I do a simple watercolor activity with friends at a local community center called Our Community Place once a month. I’ve been painting watercolor birds these past few weeks, so this week I used my iPad and Apple Pencil to create a paint (or color) page of local birds here in the Shenandoah Valley. I thought you might enjoy painting this page too! You can look up the birds and their colors, or you can dream up your own...
Well hello there friends! Welcome to my last blog post of 2021! I have a fun watercolor tutorial for you inspired by the Christmas Tree Farm. Here’s what you can round up before you start the video: SUPPLIES jar of water paper towel for blotting watercolor paints. I am using a set of tube watercolors squeezed into the lid of an old watercolor tray set preferably a flat brush watercolor paper (I am using a 5×7″ piece) with the...
It’s time again for another “paint with me” tutorial. Have I told you that aspire to me the female 2021 Bob Ross? Here’s what you can round up before you start the video: SUPPLIES jar of water paper towel for blotting pencil watercolor paints. I use this Sakura Koi set in the video. your favorite brushes (I like rounded brushes with tips like these*). watercolor paper (I am using a 4×6″ piece) with the edges taped (optional) THE VIDEO I’d love to...
My kindergarten son and I recorded a tutorial for a fun cool and warm color study abstract. You can tell he wasn’t thrilled to join me, but he ended up really happy with his creation and it’s now framed in his room. I love seeing kids respond to art. I also love projects that have enough guidance that they don’t feel overwhelmed, but also enough freedom that they can create something unique to them. Instructions and a materials list...
I’m no professional, but you know what I prescribe for stressful days when life feels crushing? Breathing. Prayer and Scripture. Friends. Therapy. The outdoors. And low-stress painting! I can help you with the last one! Here’s a little color mixing experiment you can do with simple watercolor supplies. I found this idea for mixing greens in the Watercolor Fix-it Book by Tony Van Hasselt and Judi Wagner. To break out of the “tray” or “bottle” of greens and get...
Here’s a little easy, relaxing, no-pressure art project you can try at home! I love playing with abstracts when you want to experiment with color mixing and not worry about “getting it right.” First grab these supplies (Amazon links are associate links*): watercolor paints (I use this Koi brand tray set, my kids use a tray set from Michael’s) brushes + water thick paper or watercolor paper cut into small rectangles optional: oil pastels, Nupastels, or chalk pastels for...
I almost didn’t post this one because it felt a bit chaotic with four sets of hands and arms and chatter, but friends say to post it, so here goes! Like most of you, my kids are home with me for . . . how long? I spent the first week of this alternating between doomsday scenarios, panic, and mentally checking out in a deluge of news and Facebook posts. I’m still checking the news, but I’m trying to...
This watercolor tutorial is all about playing with color! In the video below, my daughter and I walk you through ways you can play with the color purple. I think you’ll be surprised with the varying results. Here are some things you might want to have on hand before you start the video: jar of water (we reuse yogurt containers) paper towel for blotting watercolor paints. We use something like this* in the video (ours came from Michael’s). your favorite brushes...
If you’ve been to my house or follow my Instagram feed, you probably know that having art on my walls is important to me. Art brings such joy to my home, so I’d love to share with you my best tips for framing your artwork! 1. Use a mat or a thick frame to showcase the art. This is a never-fail one. A mat always makes artwork look 10 times classier, especially with a thick mat. If you don’t use...
