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Ink and Watercolor – Testing Ink with Water on a Dragonfly Drawing
Let’s test a few inks to see how they hold up to water. Are they really waterproof? How soon can you paint over them? How do they compare with ink that isn’t waterproof? Learn all about it with a dragonfly drawing. Have you ever wanted to do something creative with watercolor and ink only to have the ink run all over the place when you put the watercolor on top of it? Or have you painted a lovely watercolor background only to have the ink bleed when you added your calligraphy or drawing layer? How frustrating! In this article, I'll compare a few waterproof inks with a non-waterproof ink and…
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Draw a Unicorn with a Pink Watercolor Background
Here it is! The promised unicorn loaded with pink and topped with gold. I decided against the glitter. Glitter is fun, but it never stays where it's told. Then it shows up in the strangest places, or all of the places in sparkling paths around the house. And no matter how much glue I use … it never all stays stuck. I may be a boy mom, but I still have a couple of special little girls in my life who are (or might be) completely in love with unicorns. Recently, I used one of these unicorns on a baby shower card in honor of a little girl on the…
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How to Draw Lavender with Watercolor Techniques
I recently tried my hand at a little soap making. My son was brainstorming ways to make extra money. He loves to make things with his hands and came up with the soap idea. I tried and tried to have time to learn about it to see if it was a good option. We ordered some supplies and gave it a go … months later. We tried several recipes and several scents to see what we liked and what we didn’t like. I am so glad I tried it! We now have soap for the next year (a little overboard? nah!). Homemade soap is so nice on your skin, you…
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How to Draw a Christmas Tree with Watercolor and Calligraphy
Sometimes, these tutorials come together weeks ahead of time. And sometimes, they’re reinvented during the planning process. This one was both. I had a plan in October, I think, for a lovely Christmas tree tutorial. I really did like it. And I really did draw it. But it was also time-consuming. In this space, I try to keep the tutorials simple and non-threatening, so as I readied to record the process for you, I changed it. Completely. Welcome to the new Christmas tree drawing tutorial. I hope you enjoy it.
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Create a Cute Fall Drawing with a Fall Saying
Here we are, on the brink of the great holiday season. Somehow, Halloween never quite feels a part of the thrill of Christmas, but Thanksgiving always does. I’m guessing that’s because we always picked out our Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving when I was a child. Some things just stick. This week’s tutorial feels like a transition for me too, not quite fall, not quite Christmas, but still a little bit of both. You’ll also get to see a little bit of my silly side. Go ahead, have a laugh at it. It’s me, I don’t mind. Yep! As the weather turns crisp and I start wearing jackets or…
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How to Draw Pumpkin Sketches with Fall Words
Pumpkin sketches and fall words are the perfect way to express the fall feels of the autumn season. “And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” ~Oscar Wilde As if overnight, fall is here. And it amazes me each year that as the nights turn cold and the days become blustery, the craving for fall deliciousness comes wafting along with it. Apples. Soup. Chai (and coffee, but there is always coffee). Pumpkins … oh! the pumpkins ... Not just food though, fall makes me want to pull out my sweaters, walk through the crunchy leaves, hold onto a hot mug, and pack into a wagon for a hayride through the…
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How to Make a Flamingo Drawing with a Splash
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been all about pink, green and blue. Why? I had a request for some artwork, a flamingo and a dragonfly. I love drawing dragonflies, but why had I never thought about a flamingo drawing?! Might as well stay with the pink for a little while longer. So, while I was drawing flamingos in different poses and painting them in different styles, I decided that a flamingo drawing tutorial would be the perfect end to summer drawings. Shall we take one more trip to the beach? It might be the last for a while. Let's get started.
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Draw with Words – Turtle Lettering
Get ready to draw with words as we create turtle lettering inside a turtle drawing. I seriously debated between more turtles and a unicorn. I know. I don’t usually head down the unicorn road. I’m a boy mom, after all. But I have a couple of special little unicorn lovers in my life, one of whom will soon have a birthday. That makes me want to pull out the calligraphy supplies, some pink and purple watercolor and … you guessed it! Glitter. I think I’ll save that unicorn for now (it might be the next tutorial … we’ll see). After the last tutorial, a turtle drawing, it felt like too…
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How to use Heart Drawings with a pun on a DIY Valentine
We are getting close to Valentine’s Day now. It’s the time to celebrate our special someone, but for me, it reminds me of my whole family, the laughter we share, a few sweets and a little together silliness plopped right in the middle of a cold, brown, possibly snowy winter. There are a couple of times a year when it’s absolutely necessary to get a little punny: Valentine’s Day and April Fools’ Day. Oh! And birthdays … and Father’s Day … and … okay, it’s just fun to get a little punny. We always need another laugh around here (even an eye roll and a groan will do). Yes, our…
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Thanksgiving Drawings for Name Cards
With Thanksgiving fast approaching (gasp … next week!), I know that some of you are getting ready for time with family and friends. Decorations, recipes, and little ways to make gatherings special are dancing through your heads. Today I have a tutorial to help those ideas turn into action. We’ll take some Thanksgiving drawings and add watercolor to make name cards for your food celebrations.
