Easy and Fun Watercolor Project

Stuck for Something Creative?
Bring out all your paints, papers, brushes and water and get ready to loosen up with this fun idea that will super charge your creativity!

Crush a sheet of acid free paper into a tight crumple (try different weights).

Smooth it out and then crumple it again. Repeat one more time and then do a final smoothing.

Dilute some watercolor(s) and add it to the surface.
     • Try washing the whole sheet with color -or-
     • Try letting it run and drip (or do both!)

You will see that the folds and crumples take the color differently and create a wonderful texture that is awesome for collage, card making or creating a background for a finished painting or drawing.

Glue your collages and cards together using rice glue.

Or... Mount this crumpled watercolor onto acid free heavier card stock using the rice glue. Place a flat, heavy object on top and allow it to dry. Then play! Add more paint or draw with chalks, inks, graphite, color pencils etc, and create your own unique masterpiece.

Note: Rice Glue is excellent for paper conservation work. It's a type of paste prepared by boiling rice starch in water, is white in color and dries to a film that's almost transparent.

~ You can buy rice glue - you don't have to make your own ~

Tips To Add Dimension to Your Drawings

Flat-lining
Using a flat, solid line, especially around the outside of a shape, tends to flatten the shape.

Create line variation by adding thicker or darker line 'segments' to your lightly worked drawing.

Using this technique will help to suggest volume and creates more dimension and interest to your work.

Thin and broken lines will give an illusion of light striking your subject. Use this on the top edges of your subject (where light would normally be landing on it).

Thicker and darker lines will give the feeling of weight and shadow. Use this on the undersides and bottom edges to anchor your subject to the ground. You can also use this technique where one area overlaps another - this will give the illusion of a cast shadow and adds a 3-dimensional quality to your work.

Pear Exercise
Do a drawing of a simple subject, say a pear. Then erase small spots on some of the upper lines (where the light would hit it). Your goal is to make the line work look broken. Even one or two breaks will accomplish this.

Next, thicken up the bottom line work of the pear (where it sits upon a table or counter). This does not have to be one solid thick line. Try going from thin to thick to broken and then back to thick and finish with the line thinning.

Practice adding this to some areas of your work where you are sure it would go (where the light strikes the subject and where the subject sits upon a surface).

Observe other Artwork (especially animation, cartooning and caricature work - these styles often demonstrate this technique with great mastery).