Painting

There are so many possibilities with paints. Watercolors are probably the most accessible and are still standard resources in many homes and elementary classroom. In our class we tried the following four watercolor techniques.

​Real watercolor paper can be more satisfying that other kinds of paper—like copy paper. But any kind of paper will work. You can buy large sheets or tablets of watercolor paper and then tear into smaller pieces. Using masking tape to tape down every edge. This keeps the paper from curling and also give a crisp edge to the picture when you remove the tape (pull it off at a 45 degree angle after the picture has tried). Use a paper towel to soak up any puddles of water on the paper if you want. 

Free Paint

The first painting we did today was a free paint; we just painted whatever we wanted. Some students sprinkled salt on the paintings today for an interesting texture (see Salty Watercolors).

Wet on Wet

Wet the entire paper lightly with a spray bottle, paper towel, or sponge. Then paint on it. This creates interesting blending effects if you let the colors touch. Some of the watercolorists sprinkled salt to their paintings for an interesting texture. Here's a link to more ideas on another website: Wet on Wet. Some of the class members added a bunch more salt. 

Crayon Resist

Use a white crayon to draw a picture, then paint over it with other colors. The paint will not stick to the paper wherever the crayon is, leaving white lines. See the examples below:

Glue and Salt

Draw a picture or design with school glue. Cover the glue with salt and shake off the excess. Paint the salt areas by fully loading the paintbrush with pigment and then just touching it to the salt. The rest of the paper can also be painted if you want.