Simple and fun ideas to get your creativity flowing! Perfect for kids too!
Take a look around your house.. have any extra sponges you could cut up into shapes? A piece of string laying around? Bubble wrap from that package you got in the mail last week? Lots of different items could be great for making shapes, textures or painting with!
Here's a list of what I used:
Sponge
Liquid Medicine Cup
Bubble wrap
Twine
Cotton Pads
Cotton Swabs
Plastic Fork & Knife
Sponges are pretty great. You can use them as a stamp if you want to create specific shape. Or create other kinds of marks like I did by just use a small chunk to mess around with. All you need to do is: Pre-wet your watercolor, dip the sponge and start making marks! You will need to add more paint and water as you go along. If you want to switch colors, simply clean the sponge by dipping it in clean water and blotting on paper towels or a rag. You can also mix colors by using more than one at a time.
Try using different motions or gestures against the paper. I twisted the sponge to create this pattern below. The texture of the sponge was more apparent when I used less water. (For those who have been following the blog - its basically the Dry Brush technique, mentioned in my previous post!) These little marks almost look like roses, and could easily be made into a flower bouquet if arranged right.
Simple craft idea coming in hot! The only additional things you'll need are a scissor and some glue. Take a few pieces of paper and create patterns in different colors using the sponge. Use one sheet as your background and the others will be cut out and pasted on top. Its a fun way to make a homemade card too! You could totally cut out letters to create a message or just a shape like I did.
Bubble wrap was interesting but not my favorite. I'd like to try again with a larger piece so its easier to handle. It was a little rough to find a happy medium with how much water and paint to use. It's all about experimenting though!
The liquid medicine cup is a quick way to get a perfect circle with some variation. Take paint with your brush, apply it around the rim of the cup and press into your paper. I used less water so the paint would be more opaque. Adding different amounts to see how I could play with the shape of the circle. You can use a plastic fork and knife in the same way. Just apply paint to them and make marks on your paper!
Twine was fun and messy! I ended up with purple fingers but its all good -its watercolor paint!! Roll and wrap your string around itself depending on the amount you have and the type of marks you'd like to see. Wet the string slightly and dip into your already wet watercolor. Dab and twist around on your paper. Add more paint and water as you go to get your desired effect!
Cotton swabs are great for making dots but you can also use them like a paint brush! Just wet your paints and swab tip slightly - then dip the swab in. Add more water if you need to. Play around and see where it takes you! The same can be done with the cotton pads but they make larger and softer marks than the swabs do.
Blob and Mark Making doodles!
Get your creative juices flowing or let you kids imagination run wild!! Make little characters and creature from the blobs and marks you make. I used a black micron pen over the dried watercolors to create these little friends!
I'd love to see what you create! Tag me @jenniferschiano on instagram if you want to share or use the #getcreativewithjen !
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