

You'll need a place to work too... I usually use an old watercolor pad.

Bleeding tissue paper is fun to use, but it is like sheets of paint colors...so mix primary colors together and stay away from mixing complimentary colors unless you WANT brown/neutrals  ;)

Add cutouts for fun!

Adding salt makes more visual texture that's fun!

Play with different colors on a series of cards... you never know what it might inspire :)

liQuiD WAtERcolorS with visual texture

Watercolor play...

Ingredients:

Arches cotton 140lb. paper

various watercolors... I used student grade Grumbacher tubes

alcohol and an eye dropper
winsor and Newton liquid watercolor... I used lime green
Salt
Plastic wrap
paintbrushes
water

First tape off a section of your paper you want to paint-

Then wet the paper with a clean brush...only wet the areas you want to color to move across...

Now drop in areas of color...red, yellow, blue... keep adding until you like what you see.

Add salt to some areas. Dab off extra water with a sponge or paper towel. 

Use your dropper to drop in some alcohol spots...

add ink to the alcohol for even more fun effects...

Layer on some crumpled up plastic wrap and let dry! 

Lift off the plastic and tape to reveal the painting! 

Use it as a background, cut it up for ATC's or frame it as is :)

March is Youth Art Month!

Ready?
Get out your paints, pencils, clay, fabric, glue, odds and ends, and pens and create great works of art...make a in home gallery...mail your creations to friends! And remember to post a link to your pictures so I can see what you've made!  Have fun!
XOXO

Willow
P.S.
Tell your teachers and friends... it's time for YAM!

Link with love... And fun art projects!

Check out http://connectingwiththearts.blogspot.com
for some sweet links to the best art projects and art history lessons.
Have fun!
XOXO
Willow

Scribble drawing- with paint!

If you're bored and need to have some fun try this:

Take a sheet of good watercolor paper- 140 lb. Canson makes a good student quality or use arches.

Then use your primary colors in pans or squeeze out 3 primary colors plus one neutral or black to wash over the final shape.

Now take one color at at time and doodle a design (without really thinking about where the lines go).

I like using a size 12 round watercolor or acrylic paint brush. Whatever you have will work. 

If the paint looks like it's puddling- let each color dry between applications. The idea is to get separate contour shapes to play with. 

Once your paper is dry rotate it until you "see" a picture, animal, object. This is the hardest part... But the best! Once you see it- start in with your sharpie - permanent markers work best because they won't run in the next step. Close in your picture like a coloring book- capturing simple shapes and/ or images. Now using a neutral/ watery black, fill in the shapes and add details. You can go back in with the sharpie when it's dry to add final touches! What did you make? My adult artists from the summer made some pretty awesome pictures... I'll post later :)

XOXO

Willow