Abstract Watercolor Painting Lesson

I got the idea for this lesson from a pin on Pinterest and thought I would do it with my eighth grade students for their first art project with me this year. It looked easy to do and I thought it would be a good way to break the ice and get them warmed up with a low-pressure project. 

Supplies:

12x18 white drawing paper

black ink

straw

watercolor paints & brushes

Step 1: Place drops of ink on your paper (one at a time) and blow it around the paper using a straw. The amount of air you push through the straw will determine how your ink moves around. I tried to vary my air pressure as much as possible. Allow the ink to dry before moving onto the next step. 

Step 2: Using watercolors, add color to the white parts of the paper. I used my ink splots as guides for some of my colors and for others I let them stop randomly. The purpose for me doing this lesson with my students is to let them experiment with watercolor paints. I will show them different painting techniques prior to them starting with the watercolors and then have them try out the different techniques.

Step 3: Continue adding colors until your paper is filled, leaving no white spaces. I decided to use only a few different colors for my painting. I think I will encourage my students to pick a few colors but will allow them to use as many as they want since the purpose is to have them experiment.

Overall I'm happy with the way the project example turned out. However, I think it would have looked better if I used liquid watercolors instead, so the colors would be more intense.