What you need:
- Printout of subject with interesting silhouette
- Xacto knife or scissors
- Watercolor paper
- Pencil
- Masking tape
- Cardboard
- Brush
- Watercolor paints
- Water
What to do:
- Cut out your printed object, including as much detail as possible.
- Position your cut-out on the watercolor paper and trace with pencil. Try to keep your pencil line light.
- Tape your watercolor paper around the edge to a piece of cardboard.
- Dip your brush in water and wet the entire background around your tracing. You can tint the water lightly with watercolor paint so you can see areas that are not wet.
- Apply wet paint to your brush and touch the brush to the paper. The paint will spread only to the wet areas.
- Add more paint to fill remaining space. Rotating and moving the board will help the paint spread. Use your brush to apply paint to the smaller details surrounding what you’ve traced.
- Let your painting dry completely before removing tape carefully.
Tip: If your background is too bright, brush over the entire background with a wet brush to mute and blend the background.
Send photos of your artwork to ec@electricconsumer.org, and we’ll share your beautiful watercolor painting on our social media pages!
