Sometimes though, I give in to the constant refrain of "let's do a craft Mommy! Let's make a picture!"; and on Monday I pulled out some old watercolour supplies and taught the Princess how to use them. She blew my mind.
" the sea " watercolour by the Princess, January 2009
Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? (Cheap frame from Ikea - fabulous for displaying children's artwork)
Watercolours are the perfect medium for children. The mess is minimal, and they are entranced by the way the paint glides and flows on the paper. Besides, the best results come with loose free strokes, which is natural for them. If you know a child who loves art, this is what you should get them for their next birthday.
A few tips: 1. buy a watercolour block, which is a pad of paper that is glued all around the edges except for a small section where you can slip in a knife and pull each finished painting off once it's dry. This keeps the paper stretched and flat.
2. And real paint. It doesn't have to be expensive, but get a student quality set from an art supply. Pans are better than tubes for little ones.
3. The paper can take a lot of water, have them brush clean water over the entire surface of the paper before starting.
4. The paint will dry lighter, so if they want vivid colour, have them load it on.
5. Give them some salt (I like sea salt best for this, but experiment!) to sprinkle in the wet paint to make a speckled effect.
6. Although some pigments are more permanent than others, sometimes paint can be removed from the paper by wetting and blotting with a tissue or paper towel (Q-tips are good for small areas)
Let me see your kids' best work. I love all of it.
10 comments:
I knew what it was even before I saw the title. That girl has talent!
We display our girls' artwork in cheap Ikea frames too, all clumped together like in a "real" gallery. It adds so much color to the house and always makes me smile.
This is awesome! And I love the idea of displaying it in a frame! MEntal note for a few years from now!
She's got serious talent!
I am not artistic at all. My son also has no artistic notions. He find it all boring. He only wants to play sports games with his little men (or with real live people). So I have no basis to judge art, but that piece of work looks pretty advanced for her age!
I also wanted to comment on your previous post that my son went through a phase where whenever anyone got in the shower, he would jump in too. Then he went through a phase (when it was safe enough!) where he took showers all the time by himself. Now he's in a phase where he doesn't take them AT ALL. He's 6. I didn't think that happened until the teens :)
That does blow my mind!
Kids are so creative and then things get in the way, they feel they need to conform to expectations and what is being taught in schools.
She has amazing talent.
My granddaughter had to draw her house for a school project. I saw the other kids work in the hall when they were put up, and they were all good, but her's really surprised me. It wasn't just a house, but the cat in the window upstairs, the blinds on one side, the curtains on the other,,etc. All the little little details that I never thought she paid attention to. Every time I looked at it I saw something I missed before. I love kids artwork, to see the world the way they do, it's magical! Great job with your daughter's painting, worth framing indeed!
I love kid watercolors. My kids have done some really cool ones. My favorite is posted somewhere on my blog... Evan did one that resembled an amoeba. I don't know what it was SUPPOSED to be, but it was beautiful.
That is awesome.
I actually feel pretty inspired - I think I'll gt G some watercolours this weekend and get him to make his Oma a get well card.
Wow, that's beautiful. She's so clever. I have one very artistic one. Those are good tips, thanks!
That is beautiful.
we just took down our "art gallery" when we re-did the basement, so I'm getting some frames.
I love kids art.
But, hers was really well done.
Fabulous!!!!! I love it!!!!
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