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This paint moves! Watercolour painting with kids

15/06/2017 by Cathy James 21 Comments

Here’s a favourite idea from our kids painting archive, introducing children to watercolour painting and trying out a whole new – and rather exciting! – way of using it.

Watercolour painting projects for children

Watercolour painting with kids

Click here to get free art lessons and printables!

 

Watercolour painting can produce beautiful effects, and the technique we’re trying today uses a wet on wet technique for really exciting movement of the paint.

 

watercolour painting wet on wet

 

The basic wet on wet technique is just what it sounds – using wet waterpaints on a paper which is also wet.

We used a wide paint brush to sweep plenty of water over our paper and then added watercolour paint with a smaller brush. The children dabbed, made wide strokes and swirled the watercolour paints and watched the magic happen.

 

watercolour painting techniques ideas

 

‘Look, mummy – the paint moves!’

 

watercolour painting techniques for children

 

As the wet watercolour paint hits the already wet surface it spreads and swirls and creates interactive pictures the children can add to but can’t completely control. Paint magic!

 

watercolour painting

 

Have you tried this watercolour painting technique with your children?

how to use watercolor paints kids

 

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Filed Under: All Art, Colours, Printing, Sensory, Water play Tagged: kids art, kids crafts, painting

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Comments

  1. Jude says

    13/09/2011 at 7:31 pm

    Beautiful – personally I find it completely addictive!

    Reply
  2. Mrs. O says

    13/09/2011 at 9:08 pm

    Wow, looks cool! Will be adding this to our homeschool art class this year! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. maggy, red ted art says

    14/09/2011 at 3:20 pm

    Just beautiful, what is there to say! 🙂

    Thank you for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!

    Maggy

    Reply
    • sarah says

      15/02/2018 at 5:21 pm

      Wow! That is so cool. I love it!!!
      I have a 9 year old girl and she loves to do art and so when she saw it she loved it.

      thank you for letting us see it.

      Reply
  4. Jamie @ hands on : as we grow says

    14/09/2011 at 7:30 pm

    That is an incredible idea! I love this technique and we are definitely putting it on our to do list. Thanks so much for your brilliance as always!

    Reply
  5. Brooke @let kids create says

    14/09/2011 at 7:52 pm

    I love watching the colors run, really beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Mia says

    14/09/2011 at 8:24 pm

    Very nice! What brand of watercolour paints do you use? The colours look very vibrant.

    Reply
    • Cathy @ NurtureStore says

      14/09/2011 at 8:36 pm

      Mia – they are just a supermarket own brand set (from Sainsbury’s) but you’re right they do have a really good range of colours.

      Reply
  7. Kat says

    15/09/2011 at 5:34 am

    Great fun ~ do you use heavy watercolor paper?

    Reply
    • Cathy @ NurtureStore says

      15/09/2011 at 11:13 am

      Hi Kat, no we didn’t – just some computer printer-type paper that we always have available for the kids to use for their projects.

      Reply
  8. Rashmie @MommyLabs says

    16/09/2011 at 5:14 am

    The result and as as the process is so beautiful. And so much fun to watch…We will try this soon. 🙂

    Reply
  9. SnoopyGirl says

    16/09/2011 at 2:03 pm

    Very pretty.

    Reply
  10. April says

    16/09/2011 at 9:28 pm

    I love water color painting, such a wonderful thing to do. I just got a wonderful new set, can’t wait to paint!

    Reply
  11. Katie E. says

    18/09/2011 at 12:48 pm

    Very cool – I need to try more crafty things with my girls.

    Reply
  12. Pumpkinbear says

    18/09/2011 at 9:40 pm

    So fun! We’re huge fans, though, of professional-quality artist’s watercolor paper. Printer paper works, of course, but watercolor paper is really a wholly different experience.

    Reply
  13. Stephanie says

    19/09/2011 at 5:59 am

    I’m going to have to try that with my kids. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  14. Ticia says

    19/09/2011 at 2:57 pm

    And they turned out so pretty. What a great idea.

    Reply
  15. creativejewishmom/sara says

    19/09/2011 at 10:46 pm

    gorgeous results and sounds like a great painting project! thanks so much for sharing on Craft Schooling sunday!

    Reply
  16. Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says

    24/09/2011 at 7:15 pm

    This is a MUST DO for me. How fun to see the colors seeping and swirling like that. My girls would love it.

    Thanks for sharing your fun with us on the Sunday Showcase. We hope to see you link up what you’ve been up to this week.

    Bernhttp://momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Showcase

    Reply
  17. The Missing Alphabet says

    11/04/2013 at 10:23 pm

    Love this! I found my way here by way of the Artful Parent Blog Tour, and have really been enjoying looking around! I plan on coming back often. 🙂

    If you have a chance, you might enjoy stopping by our site and checking out our blog and new book. The Missing Alphabet is Book for parents that is meant to connect the dots between the innovation we all agree we need in this country and the creative thinking children can develop now…and that’s a goal that is
    largely missing in schools today. We also offer a field guide of activities for parents and children to explore together in the home, at the museum, and outdoors. Hope to see you there!

    Reply
  18. Ruma says

    17/01/2015 at 4:26 am

    I love this idea!! Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply

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