Ages all-ages
I keep a drawer filled with assorted craft ideas and essential supplies, so on our last snow day, I had the perfect project to keep the kids happily entertained for a few hours: painting Watercolor Initials. Creating personalized art is so much fun (try making the Personalized Herb Pots as well), and these Watercolor Initials easily keeps all my kids happily entertained for an entire afternoon.
by Cate O'Malley
What you'll need
- watercolor paper
- watercolor paints
- stencil for initial (see below for instructions on how to create your own)
- 1 cup of water
- newspaper (to cover your table and contain the mess)
Helpful Tip:
CUSTOMIZE: Watercolor is a great art medium for kids. Is the color too dark? Simply add a little more water to thin it out. Want more color? Just apply more paint. My son tends to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to art, but I keep reminding him that there are no rules with art.
ADD DETAILS: My son did two different versions: in one, he simply removed the stencil and left the painting like that; in the other, he removed the stencil and then outlined the letter in black to make it stand out a bit more.
How to make it
1. Make your stencil by typing your child's first initial into a Microsoft Word document. I use a simple, crisp font (Times New Roman will do) and enlarge it to 600 point.
2. Print the document and carefully cut out the letter.
3. Place the cut-out letter in the center of a piece of watercolor paper and secure it with tape (make sure to place the tape under the letter so it doesn't disturb the outline of the stencil).
4. Let the kids go to town by painting the watercolors all around the stencil.
5. Once finished, set the paintings aside to dry.
6. When dry, carefully remove the stencil.
Crafts
