Fun With Watercolor Painting Summer Camp #6: Lilacs, Butterfly, and Sunflower

Hi everyone! I am so excited to offer this new multi-day camp where we will have some fun with watercolor painting! We will create three paintings in this camp using slightly different techniques and methods. The style of painting we will be using in the camp is the "loose" style. This means that our images have the same shapes, feel, and colors as what we are painting, but not all the detail. 

Over the three days, we will create a delicate butterfly, some loose lilacs in a jar, and a loose sunflower. At the beginning of each class, the students will say hi and be encouraged to share something fun. I will then guide them through the day's painting, encourage questions, check in often with them, and at the end of class, they may share their paintings (if they choose not to, that is okay also). By the of the week, your students will have three very different paintings, all of which they will be super proud of.

The learners will be able to flower me on video as I walk them through the painting step-by-step. I encourage the learners to make the paintings their own if they decide they would like a different color or have another twist on what I am showing.

Day 1:  Delicate Butterfly-- we will discuss the wet-on-wet method of painting and how it allows our paints to spread and blend in a way that is organic and natural. We will then prepare our paper and paints by taping the paper to our work surface and getting our paints wet. Once our paints are ready, we will sketch our butterflies and vines and then get to the good stuff:  Painting!

Day 2: Loose Lilacs in a Jar-- on our second day, we will talk about how not every painting has to be done with a lot of details, but how you can use clean edges and simple brush strokes to give the illusion of petals, shadows, and stems.

Day 3:  Loose Sunflower--  for our third day, we will discuss how layering our colors and concentrating on the process instead of the outcome can lead to some amazing paintings!

**It is IMPORTANT that learners have paper specifically meant for watercolor painting (not printer paper, cardstock, or mixed media paper) and soft bristle brushes meant for watercolor; this will lead to less frustration for your learner down the road. 

Supplies:
-Watercolor paper 140lb (100% cotton is the best) 
-Paintbrushes (soft bristles, meant for watercolor)
-Watercolor paints
-2 cups of water
-Masking/painters/washi tape
-Paper towel
-Black gel pen or thin point sharpie
-Pencil and eraser