Dandelion Watercolor Lesson Using Alcohol, Crayon Resist and Salt

This lesson is all about process - virtually anyone can do this!

You will need:

Watercolor Paper

Liquid Watercolor paint in yellow, blue and green

Alcohol 

Pipettes or droppers

Table Salt

Crayons in green, yellow and orange

Brushes and water

I used:

The finished painting is inspired by a field of Dandelions.

The Crayon creates a wax resist for the stems and a few yellow flowers.

The alcohol creates the dandelion when it has finished blooming and has the ray of florets.

I know I used to play with these as a child, blowing the seeds away and making a wish.

The salt suggests these individual florets floating in the air.

Begin by drawing some random length and shape dandelion stems with crayon.

Add the yellow bursts at the top of a few stems.

Add a little bit of orange in the center of the yellow and then get the paper wet with at least two coats of water brushed over the surface.  You want the paper to be wet so the watercolor paint will be going onto wet paper, wet into wet.

If the paper starts to curl on the edges just pick it up and bend it to flatten it again.

Drop some yellow onto the paper in the sky and the foreground.  Just put it wherever you want.

Next add some blue into the sky and some green in the foreground and just let it mix with the yellow.

Now stand the painting up and let the colors run down the paper.

Drop some alcohol onto the empty stems with the pipette.  If you don't like the shape the drop makes you can draw the alcohol on with the tip of the pipette.

Sprinkle a little bit of salt around the painting.

When the salt dries you will get that crystal like effect.

I think it looks like the dandelion florets floating in the air.

 Now your students have done:

Wax resist

Wet into Wet

Alcohol reaction

Salt reaction

All in one painting which requires no drawing or painting skills.  

Great for any age and any level of ability.  

Process art is very relaxing and freeing - even for students who have a high ability level.

Have fun! 

Some of my students' work - if they like it, I like it!  I don't try and force them to do it a certain way, just give them options.

Watercolor Techniques Cat Art Project

This is a simple way to paint a cat and also to experiment with watercolor techniques.

The students will draw the cat outline taking up most of the space on their watercolor paper.  Note that the cat is more to the right side of the paper.  

After they draw the outline they will draw the whiskers and the eyes.  To help with the placement of the whiskers they can draw a nose and erase it later.

I used Colourless Art Masking Fluid for Watercolor paper by Winsor & Newton.  The students will use a small brush to paint the masking fluid onto the whiskers and eyes.  This will block any paint from the paper in the painted areas.  It's a fun technique because it's almost magical to use.

Once the masking fluid is dry the students do a black watercolor wash over the cat.  When that is a little bit dry, but not all the way they can come in with the background colors.  It's alright if the cat and the background bleed together a bit.  It just makes the cat look fuzzy/furry.

When they are happy with the background they can drop a few pieces of salt into the sky to create stars.  They will need to go back in with the black and re-do their cat shape so it doesn't get too blurry.

The painting needs to be completely dry before the masking fluid is removed.  It just rubs off with the fingertips.  Once the initial layer is removed put one drop of masking fluid into the top center of each 

eye.  Now using green (or whatever color they want to use for the eye) fill in the eye shape with color.

When the green is dry use a fine tip brush to do an upside down triangle for the black iris with the masking fluid in the top center.

When the eyes are completely dry remove the drop of masking fluid and the cat is finished.  

The students have learned several watercolor techniques while creating their semi abstract cats.