Summer Creative Retreat: Pumpkin Embroidery on Watercolor

The second project I completed during Summer Creative Retreat was this embroidered pumpkin. 

I made it during a workshop called "Embroidery on Watercolor" which was taught by Jessica Mack of Brown Paper Bunny Studios. 

As you can see on the graphic, Jessica taught us how to make different kinds of flowers. I went my own direction and made a pumpkin, which is the official state fruit of New Hampshire. She used a loop start to begin her embroidery, which is something I've never done before. I love taking classes, not only for the inspiration but for those little tips that I otherwise wouldn't have known. Affiliate links below. 

Pumpkin Embroidery on Watercolor

Materials:

• watercolor paper (300 series is best for embroidery)
• watercolors
• paper piercer
• embroidery floss

Steps: 

Cut your watercolor paper down to the desired size. Mine is 5" square. Add multiple bands of color to the paper. I used green, yellow, and orange and blended them a bit. 

When the paint is dry, use a pencil to draw the design you want as lightly as possible. Poke holes along the pencil lines (always poking from the front) with the paper piercer. Then use embroidery floss to backstitch the design. 

Then fill in the pumpkin and stem with watercolor. 

This is a fun and easy project that can easily be adapted to practically any design. It's a great way to introduce kids to embroidery. Give it a try!

Liberty Bell Watercolor Painting

In case you missed it, the US Mint is producing the first non-round coin since 1915, when the $50 octagonal Panama-Pacific coin was introduced. This new coin is shaped like the Liberty Bell. The price? $19,600. It contains one ounce of gold, the current value of which is $4,053. They're only producing 2026 of them, so apparently the scarcity makes up for the extra $15,500? Hard pass, obviously. 

Instead of buying a chunk of gold shaped like the Liberty Bell, I recommend keeping $19,550 in the bank and putting the rest toward some fun art supplies. Then use them to make a painting of the Liberty Bell. Affiliate links below. 

Liberty Bell Watercolor Painting

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• watercolors
• metallic watercolors
• colored pencils

Steps: 

Find a reference image of the Liberty Bell. I used the picture on the Wikipedia page. Sketch the basic shape of the Liberty Bell onto your watercolor paper. Only include the basic shapes; ignore all details. Fill in the basic shapes with a combination of brown and black. 

When the first layer is dry, add the next layer. I put streaks of browns and black onto the yoke, then painted the bell with blue, grey, and brown. I added some of the details, like the metal bars connecting the bell to the yoke, and the supports at the base of the bell. 

When that layer was dry, I added metallics to the bell. This was my first time using the Soho metallics - they're awesome! I added streaks and patches of gold and bronze to the top, bottom, and right side of the bell, then added silver and white to make the reflection. Then I painted the background light blue. 

Then I added the famous crack. 

For the final step, I used brown and black colored pencils to add in the last details. I chose not to write the text on the bell, but I did add the lines. I was worried that the colored pencils might not work well on top of the metallics, but it wasn't an issue. 

This was a fun project to do. I really enjoyed experimenting with the metallics and am excited to use them again. Next time, I want to try more of the colors. 

Root Beer Float Craft

I can only remember a single time in my life when I wasn't happy to see a root beer float. Every other time, I've been excited to receive this creamy and delicious treat. The root beer float dates back many years, although exactly how many is unknown. We do know that the ice cream soda was invented in Pennsylvania in 1874 by Robert Green. But did he specifically make a root beer float? Legend has it that Frank Wisner of Colorado made the first root beer float in 1893. Whether you're in Pennsylvania, Colorado, or anywhere else, this is a great time to make a root beer float craft and follow it up with the real thing. Affiliate links below. 

Root Beer Float Craft

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• scissors
• white colored pencil
• scoring board (or ruler)
• watercolors
• cardstock or construction paper
• craft glue
• cotton balls
• root beer barrels to enjoy while you're crafting

Steps: 

Cut out the pieces you will need from watercolor paper: a rectangle with rounded corners at the bottom for the mug, a C-shape for the handle, a cloud shape for the ice cream, and a bent (or straight) piece for the straw. 

I should have arranged these the better way for this photo. See above.

Put the mug piece onto the scoring board. With the white pencil, score the center line. Then score more lines an equal distance apart. You can do this step with a ruler, but the scoring board is easier and more fun. 

Color the very bottom of the mug shape with the white pencil. Paint over the mug shape with brown watercolors. The white pencil will resist the paint. 

I chose to add a really pale wash of brown to the handle so that it didn't look so stark white when the rest of the mug had a brown tint. Paint the straw the color of your choice. I experimented with painting the ice cream a slightly yellow, but it looked weird (to me) against the pure white cotton balls. So I left the ice cream white. 

When all the pieces are dry, choose cardstock for the background. Add a contrasting strip along the bottom for the table the where the mug is sitting. Glue the pieces in place. Tear the cotton ball into a dozen or so pieces. Add glue along the bottom of the ice cream and the top of the mug, then place the cotton ball pieces into the glue. 

How to Draw an American Lobster

I feel sorry for lobsters. 

I literally can't think of another animal where every craft project, sign, or other visual representation portrays it as dead. A red lobster is a dead lobster. Can you imagine if you wanted to make a cute chicken craft and instead of this 🐓, the only options looked like this🍗? It seems... rude. So today's craft honors the living version of Maine's state crustacean, the American lobster. 

My lobster, while realistic, is not intended to be a scientific drawing with every feature exactly perfect.  This is the level of detail I'd use with the 4th or 5th graders who are most likely to be studying their state symbols. I chose to use watercolors, which is the easiest way to mimic the mottled colors of this fascinating animal. Affiliate links below. 

How to Draw an American Lobster

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• pencil
• watercolors
• colored pencil

Steps: 

Start by drawing the main part of the lobster's body in the middle of your paper. I'm struggling to describe its shape; the best I can come up with is a stubby carrot or an elongated guitar pick. 

Next, draw the abdomen. There should be six segments, not four like I drew (sorry). I was looking at a photo of a live lobster while drawing and it looked like four from that angle. 

Add the tail fan - two segments on either side of the middle segment. 

Now draw the claws. An American lobster's claws are asymmetric. The larger one is used to crush its prey. The smaller claw is for holding or tearing the prey. A lobster can be right or left "handed" depending on which side has the crusher claw. 

Time to add legs! The lobster actually has ten legs, but you've already drawn two of them (the claws). There are 8 "walking legs" along the body of the lobster. The first three pairs have small claws, but you don't need to draw that level of detail unless you want to. 

From the angle we've drawn, one pair maxillipeds ("jaw legs") are visible near the lobster's mouth. There are two other pairs that are hidden in this view. The lobster uses them to pass food to its jaws

I've also added the eyes, antennae, and smaller antennules. If you won't be painting your lobster, draw them now. Otherwise wait until after painting. 

I said before that a red lobster is a dead lobster. That isn't quite true, as approximately one in ten million lobsters is red while it is alive. Read this article to learn about other rare colors! Most American lobsters are a mottled greenish-brown color, so that's how I chose to paint mine. 

I painted the lobster itself, let that dry, then painted a watery background. When that was dry, I used a brown colored pencil to outline the lobster and add some details. I used a black pencil for the eyes, then went back to the brown pencil for the antennae and antennules. 

I learned so much about lobsters in the last 24 hours! I love how much I learn with practically every craft project I do. 

Corn Dog Craft for Kids

What do Oregon and Indiana have in common? Corn dogs! This beloved fried food is popular in every state that has a fair, ballpark, or frozen food section in the grocery store, but Oregon and Indiana have special corn dog claims-to-fame. Corn dogs were invented in Rockaway Beach, Oregon in 1939. Follow this link to learn more about the birth of corn dogs. Make sure you scroll down far enough to see the mechanical corn dog. Indiana is not the birthplace of corn dogs, but the small town of Bristol (population 1600) is called the Corn Dog Capital of the World. They produce 80% of the world's corn dogs. Bristol is also home to the annual Corndog Festival. (Note: Both corn dog and corndog are acceptable spellings.) 

Celebrate the corn dog with a fun and easy craft. Affiliate links below. 

 

Corn Dog Craft

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• watercolors (these are my favorites)
• scissors
• craft glue
• craft sticks
• yarn (yellow, red)

Steps: 

Use yellow, orange, and brown watercolors to paint a piece of watercolor paper the color of a corn dog. When you are happy with the color, let the paint dry completely. 

Cut the paper into the shape of a corn dog, approximately 6.5" x 1.75". Obviously, exact size doesn't matter. Glue the corn dog to a craft stick. Add a squiggle of glue down the length of the corn dog, then yarn on the glue. Trim the excess yarn, then let the glue dry completely. 

Steve likes his corn dogs with mustard. I prefer mine plain, or occasionally with ketchup. 

I had a lot of fun with this corn dog craft. Give it a try!

My Life in Tree Rings: A Dendrochronology Craft

I loved counting tree rings as a kid. It's really interesting to be able to determine the age of the tree, but absolutely fascinating that the rings reveal times of drought, fire, or other stresses, as well as good times with rapid growth. Dendrochronology is so cool! I love visiting state parks and museums with events from human history marked on a cross-section of a tree. That's the inspiration for today's project. 

This craft is best for kids who are at least 11 or 12 and is even better for teenagers. For my sample, I went back to age 18. Making this craft as a 53-year old would have taken a lot more time and much larger paper! Affiliate links below. 

 

My Life in Tree Rings

Materials:

• hot press watercolor paper
• paper trimmer
• colored pencils
• watercolors
• black fineliner
• glue stick

Steps: 

Use a paper trimmer to cut the paper so that it is 9" x 9". Cut some of the scraps into 1/4" strips; these will be what you use to label your rings. 

With a pencil, lightly draw a small circle in the center of the paper. Then draw rings around that circle, stopping when you reach your age. It is perfectly ok if the rings are uneven; that's how they are in a real tree! Draw bark around the outermost ring. It should be thicker than the rings and have an uneven, craggy texture. 

Trace each of the rings with a brown colored pencil. Use a darker brown to trace the bark. 

Paint your tree rings. The innermost ring should be the darkest and the outermost rings the lightest. Be sure not to add so much pigment that the lines are obscured. You can add as much (or as little) pigment as you want to the bark and the background. 

While the paint is drying, make a list of the most important events in your life. These can include the birth of younger siblings, starting school, major vacations, adopting a pet, changing schools, joining a club or team, or whatever else you deem important. Write each item on a strip of paper, then cut the ends to make an arrow. Glue each strip so that it points to the proper tree ring. 

Here's a closer look at my sample. I've included my birth (1972), my sister's birth (1975), the start of kindergarten (1977), joining 4-H (1983), my first international travel (1986), MOAS (1989), and high school graduation (1990). 

I wonder if I would have chosen the same items at age 18. I'm guessing not. There's probably something else that would have felt more important. From my perspective at 53, it's a lot easier to see which events from my childhood had the biggest impact on the rest of my life. One item that's missing from my project (because I don't know when it happened) is my first visit to UC Davis. It was probably around 1984 or 1985, but whenever it was, I instantly fell in love and knew that's where I wanted to go to college. That day had a huge impact on me, because not only am I a UCD alum, but I'm also a UCD wife and a UCD mom!

Summer Creative Retreat: Funky Floral Watercolor

The third project I completed during Summer Creative Retreat was this Funky Floral Watercolor. I had so much fun painting it and I absolutely love how it turned out!

This class was taught by Julie Malizia of Harp + Crow. I loved her teaching style and the pacing of the class. Everything about it was so much fun! Here is the project she made during the class: 

The basic idea was to take the normal shape of a vase of flowers and stretch or compress the components so that they reach the edges of the paper. Where the vase or a flower touches the edge, that should be a flat line. It's a completely unique way of drawing and so much fun! 

I used my favorite watercolors to paint my project. I love the color palette. Those bright flowers would have fit right in at my wedding.

15 Minute Watercolor Masterpieces

The next thing I painted using my new Kuretake Gansai Tambi was this set of colorful planets. 

 

This project, called "Colorful Planets," is from the excellent book 15 Minute Watercolor Masterpieces by Anna Koliadych (affiliate link). The book has chapters about watercolor techniques, supplies, and tips, but the bulk of the book consists of detailed, step-by-step tutorials for fifty 15-minute projects. They are divided into categories by subject: Beautiful Landscapes; Dreamy Galaxies; Elegant Plants and Foliage; Flowers; Fruits and Sweets; Adorable Animals; and Fashion. The projects are beautiful, the instructions are great, and I definitely recommend the book.

I do not, however, recommend that you use gansai for these projects. I really struggled to get the beautiful blooms and blends that Koliadych described. When I touched the tip of the brush to the wet paper, the paint didn't spread like she said it would. At the time, I hadn't yet researched the gansai and didn't realize it's formulated specifically NOT to bloom, blend, or spread. Oops. I do love the richly pigmented colors in my project and the little bit of variegation I was able to get, particularly in the background. But I'll be using my favorite actual watercolors for any future 15 Minute Watercolor Masterpieces I make. Lesson learned!

Heart Art Color Chart

Check out my latest heart art! Isn't it pretty?

Each of the colors I used for the project is in its particular place for a reason. I didn't choose the colors, nor where I placed them. Why? My heart art is actually color swatches from my newest paint set, Kuretake Gansai Tambi (affiliate links here and below). The hearts are the first four rows of paints, in order. The background squares are the next four rows of paints, in order. (For this project, I didn't swatch the last row, which is white and three metallics.) 

Gansai is a type of Japanese watercolors. It comes in large pans (perfect for the large brushes used in Japanese painting) and is designed to work well with Japanese rice papers. There is a wide range of colors so that the artist doesn't need to mix their own. Although they are water-based, gansai don't behave like other watercolors. They require very little water and are designed to stay in place instead of flowing on the paper. There are different brands of gansai, just like there are different brands of western watercolors. Kuretake's brand name combines the word gansai (watercolor paint) with the word tambi (aesthetics).

I had never tried gansai before, so I thought this project would be a fun way to experiment with my new paint set. I started by using 1/4" painter's tape to create a grid on a 9" square of watercolor paper. You can eyeball it, but using a centering ruler makes it really quick and easy to get perfect squares. Be sure your painter's tape is pressed firmly to the paper so no pigment sneaks underneath and spoils your white lines. 

Now fill in the squares with the paints in rows 5-8. So pretty!

While the base is drying, use a heart squeeze punch to make 16 hearts from watercolor paper. 

Paint the hearts with the colors in rows 1-4. Beautiful!

When the paint is completely dry, glue the hearts onto the background. 

I plan to hang my project on the wall so I can both enjoy it and use it when I need paint swatches. But first, I put it onto the floor and dropped two large sequins onto it. 

Why? I'll tell you tomorrow. 

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Sakura Koi Watercolors

Ready for the next batch of 50 State Quarter coloring pages? Today's states include Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and New Mexico. This time I used watercolors - specifically, the Koi Pocket Field Sketch Kit by Sakura. Affiliate links here and below.   

I really enjoyed using watercolors on these coloring pages. I started with a color wash on each, let that dry, and then painted on top of that. Of course, I struggled with filling in the tiny letters, especially on the Hawaii quarter where the letters are even thinner. But a good paintbrush made a big difference. 

Including these four, I have now completed 38 of the 50 State Quarter coloring pages. Here are all of the art materials I've used previously:

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
• Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
• Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)
• Ohuhu Pupe markers (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Washington)

It's exciting that the end of this project is in sight. Only 12 more pages to go!

Ruizhi Pocket Watercolor Painting Book

I absolutely love the concept of a travel-friendly "paint with water" coloring book for kids. Unfortunately, the 1970's version from my childhood was usually disappointing: the paper was thin, tore easily, and dried slowly; the paints were barely pigmented; and the books themselves were not all that portable, especially when the paint was wet. Some were better than others, of course, but even the best ones were just OK.  

I haven't had too much experience with "paint with water" coloring books over the years, other than a few really, really cheap versions that showed up in party gift bags. So when I received a modern version (Pocket Watercolor Painting Book by Ruizhi) to do while I recovered from my surgery, I was excited to give it a try (affiliate link here and below). 

I'm happy to report that I recommend it! It's aimed toward kids 4-8, but it entertained me as a couch-bound 52-year old unable to use my usual coloring supplies. 

The book is indeed pocket-sized; each of the 20 finished pages is intended to be used as a bookmark. The paper quality is good and the paint itself is quite pigmented. I was able to blend the six colors somewhat to get more shades. The book is backed with very thick chipboard, which not only acts as a convenient surface to work on, but also has a recess in it where the paintbrush fits when you're not using it. Clever! 

Here are the first two bookmarks I painted:

 

There are many different themes available, if insects aren't your thing. They offer farm animals, dinosaurs, mermaids, ocean animals, and flowers, among others. With holiday travel coming up, this may be just what you need to keep your child happy in the car (fill an empty applesauce container half full with water and put it in a cup holder), on an airplane or in the airport, in a hotel room, or at a restaurant.

Grieving Tree Craft

While I was in Idaho, I got an email from a psychologist who runs a group for parents who have lost a child. He came across my fall tree with tissue paper leaves, which gave him the idea for a project he and his fellow grieving parents could make. He envisioned writing phrases along the branches that represent the things about their children that are still growing. Along the ground would be the things they feel they've lost forever. He asked me for advice about what papers, ink, and glue to use that wouldn't smudge or hide the written words. 

I was honored that my simple craft inspired such a meaningful project. Rather than just make an educated guess about which materials would work best, I wanted to make an actual sample to be sure the parents' projects would be successful. He shared the seven things about his daughter, Ali, that are still growing, along with the five things he feels he has lost. I used them to make this:

 

As you can see, I used six phrases on the branches. I wrote the seventh (I love you always) repeatedly up the trunk of the tree. I'm calling this project a Grieving Tree. I've listed the exact materials I tested in the materials list below; feel free to use other items, but test them first to be sure your words don't smear. Affiliate links below. 

Grieving Tree Craft

Materials:

• Strathmore 300-series cold press watercolor paper 
• Zig Millenium 0.8 black marker
• Koi watercolor set
• Fiskars microtip scissors
• tissue paper (red, orange, yellow, green, light green)
• Aleene's Turbo Tacky glue

Steps: 

Sketch a tree on a piece of watercolor paper. I did mine lightly in pencil, traced over the lines with the pen, then erased the pencil. Draw your own, or feel free to use my image below as a template. Print it at the size you want, then either cut it out and trace around it, or use this graphite transfer method. 

I tested multiple pens on a scrap piece of watercolor paper to find one that did not smear and wrote legibly and smoothly on the irregular surface of the watercolor paper. The Zig 0.8 worked beautifully. 

Next, watercolors. Notice that there are a few places where my colors blended a bit (above "sharing old stories" or I went over the lines ("I know you still exist"). This totally doesn't matter. Embrace imperfection, our most universal human quality. Besides, you can cover mistakes with leaves later. 

While the paint is drying, cut out leaves. I folded up tissue paper into 8+ layers before cutting. 

When the paper is completely dry (overnight is best), glue the leaves in place. I used a toothpick to spread glue onto one small area at a time, then placed the leaves by hand so they wouldn't cover the words. Use all five leaf colors in the tree. 

After the tree is full of leaves, glue leaves to the ground surrounding your words. Don't use the shades of green, as those wouldn't have fallen yet. 

What a privilege to make this tree in Ali's memory. I hope this project is meaningful to her father and his patients, as well as to any of you who might have come across this randomly. I am so, so sorry for your loss.