Rad Raccoon with Wet into Wet Watercolor in Warm and Cool Colors

 

This is a simplified Raccoon Project with either Warm colors on the Raccoon and Cool colors around the Raccoon.  Or Cool colors on the Raccoon and Warm colors around the Raccoon.  

It's a fun way to teach students about wet into wet and also how opposite colors on the color wheel create high contrast and balance.

Start with the outside shape of the raccoon's face - I'm going to let them trace the outside shape.

Put a dot in the center of the face about an inch and a half down from the top.

Next draw two wing shapes or a stretched out m.  From the middle to the top edge of the raccoon's mask.

Draw light until you get it right.  It's a little challenging to get the shapes to match on both sides.

At the bottom middle begin the two curves lines for the muzzle.

Continue those two lines up, then curve them towards the center and below the first line to the edge.

It's almost a parallel line below the first one, but a curve towards the middle instead of up.

Add the eyes, I'll give them a circle if they don't want to draw their own.

Add a curved line to the start the nose as shown.

Turn that into a rounded upside down triangle for the nose.

Draw a short line from the middle of the nose down and then a parallel line to the bottom for a mouth.

Add the inside ears and highlights to the eyes and nose.

Begin using a sharpie to create zig zag furry lines.

Now your Raccoon looks very furry.

Finally color in the eyes and nose leaving the highlight white.  Then erase the pencil lines that show.

I used warm and cool colored liquid watercolor and salt.

Each color is applied one at a time and in splotches.  

Remind yourself this isn't a controlled project and just let the colors do what they will.

I'm going to save the darkest colors for around the eyes.

Work quickly so the paint stays wet and mixes together.

I added pink inside the ears and orange around the yellow, then added a bit more yellow.  

Keep your brush dry between colors so it doesn't get too wet or puddles.

Now I added pink with red over the top for the lower mask.  

Be sure to keep the muzzle and eyebrows white.

Begin using cool colors in blotches around the outside.  

Leave a little space around the face white or they will mix together with the color on the raccoon. 

When Warm and Cool colors mix together you will often get brown.  Unless the color is made up of the same color, like blue can mix with yellow - green - more blue - bluish green - more yellow - yellow green.  Or Red can mix with blue - purple, or yellow can mix with red, orange.  But green and orange will make brown.  Red and green the same.  Blue and red also.  Purple and green too.  

You can mix one primary color with a secondary color that has the same color in it.  Blue/green, Yellow/green, Red/purple, Blue/purple, Yellow/orange, Red/orange.

That's why we are limiting our wet into wet to warm or cool colors together.

We are trying to avoid making mud : )

They can experiment on another piece of paper if you have the time.

I added green and then filled in the rest with purple to fill up most of the space around the raccoon.

Finally I added salt around the outside to create more texture.  

You can see the different patterns it creates in the top photo.

Have fun creating these Rad colored Raccoons, learning about mixing colors and wet into wet as well as Warm and Cool Colors!  No two will be alike!