‘Watercolor’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Create: Giant Watercolor Tutorial

February 19, 2013 · Narrative

If you couldn’t tell, I like to celebrate my children. Every day, for certain, but especially on their birthdays. I always want them to feel loved.

And so when I was planning all the little things I wanted to do for Madeline’s recent birthday and spied a tutorial for a giant watercolor celebrating her new age, I was all in.

I mean, really. A giant watercolor for my watercolor-loving girl?

It was a no-brainer.

The weekend right before her birthday, I had a quiet house to myself while the kids were with The Ex, and I took full advantage.

A giant piece of hot-pressed watercolor paper from Michael’s.

Watercolor paint.

Water cup.

Paint brush.

Pencil.

I was set.

It took a few sketches to get the number five just right. Just the way I wanted it. I did it free-hand, and I think that’s the easiest way to go about it. Just use the pencil lightly so it can erase easily if you need to edit as you go.

When it came to colors, I wanted to go with her current favorite colors: pink, purple, orange, and light blue. Blending a little bit here and there for some (attempted) smooth transitioning.

As I sat at the dining room table painting, memories of my grandmother were quick to come. She was an artist, of many mediums, for as long as I can remember, but painting with watercolors was, for sure, her jam. And as I blended and dabbed and thinned, I wondered if she was rolling over in her grave. Because if there are any techniques or rules when it comes to watercolor painting, I surely broke them. I just went about creating and doing what I thought felt right.

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Creating Art with Your Kids

December 3, 2012 · Narrative

My grandmother on my mom’s side died a few years ago. For all the things I loved about her, she was very difficult to get along with. Her home was awash with bright colors, pops of purples and pinks everywhere, but that was in sharp contrast to how negative she was. She was never shy in telling people what she thought and her tongue could be quite acerbic.

I’ll never forget the day she came to visit the first home that The Ex and I had bought. I had just finished painting the living room, and she was going to spend the day with me at our new home, helping me decorate and get us settled. She walked right into the living room and said “Why on earth would you paint it this color?”

Completely deflating the sense of pride I had in the first room I had finished in our new home. And so began a very long day. My time with her, both that day and otherwise, was filled with her constant negative comments about everything. My hair. The clothes I wore. Choices I made, decorating, life, and otherwise.

And as much as I hate that my kids will grow up never knowing her (Nick’s last visit with her was when he was 10 months old, so, of course, Madeline and my three nieces never got the chance to meet her), I am glad that what they *do* know of and have learned about her, is happy.

She was a master with the paint brush, and was known for turning out beautiful water color paintings with a quick flick of her wrist. She took art classes every year at her local college, withdrawing right before the end, so she could re-enroll again the next term.

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Craft Time: Watercolor Bubble Art

June 19, 2012 · Ad-Free

Last day of school for Nick and we celebrated the achievement with a doctor’s appointment for me and an orthodontist appointment for Nick. Um, yay.

I figured if anything could soften the blow of our sub-par afternoon, it would be a little bit of art. Last week, I spied a fun new technique over on Rubyellen’s blog, Cakies, using bubble solution and bubble wands. If there’s one thing we have, it’s tons of bottles of bubble solution. Two years ago, at an after-summer clearance, I stocked up on five-cents-a-bottle bubbles. Totally my kind of sale. And perfect for this quick art project.

The other thing I have a ton of? Paint. I happen to be partial to the Plaid brand, and bought of ton of it last year. It’s inexpensive, lasts forever, and is super versatile. Used right out of the bottle, it’s vibrant and thick, and perfect for an endless stream of kid painting projects. We also water it down some and treat it like a watercolor-type of paint as well. Today? It was added to bubble solution.

I set the kids up in the backyard with water cups, paint brushes, thick white artist paper (we got our supplies at our local Walmart), paint, and bubbles. They chose their own color schemes. It cracked me up that the colors Nick chose happened to match his shirt. Once the paint was mixed in with the bubble solution, they went to town, using the wand to blow paint filled bubbles onto their paper. They also used the wands to flick paint onto the paper, creating a fun splatter effect.

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