Summer Zoom painting- Green Rolling Hills

Good afternoon!

It has been a whirlwind week here at the Johnson house. I hope everyone is hanging in there out there. 

Small skill start-

I had no presentation. I just told the kids we were used to doing a lot of wet on wet and today we were going to focus on wet on dry. Have some paper towels handy because we were going to make our paintings dry with them. 

Painting together-

Today we painted Green Rolling Hills. With people coming in and out, late arrivals, brand new painters, I’m not entirely certain who finished and who didn’t, but it was exciting! Here are ours. 

Our application verse is Isaiah 52:7 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

At home practice-

Today I’m going to suggest practicing wet on dry techniques. One simple way to do this is choose a shape. Paint several of them in one color. Let it dry (or make it dry). Paint the same shape in a different color over it. Continue until you’re satisfied. You’re looking for patience and no blooms or bleeds. I sometimes managed that with this practice…. and sometimes did not. 

Summer Zoom painting- My Galaxy

Hello again!

I really like today’s project. It always turns out so differently and unique to the individual. While tutorials that highlight skills are important and edifying, projects where personality shines through are my favorites. 

Small skill start- 

I had two things I wanted to talk about today. First, Nicole uses the terms ‘galaxy, universe, solar system’ all kind of interchangeably. I know your kids are very intelligent and would point out they’re not really the same thing, so we talked about how she was making a star system, because it was not the solar system (there is only only one solar system. It is this one. And it is named such because our sun’s name is Sol). This was to hedge off any ‘um, actually’ that might come up. We all know the scientific terms and let’s just focus on painting. 

The second point I wanted to make was about white watercolor. White watercolor is tricky because watercolor is supposed to be translucent for layering. You can’t make white and translucent paint. Most often, artists use the paper itself for white instead of resorting to paint, but one way it would be useful in our project today would be using it instead of plain water in the background for more bright, impactful ‘explosions”. 

After we finished painting, I mentioned that letting the paper dry thoroughly and using very concentrated white to draw lines and stars would work instead of using a gel pen. 

Painting together-

Today, we painted My Galaxy. Here are ours. 

The final step in this project is to use a gel pen to add small/fine details. You can use metallic paint, acrylic paint, very thick white watercolor, or a white colored pencil to achieve the result. Make sure your painting is very dry before attempting any of them, though. 

Our verse this week is Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. 

Just like our paintings all reflected the uniqueness of ourselves, the universe shows the majesty and creativity of our creator. 

At home practice-

This week’s at home is very simple. You’re going to make water explosions. 

Paint a wash. 

Add water to the top. 

Watch. 

This is more an experiment in observing how water moves and dries, how it reacts when it’s wetter or you add more water or they blend together. It’s just a really good practice in understanding you can’t control everything about watercolor. I need a lot of practice to remember I can’t control everything. 

I hope you have a blessed week. Maybe take some time to go observe the actual skies. See you next time!

Summer Zoom painting- Dinosaur family

 Good afternoon!

If you weren’t able to attend today, one of our regular attendees is in Texas and she told us all about it. Including showing off her new pet- a juvenile tarantula. Aren’t you sad you missed?

Small skill start-

I picked today’s project with intention. Sunday is Father’s Day. This project is very easily adjusted to fit your particular family and would make a great gift for your dad. Use the drawing as a jumping off point and make it how you want it to be. More babies, fewer babies, all green, favorite colors, two adults, five adults, however you want to represent your family is how you can draw it. I also mentioned that we didn’t do anything for Mother’s Day because, usually, it’s your mom who is sitting right next to you during painting and so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise. I still love you, moms!

Painting together- 

Today we painted a Dinosaur Family. It was fantastic to see everyone’s interpretations of it. Here are ours. 

Listen y’all. My son is a dragon. He just is.  

Our verse for today was Psalm 103:13 As a Father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.

At home practice-

For this week’s at home skill, I want your child to practice mixing their own green. We have talked a bit about color theory, but this will help start cementing how different shades and tones in the same ‘color’ will give very different results. (I will also suggest purple, orange, brown, and I think black later in the summer, so just focus on green this week). It would be best to have at least two yellows and two blues for them to see the way they all react. Make sure they label them all so they know what makes the color they’re looking to achieve later! And, while starting with a pre mixed secondary color is absolutely acceptable, this will still give knowledge in how to achieve desired values and hues from them. 

Summer Zoom painting- doughnuts

 Good afternoon!

With so many parents at practicum, we did expect a small group. And it was quite intimate. I think most of us enjoyed ourselves, though. 

Small skill start-

Today I just talked about mistakes. That they’ll happen and when they do, it’s ok. If you can, blot it with a paper towel and leave it to dry for a bit. But even if it’s unfixable, that’s ok. It’s just paper. It’s just appear and you can always try again. 

Painting together-

Today, we painted doughnuts. Here are ours. 

Jeremiah’s caption reads ‘doughnut monster screaming in pain at transformation’. For the record, he cannot handle watching (age appropriate) horror. Only making it. My son, the contradiction. 

Something I want to note about today’s painting. In order to make my glazes look glossy, I let the solid paint dry, and then ran my brush in circles to pull up some of the paint. I think the result is better than trying to drop in darker colors along the edges.

Our verse today- WHICH I FORGOT AGAIN- because we had some confusion at the end- is John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

At home practice-

This week, I suggest your child tries color lifting. Paint a wash however you’d like. Try dabbing up color while it’s wet. Try making different shapes with water once it’s dry. Maybe wait ten minutes and then an hour and then a day to see how the water lifts the color after time. Knowing how color comes off will help you when mistakes do happen. 

I hope practicum, portfolios, playgrounds, pools, whatever you are doing today is enjoyable and uplifting. I really enjoy this particular project. If you have time and desire, I would suggest you try it at home.