Thursday, February 13, 2014

Draw This: Watecolor Valentines

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt. - Leonardo da Vinci 


Here's a sweet and simple way to create a few heart-felt valentines and exercise some basic drawing muscles at the same time.

1. Start with a sheet of watercolor paper.

Well. If you have some handy.

If not, then improvise. Got any drawing paper? That'll do. And if the chips are truly down, you can always grab a sheet of printer paper and fake it.

 ^ Avery

 ^ Shannae

 ^ Olivia

2. Now dig out your watercolor paints and fill that page with color. My preference is to use several Valentine-esque shades of red, pink or purple, and then pop the composition with one random color, like yellow, blue or turquoise. 

Splash the paint around with the flair of Pollock, then set your masterpiece aside to dry.

3. Use scissors to cut the page up into smaller rectangles and squares - anywhere from six to twenty pieces will do.

4. Finally, grab a black Sharpie or two and set your noodle to doodling: 

Hearts with polka dots.
Hearts with stripes. 
Hearts surrounded by swirls and checkerboards.
Hearts in borders. 
Hearts in a field, growing like wildflowers.
Hearts as flower petals or wings on a bee.
Hearts on a dog's nose. 
Hearts gone wild in every imaginable way.

 ^ Laney 

 ^ Audra

 ^ Katie


My students and I went heart-crazy today with this project and the results charmed us all. Really, this is a delightfully fun, no-fail and super speedy little process. We went from a blank piece of paper to delivery-ready cards in an hour's time. So even if you wait till Valentine's Day morning to whip up a batch, you'll be handing them out to your loved ones by lunchtime.

 ^ Ashlyn

^ Madalen


And if you do, be sure to celebrate your accomplishments, just like we did, with a sweet treat. May I recommend a minion cupcake?

^  "Para tú!"  Thank you, Busigs.
* * * * *

Drawing is contagious - if you've caught the bug, try these posts for more ideas:

Draw This: Line Tornadoes
Draw This: The Name Game
Draw This: Spring Flowers
Draw This: Watercolor Waves


* * * * *

Every year, I make my own Valentines and every year, they're just a little bit different:
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More sweet whisperings of Valentine love:

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3 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 14, 2014 at 6:58 AM

    This project would be great for a class Valentine's party. And you can never go wrong with a minion cupcake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane Streicher @ Diane AgainMarch 1, 2014 at 3:19 AM

      I TOTALLY thought of you and your minion-loving son when those cupcakes made their appearance. :)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 14, 2020 at 6:40 PM

    Perfect Valentine delights!!!

    -h

    ReplyDelete

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