Watercolor Tips for Elementary Art Teachers: quick tips to get great results!
Do you have a fear of mud colored, over-blended, watercolor projects? Let's face it: students love mixing colors and have a particular zeal for it when given free rein to a watercolor set. Read on for tips and techniques to help keep that mud puddle on the playground and off the artwork! And if you’d like some lessons for mud-free projects, check the links at the end of this post to get you started.
TIP # 1 Teach Rainbow Order
The first splash of wisdom I share with my watercolor warriors? Those pan sets are lined up like a rainbow parade! Why is this a big deal? Oh, let me count the ways! Kicking off with a colorful chat about rainbow order opens up a vibrant world of color theory. Take a peek at the start of your watercolor set: red, orange, and yellow, just like the rainbow’s crown jewels. These are the warm colors, the life of the party, bringing sunshine vibes to sunsets and sunflower projects.
As you wander further, you stumble upon green, blue, indigo, and purple—the cool cats of the palette, perfect for painting frosty snowflakes or icy tundras. Of course, you can pit warm against cool for a bold contrast! But here’s the kicker: for blending magic, you need more than just warm vs. cool knowledge. And trust me, students go bananas for blending! So, hop over to Tip #2 or dive into our color theory blog post for the juicy details.
Tip # 2 Hello Neighbor!
I've been using a neighborhood analogy for color blending, and it's been a real hit! Imagine your paint pans arranged like a rainbow street. The "next-door neighbors" (analogous colors) get along famously. Yellow and green team up to create lime green, blue and green throw a teal party, and blue and purple mix to make the ever-fun "blurple" (way more fun than blue-violet, right?).
Even red and purple, who seem like strangers at opposite ends of the street, could be next-door pals if the road circled around, blending into a lovely red-violet! Meanwhile, "houses" with two colors in between are complementary colors, and when they mingle, they throw a brown bash. Like yellow and purple, jump over the green and blue in between—boom, brown! I show our cute little Hue family friends on posters
When teaching this, I always have a watercolor set or a color wheel handy. Curious for more color fun? Dive into our posters and slides for a colorful adventure!
Tip # 3 Use your Room as a Teaching Tool
Spruce up your walls with a dazzling array of posters or slides on color theory and painting tips! They're not just eye candy but also handy reminders. Meet our quirky companions, the Hues, who make learning as fun as a crayon box caper. Who knew we'd have a riot with these colorful critters in our posters and slides? They're like the Avengers of art! It's a joy watching students gaze at the posters, hatching their next masterpiece with a kaleidoscope of ideas. The Rainbow Man, known as Roy G. Biv, along with this Hue poster set, helps me guide young artists through the spectrum of color order. They enjoy the cheerful vibes these hues bring!
I've got a whole slide parade for teaching color theory and watercolor wizardry. They're a dynamic duo, and I keep them on display as long as possible during art sessions for easy-peasy referencing. If you're lucky enough to have two screens, you can showcase your magic on one while leaving the inspiration rolling on the other. The watercolor tips are pure gold, ensuring students create pieces worthy of the art galleries I've set up in various spots around the art room.
Tip # 4 Activate, Activate, Activate!
Ever noticed how sometimes watercolors are shy and pale, while other times they burst out like a rainbow on a caffeine high? The secret lies in waking up those colors before you paint! To get that vibrant pop, teach students the art of color activation. During the first couple watercolor classes, we gather around and take the brush pledge (see #10), then continue, dipping our brushes into fresh water and adding a delicate droplet to each color pan. Some students tap their brush like a gentle drum, while others give theirs a little squeeze. The goal? Get those pans wet, but not drowning! Let them soak up the moisture for a minute before painting. Meanwhile, it’s the perfect moment to chat about the project, dive into color theory, or inspire with some dazzling images while the water works its magic! The results are worth the wait!
Tip # 5 Prepare for Disaster
Watercolor projects can turn from masterpiece to mess-terpiece with just one rogue spill! To dodge this disaster, I’ve mastered the art of using rimmed trays to corral water cups and pan sets, keeping them safely away from projects. That way, when spills inevitably happen (because, let’s face it, they will), the liquid stays contained, sparing the art from a watery demise. The real tragedy is when one kid's spill turns into a catastrophe for their neighbor's masterpiece! Having all the supplies neatly arranged on trays also lets me set up the room ahead of time with ease. I’m not about to let students rummage for supplies before the lesson—I prefer to have everything ready, so we can dive straight into the creative chaos. At the end of class, I enlist their help to tidy up and get ready for the next class.
Tip # 6 Prepare for Success
Transform paint sets into color schemes that support the projects at hand or a color theory you are teaching. I love swapping out black and brown for white, magenta, or turquoise. After all, brown is a cinch to mix, and banishing black saves masterpieces from the dreaded shadowy doom. On the rare day I unleash black, there's a solemn understanding: use it wisely, young artist!
Don't hesitate to dive into a catalog and explore the kaleidoscope of options. Prang watercolor sets are my go-to, boasting a fantastic spectrum or replacement pans. I've seen crafty art teachers play the color game by pulling out any hues they want to steer clear of in a project. If they're focusing on warm tones, say goodbye to the cool colors by removing them completely, leaving the warm ones to be the stars of the show.
Tip # 7 Practice Blending
Did you know those lids on watercolor sets are secret blending tools? Pop one open, and behold- divided sections ready for artistic experiments! Just add a splash of CLEAN water, mix a couple of colors, and presto, you’ve brewed a brand-new hue right there in the lid cauldron. But, if you’re feeling a little fancy, hand out empty palettes for more mixing moments and no wet lid-closing-on-watercolors mishaps before cleanup.
Kids need lots of time to play mad scientist with colors, finding that perfect water-to-paint potion. Be sure to allow for some mixing mayhem in your lesson timing. I keep scraps of watercolor paper on hand so students can try out their concocted colors before putting them on their projects.
For cleanup magic, teach them to zap leftover paint puddles with a towel, leaving lids or palettes squeaky clean and dry. Special tip: Keep those lids open after class to avoid sticky situations and let the paints dry like the pros do!
Tip # 8 Paper and Water Matters
You can splash watercolor magic on just about anything! But be ready for a wild ride, as each paper has its own personality. Sure, you can watercolor on multi-media or even humble printer paper, but you might want to test it first! If you’re planning on using oil pastel for resist effects, watercolor paper usually is my go-to.
Speaking of watercolor paper, fear not—you won't need to sell your prized possessions to get your hands on some! I score student-grade paper by the truckload, with 12x18 sheets aplenty. This turns me into a paper-cutting wizard, slicing them in half lengthwise, 6x18, for epic projects or into 9 sheets of 4x6 for quick, fun lessons. Sure, higher-grade paper is a dream to work with and it’s definitely worth the splurge if your budget allows! It is more forgiving with “over-watering”!
Speaking of water, consider your rinse cups. Instead of just one, hand out two trusty water cups—one for rinsing those fiery warm colors off the brush and another for the chill, cool shades. If only I'd cracked this colorful code sooner! Stick with one cup, and you'll end up with a murky mess that drags masterpieces to dullsville. But split them up, and your art will pop like fireworks! This is crucial when diving into the wet-on-wet technique. Never tried it? It's a brilliant way to flood paper with color and watch hues mingle like they're at a color party!
To master this wet-on-wet wizardry, make sure your paper's nice and damp—one section at a time is key. Teach students to "paint" an area with water first, then drop in a vivid splash of color from a loaded brush. The paint will swirl and groove into the water like it's on a dance floor, but you can coax it along with your brush. While it’s still glistening, invite a second color over for a blend-tastic bash. Keep adding water and colors section by section, and watch the magic unfold! For some reason, blue and purple are the ultimate color bloomers—the magical moment when watercolor spreads, making a water puddle something special. Red and green can join the party too, but in my experience, blue and purple steal the show. Try this out when painting a sky—perfect for wet-on-wet and a splendid spot for blooms!
Tip # 9 Adjust Brush Size
When it comes to completing projects, bigger brushes are like the caped crusaders of the watercolor world! Ever noticed how students can transform a straightforward task into a legendary quest? Personally, I swear by the trusty No. 10 round brush for most watercolor projects, with a pint-sized partner for those sneaky little details. My most trusty sidekick? The Creative Inspirations Dura-Handle—those tips are as tough as a superhero's shield! (And nope, I’m not cashing in on this brush romance.)
Tip # 10 Take the Pledge
Rally the troops with a pledge to guard those precious supplies! When students chant the Brush Pledge, they're on Team Keep-Those-Brushes-Nice. I get a kick out of watching students play brush police, calling out table mates for "making spiders!" It's a playful and cheerful way to ensure our trusty brushes stay spry for ages. Snag my pledge printout here!
Lessons that can help!
If you’re looking for some ways to simplify and make teaching a breeze, give these watercolor lessons a try! Our Seascape and Compass Rose are great for grades 4 and up. If you want to hit home some color theory while watercoloring, try our Rainbow Hearts, which kiddos just love from first grade and up. Looking to incorporate color blending in a super successful way that is also jam-packed with color theory? Try this Desert Landscape, which is also great for any age students learning about habitats or those who love painting sunsets! If you’d like to incorporate some drawing skills into a watercolor project with some great blending opportunities, this Plant project does the job. The wet-on-wet sky behind this adorable polar bear in icy waters is a sure-fire hit that all of my students literally beg me to do. I don’t blame you if you want projects that have that watercolor look, but you just need less prep. Watercolor pencil gnomes and Kandinsky-inspired insects, great for any age, to the rescue! Have you tried washable marker projects? Talk about simplicity at its finest. I teach this Great Wave project to fourth graders every year with great success.
I love finding new ways to teach every year. I hope what I have shared here about watercoloring will help you in your art teaching endeavors!