Watercolor Techniques

If you have art supplies around your house, it’s likely you have a set of watercolor paints and very little guidance is necessary before your kids can dive in and create bold bright paintings or subtle delicate masterpieces with them. But like anything, the more they learn and explore different techniques, the more options they will have when they want to create specific effects-  like filling in small spaces without color running around or creating a sunset in the background of their picture.

This week I’m sharing some traditional watercolor techniques you can practice with your kids to get different effects, plus a few tips to care for your supplies that will make them last longer.

Here’s a video from the Intermediate Program that will have your child’s watercolor repertoire expanded in no time.

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If you’d like to have watercolor supplies on hand but not sure where to begin, here’s a basic list:

Watercolor Paint

Watercolor Brushes

This brush set provides a nice variety of sizes for different watercolor techniques. The synthetic hair holds paint well and firm bristles allow for detail and sharp edges.

Multi-Media Paper Pad

This pad of 9×12 multipurpose paper is great for all kinds of art materials, including watercolor. The paper is medium weight, with just enough tooth to hold paint but not too textured so its great for layering oil pastels as well. This Strathmore Watercolor Pad is what we use in the classroom because it holds a lot of paint.

Masking Tape

Use to tape down paper while painting to minimize the paper buckling and warping.

Happy watercolor painting!