The Art Lab, Episode 34: Watercolor Art

| Allison

Heyyyyy, guys, and welcome back to Art Lab! Today I’m going to show you three super simple and fun techniques for creating art with watercolors. These ideas are great for art-starters, warm-ups, or even as finished pieces. I used ATCs for my canvas, but you can use whatever paper you like (though watercolor paper works the best, if you have it). Also note that you can use watered-down acrylic paint instead of watercolors if you need too.

Alright, let’s do the easiest (and perhaps most fun) first. 🙂

Technique #1: Magic Islands

I discovered this one by accident and I just LOVE doing it!

1. Lay down some plastic wrap and drop some water in one corner. Dip your wet paintbrush in watercolor and mix it into the water.

art 1 (1280x887)

2. Load up your brush with the diluted paint and splatter it onto the plastic wrap.

art 2 (1280x936)

3. Lay a paper of some sort on top and smooth it out, then pick it up (obviously 😛 ).

art 4 (1280x853)

4. Wait for the paint to dry, then trace around the splotches with pen.

art 5 (1280x859)

5. And you’re done!

art 6 (1280x854)

I think this technique looks like islands, don’t you? This would be a fun way to make a map:

art 7 (1280x948)

Technique #2: Bubble Maze

This technique produces a fun and striking result. The translucence of the watercolor lets you see the colors overlap which makes a really neat effect.

1. Start by painting some dots. Overlap them and attach them to other circles so that the colors bleed into each other.

art 11 (1280x847)

2. Continue adding dots of different colors until the page is mostly filled.

art 12 (1280x884)

3. Fill in the white areas with black Sharpie or pen. And you’re done!

art 13 (1280x853)

Technique #3: Splatter Trees

This is a great way to give the impression of leaves without drawing ever single leaf.

1. Splatter different complementary colors (I used fall colors, but you can use whatever you wish) onto your paper. Try to keep it roughly in a tree shape, but don’t worry if the splatters get a little out of control.

art 8 (1280x954)

2. After the foliage is dry, use a slightly damp brush and brown paint to add in some branches and a trunk. Don’t draw all the branches the tree has, just a few poking out for effect. 😉

art 9 (1280x892)

3. Add some grass and a few dots of fall color if you’re doing an autumn tree. And you’re done!

art 10 (1280x853)

And there you go! Three fun and simple ways to make some watercolor art.

art 14 (1280x853)

Which technique was your favorite? If you make art inspired by this post, we’d love to see it! Click here to learn how to help us fill our art gallery!

***Allison***

P. S. Hannah and Buttercup have joined the Art Lab team! Thank you so much, girls. ♥ Check out their first posts on the Art Lab blog and drop them a comment! 😀

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177 thoughts on “The Art Lab, Episode 34: Watercolor Art”

  5. DUUUUUDE ALLISON YOU’RE LIKE AN ARTISTIC GENIUS I SERIOUSLY WISH I HAD YOUR SKILLS. I’m DYING over that watercolor fall tree! It is SO. BEAUTIFUL. Oh my goodness, you’re making me want to get into art again. XD

    —Madi

    P.S. I’ve been wondering this for a while now and thought I’d ask: do you use any social media accounts to boost your blog’s audience? Or was being featured on WordPress Discover like your big break and your audience kept growing from there?

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. BAHAHAHA, WHAT, ARE YOU SERIOUS? Well thank you SO much, Madi! You should try it – these ideas are all super simple: the perfect way to get into art again! 🙂
      P. S. Ooh, good question! I guess some people visit my blog via Pinterest, but I don’t do much to promote my blog otherwise (or even on there, actually). Yep, I think being featured on WordPress Discover was just my big break – and sorry I can’t be more helpful, but I don’t have any specific tips for getting featured because I’m still shocked they chose me! :O But yeah, I mostly just keep posting and people keep following. I hope your blog gets tons of followers, Madi – it deserves it! 😀

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      1. YES I AM IN AWE OF YOUR SKILLS. XD You’re so welcome! Ooh, I think I will! If I can find my old watercolors, that is. 😄

        P.S. Ooh, okay! Thank you so much! I’ve been attempting to grow my audience but I think my blog has an identity crisis which scares people off. XD Aw, thank so much!! 😀

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        1. HA HA WELL THANK YOU. Yayyy, GO FIND THOSE WATERCOLORS. XD
          P. S. Heh heh. 😛 Nah, I don’t think your blog has an identity crisis at all! You’re most welcome, dear. ♥

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    1. Thank you so much! Hee hee, I actually just discovered it by accident – some watercolor had smudged on one side of a letter I was decorating, and I decided to see how it looked if I outlined it in pen. 🙂

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  24. WOW! That is SO pretty! I love those!!!! 🙂 Do you have to have different kinds of paint to do watercolor (This is a stupid question that reveals my true stupidity of art!XD), or is it normal paint mixed with water?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much! Ha ha, no problem at all, dear! Actually you CAN use normal paint mixed with water (well, acrylic mixed with water), but yeah, watercolors are a separate type of paint.

      Liked by 1 person

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  34. Wow, these are so beautiful, they look like they would take a lot of time, but their so easy! I want to try them! 😀 You are so creative, I want to join the ATC thing sometime soon, it sounds like so much fun! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Okay! I checked it out! 😀 I loved your header – it’s so pretty! Your art post was neat too. 🙂 Maybe add some pictures of your art? I love seeing other people’s artwork!

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  50. That is beautiful! I am not that good at watercolors, but I have painted with acrylics. I’ve also quilled, crocheted, cross-stitched, knitted, and just drawn with pencils. If you like quilling, I’ve recently posted about it for beginners, advanced, and Valentine’s Day. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Why thanks! Ooh yeah, acrylics are fun too. 🙂 Wow, that sounds great! I’ve done those too, but I forgot how to knit and don’t crochet much. XD But ooh, sure! I’ll go check that out! Quilling is really neat!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

          1. I am going to post one about how to draw a macaw (that one is gonna be on my sketchbook) pretty soon… It is taking a while because in the morning I have school… But it’s gonna look cool! 🙂

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