Watermedia Creativity : Explore painting with watermedia.
Surface Contrasts
Supplies
Watercolor paper, white gesso, watercolor paints, brushes
Instructions
Contrast the painting surface. Paint white gesso over part of a piece of watercolor paper. This can be done either in abstract swatches or drippings or as part of the design, such as a vase and flowers. Once the gesso is dry, [...]

Watermedia Creativity : Explore painting with watermedia.
Cut Ups
Supplies
Rice or other thin paper, watercolor, thicker paper and glue
Instructions
Using the thin rice paper create sections of colors. Try creating some pieces using the crumple method . Once the colored sections are dry, tear or cut out sections to create your image or background with. Arrange the sections [...]

Watermedia Creativity : Explore painting with watermedia.
Building Textures I
Supplies
Watercolor paper, gesso or medium, watercolors
Instructions
Create a textured surface to work on by applying thick layers of gesso or medium to the watercolor paper. Use pencils, toothbrushes, toothpicks, palette knives even specialty knives to add and build up texture on the painting surface. Even using stamps or [...]

Watermedia Creativity : Explore painting with watermedia.
Crumpled Paper
Supplies
Thin paper (drawing or watercolor or rice or masa), dark watercolors or gouache, soaking tub with water, optional board or thick paper and glue.
Instructions
Give new purpose to discarded papers. Soak a piece of thin drawing, watercolor or rice paper in water. Crumple it and wring out excess water. [...]

Claude Monet At Giverny by Sharon Himes
“I’ve made a terrible mistake in settling down so far away. I’m totally disheartened.” Claude Monet wrote to art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in June 1883, shortly after renting the house in Giverny far from the busy art world of Paris.
Up to this time Monet’s work had not been well [...]

Imaginative Inspirations
Creative combinations of methods and medias
Stained Glass II
Supplies
Plastic sheet or folder, black paper or thick black permanent marker, paint or markers, glue, scissors or craft knife
Instructions
Cut the sheet or folder to the same size as the black paper. Using a piece of scrap paper the same size draw out your stained glass pattern, including [...]

Imaginative Inspirations
Creative combinations of methods and medias
Stained Glass I
Supplies
Wax crayons, scissors or knife, waxed paper, black paper or thick black permanent marker, iron, sheets of extra paper, dish towel or pillowcase, glue
Instructions
Scrape off pieces of wax crayons.
On a smooth flat surface place folded dish towel or pillowcase, on top of this place three layers of [...]

Three Artists Express an American Summer by Sharon Himes
In the late nineteenth century, three American artists expressed the summer season in their paintings. Although the season is the same, the intent of the artist is different in each.
Winslow Homer began his career as an illustrator for Harpers Weekly magazine. Later, as a sucessful artist, he [...]

Imaginative Inspirations
Creative combinations of methods and medias
Folded Monos
Supplies
Watercolor paper, paints, water, large spoon
Instructions
There are quite a few ways to approach this simplified version of mono printing. Easiest is to paint an image on half of the paper and wet the other half fold it together and press to get a mirror image copied onto the [...]

Monet Impressed by Nature by Sharon Himes
Monet spent his childhood on the coast of Normandy, France, and nature was his first influence. “I was born undisciplined. Never, even as a child, could I be made to obey a set rule. What little I know I learned at home. School was always like a prison to [...]