Watercolor Exploration

Watercolor Exploration

Objective: Have fun! Through watercolor exploration, you will also learn about texture, color mixing, and how a variety of mixed media reacts to the pigment of watercolor paint.

You will notice as you go along that we have made many modifications for you to try new materials if you don’t have the supplies that we use! And remember, there is no right or wrong in exploration.

You do you, and have fun!

Now! Let’s go gather some fun stuff to experiment with...

If you don’t have the supplies we used, no worries!

Instead of watercolor paint, try food colouring or leftover coffee, tea or fruit juice.

Kool-Aid would be fun to experiment with too!

Divide your paper into 10 sections with a ruler, you can tape off your sections if you’re using watercolor paper (try reducing the stickiness of your tape by sticking it a few times on your clothing before applying it to your paper.) If you’re using another type of paper, hold off on the tape since you don’t want it to stick and tear your paper!

No watercolor paper? Try bristol paper, or cardstock or even computer paper or leftover papers and cardboard from your recycling bin!

rice, plastic wrap, salt, crayons, q-tips, paper towels, sponges, leaves, grass, seeds, paint brush, birthday candle Test out some of our ideas, and then try some of your own!

(Left) Paint your watercolour in your marked off swatch of paper and use enough water so it’s ‘soupy.’ Scrunch a bit of plastic wrap in your hand and press it down onto your painted swatch.

Leave it alone until it dries, then remove the plastic wrap. (Right) Paint your watercolor swatch and use enough water so it’s soupy! Sprinkle some rice (any kind) and let it dry.

Once dry, brush it off.

(Above) Paint your watercolour in your marked off swatch of paper and use enough water so it’s ‘soupy.’ Sprinkle some salt while your paint is still wet and wait for it to dry, then brush salt off. Any type of salt you use will create a different texture so try them all! (sea salt, rock salt, table salt.)

(Left) Dab your sponge in your watercolor and lightly press the sponge to your paper. Wow! (Right) Draw on your dry paper swatch with a birthday candle. Paint over the top of your drawing with watercolor. Watch your drawing magically appear!

(Left) Paint your watercolor in your marked off swatch of paper and use enough water so it’s ‘soupy.’ Use your cotton swab to ‘paint’ through your swatch, it will pick up some of the pigment and leave your drawing behind. (Right) Draw on your dry paper with a crayon, then paint over your crayon drawing with your watercolor paint.

Hope you enjoyed exploring with watercolor! Let us know how it went by emailing a photo of your project to education@ sjmusart.org We will post project photos frequently to our Education at SJMA Facebook page!