Painting With Watercolours: experimenting with technique

Part of the reason why I like watercolours so much is mess is kept to a minimum and it’s easy set up and clean up. I can stick a cup of water on the table with paper and a watercolour tray and know the kids will be occupied for a good half an hour. Another reason to love watercolours is its whimsical finish.

I’m rather fascinated by painting and beautiful drawings in general, and so it’s something I look to explore further with my kids.  To be honest, I’m not a fan of doing structured educational activities at home as such; however I am an advocate of learning, especially when it extends an interest or passion.  Below are some of the early watercolour techniques I’ve explored with my kids.

Set up

A cup of water

Paper towel (for absorbing excess water)

Piece of paper

Watercolour pallet

Paint Brushes (it’s a good idea to have a few different sizes for variety and experimentation)

Clean Up

I don’t tend to stress about paint going on the table because cleaning up is as easy a wet cloth, tipping the water out in a garden and hanging paintings to dry on the line.

Paint

Basic brush techniques

Experimenting with different ways of moving the brush. 

Dry brush / Wet brush

Two different looks can be achieved by using a very wet brush or a relatively dry one.

Wet paper / Dry paper

Wet the paper with a spray bottle before painting. This can provide an easy surface to belend colours.

Mixing colours

What colour combinations can you create?

Watercolour Painting: Autumn Bloom Tree

Here’s another (more advanced but not difficult) watercolour activity I did with the kids: Autumn Bloom Tree. It turned out fantastic!  Click the picture below for the full tutorial.

 

More

Basic Drawing Materials (for adults & kids!)

Create an art space (when you have no space)