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Collage with Fox

I can't believe it's been since July since I last posted!  I really haven't been too active with my own art making. I have been making collages here and there in my art journal.  I have also been focusing my extra time into my teaching blog and online shop, which is Art is Basic.  I have a few collages to post and I will do so over the next couple of blog posts.

Here is the first one.  I call it Fox on Top.

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Layered Art Journal Collage

Make Curious Awesome Fun! A Little Bit Messy!

Do you work with kids?  Check out my blog about teaching art to kids! Art is Basic
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Seahorse and Cat Watercolor Paintings

Above is a watercolor painting I made of a seahorse.

This one was made by my 7 year old, Daria. 

Elephant Page

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How to Make a Doodled Watercolor Mandala

Earlier this summer I wrote a blog post about how to make watercolor doodled flowers.  These mandalas I created were made with a very similar technique.  Both these mandalas and the flowers were made by starting with watercolor paints and then doodling on top with thin markers. Products I Use (Amazon Affiliate links are used)

• Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections: Tropicals
• Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections: The Classics
• Sakura Koi Brush Pen Set
• Sharpie Permanent Marker, Fine Point
• Sakura Micron Ink Pen Set, Black
• White Molotow Paint Marker

Here are the secret steps to this technique.  :) 1.  Start by tracing a circle in the middle of your paper with pencil.  I used a round lid.  Then build off of it by drawing simple shapes repeating around the circle.  Keep it loose and don't worry about them looking perfect.  Trace larger circles or freehand draw circles around the outside.  Again, aim for it to be somewhat symmetrical, but don't fixate on perfection!  You could use a compass, but I wanted both of mine to be more loose designs. 2.  Start painting around the circle, using watercolor paints.  I mostly chose to repeat the same color in the same shapes around the circle, but you can do it multi-colored or however you want!  One of my favorite watercolor techniques is to make a wet wash of color (like the purple in the center, below) and then while it is still wet dab or dot in other colors (the red).   3.  Keep on going this way, blending and adding color to various sections.  I like to layer similar colors on top of each other (like blue and violet).  Have fun with it.  If it's not perfect, don't worry, you will add more color with markers later. 4.  Once you are satisfied with the amount of paint, use your Micron fine line pens to add line patterns and designs.  Use a fine point Sharpie to outline some of the areas.  Turn your paper around and around as you go.  Continue adding doodles, lines and patterns.  Consider using pattern sheets or Zentangle books for ideas. 5.  After (or while) adding black doodles, think about how you can add more color to the picture.  I love using my Sakura brush markers (they are expensive, so I don't use them with students) to color, but any markers will do! 6.  You can add white dots or lines on top of the colors with a white paint marker. 7.  After you are happy with the majority of your mandala, you can make additional doodles or creative "dangles".  I like having little doodles hanging down. Here is the finished watercolor mandala!Okay, that was fun, right?  I'm going to show you the progress photos of another watercolor mandala I made.. using practically the same steps. Thanks for reading!  Do you like making watercolor mandalas?  Share in the comments.   Save Art is Basic
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How to Make a Collage Christmas Tree

Are you looking for a fun art project to try over winter break with your kids?  Here is one that is sure to be festive, fun and creative! What you will need:

• watercolor paints
• pencil
• watercolor paper
• paint brush
• cup of water
• markers.  For my own art, I prefer Micron markers, Sakura Koi markers, and Molotow White markers.
• stickers of your choice
• glue
• magazines
• assorted paper scraps of your choice

1.  Begin by drawing a Christmas tree shape on a piece of watercolor paper. 2.  Start by painting in the sections of the tree with various shades of green.  Get your brush nice and wet while painting. 3.  While the paint is still wet, I like to dab in other colors that are similar (yellows, turqouises, different shades of green).  The colors blend and spread in a way that is unique to watercolors. 4.  When you are finished painting the tree, let it dry for several hours. 5.  While it is drying, take some time to gather the items that you will use to decorate the tree.  I have a stash of paper scraps that I keep handy for projects like these.  Use scrapbook paper, previously painted pages, magazine cut outs or stickers.  I happened to have an astronomy magazine which had some really beautiful celestial images as well as some children's magazines that had that moon image. I also belong to a really fun Stickers of the Month club called Pipsticks, where I get a curated package of super cool stickers sent to me every month (kind of like those makeup bag of the month kit or Barkbox.)   If you use this link, I get a referral credit! 6.  When your tree is thoroughly dry, you can start decorating!  Cut out wavy line shapes for garland or use markers to draw them on.  Stick on star stickers, magazine cut outs or draw stars in the sky. Choose something festive to add to the top of your tree. I outlined the tree sections with black Micron markers and added additional doodling to the bottom of the tree. 7.  Cut out ornament shapes from your painted papers, scrapbook paper scraps and magazine pages.  Put stickers on the tree for ornaments.  Place a bird or animal sticker to be sitting on the tree.  Outline any stickers that need defining.  After I started decorating, for some reason I began using green markers to color on top of the actual tree.  I didn't like it, but it was too late so I had to keep going.  If I did this again, I would just leave it with the watercolor paints only. 8.  Finally, in my opinion, white accents make everything better!  I used my white paint marker to add dots on to the garland and tree. Here is the finished image! When you are done, you can frame it and hang it as a Christmas decoration or you can photocopy it and use it as a Christmas card.

What do you think of this idea?  Do you like collage as much as I do?

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