ACEO Watercolour Painting - Using White Paint!

 When I started out, trying my hand at watercolour painting, I was told and I read in my ever growing pile of "How To" books, never to use white paint...

Well I disagree!!

I discovered White Gouache paint (an opaque water based paint) and I use it with my watercolours... 

Because it is opaque it can be applied over watercolours and can be used for highlights, snow and anywhere really you want a pop of white!

Just be careful to spread it out when applying, as thick clumps will crack - unlike Acrylics which dry hard giving texture.

Here are a few of my ACEO paintings using gouache white paint...

Give it a try - but most of all, enjoy painting these little bits of collectible art!

14 Clever and Apt Anagrams - Just for Fun!

I found this selection of very clever and apt Anagrams - have a go at them with your groups. I have supplied the answers if you get stuck...

One to get you going... "ALAS NO MORE Z'S" is "SNOOZE ALARMS"

Have fun with these!

Here is the link...

14 Clever and Apt Anagrams

If you want more quizzes please have a look at my eBook...

41 x 10 Easy Quizzes - Printable with Answers
 

One for the Kids - Who Will Drive the School Bus?



Tom (age 5) decided that the DOG would drive the bus!

You can colour-in the school bus and because it is your picture, you can then decide, who is the Driver and where the Passengers are allowed to sit...

Click here to download and print the bus and the passengers.

Have fun - especially as some of you are having a half-term holiday!

Mother's Day Placemats - Printable to colour-in!

 

In UK we celebrate Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday, as it is also known) this year on Sunday 27 March

What better way to delight Mum, than with a Mother's Day Placemat - either on her breakfast tray or at the table, as she starts her special day...

I have designed Three Mother's Day Placemats ready to download and print.

So get out the paints and crayons and  colour-in the placemats, ready to surprise Mum on Mother's Day...!

1. Mother's Day Placemat

2. Mother's Day Placemat

3.Mother's Day Placemat

  

ACEO Miniature Painting - Have you got the right brushes?

 

A Warm Afternoon

Have you got the right size brushes for painting ACEO, miniature, watercolour paintings?

The only acceptable size for an ACEO painting of 3.5 x 2.5 inches - no other size will qualify! Thus they do fall into the "Miniature" category...

When I started painting ACEO's, about ten years ago, there were not many suitable fine, detail brushes available. The best on offer, I found, were the brushes sold for painting on model aeroplanes or military tanks etc.

But now I find there are more available...!

I use a Round brush size 10 for skies and under-washes, and then a size 6 and 4 to fill in the backgrounds of my landscapes.

For trees I reach for my Rigger to keep the foliage light, using different shades of green to keep it alive.

Then to finish off a landscape by painting in the details, I use my fine watercolour brushes - I really like the ProArte Masterstroke range - Sizes 1 to 10/0 

They are very reasonably priced and hold their shape well. 

Just make sure they are kept clean and left to dry standing brush-up in a jar.

 

While painting be careful not to leave the brushes in your water jar, head down or they will soon bend out of shape...!

For more about ACEO's look at my menu bar at the top of my Blog!

Enjoy painting your ACEO's...!

Farming in Africa

Winter Fields

 

Easter Bunny Collage - Tutorial using Junk Mail!

Time to start getting your Easter Craft on the go...

Here is a very easy way to make an Easter Bunny using Junk Mail! 

The bunny always ends up as a surprise, as you don't really know what he will look like, until you cut him out and turn him over!

What you will need...

Colourful paper - We used Junk Mail but any coloured paper will do

Glue

A4 sheet of card for background mount - any colour will do 

Thin ribbon, wool or strips of paper for flower stems

Googly eye (optional)

Cotton ball tail (optional)

Butterfly Stickers (optional)

How to make it...

Print out 

Easter Bunny Template

Flower Template 1.

Flower Template 2.

Hold the Easter Bunny drawing up against a window and using a pencil, draw the Easter Bunny image on the back of your sheet of paper

Work on that drawing on the back of your paper

Cut strips from your coloured paper or junk mail

Glue the strips on top of the Easter Bunny - do not keep inside the lines - just stick the strips on and go over the lines of the drawing, until the whole image is covered - as above

When dry turn the paper over and cut out the Easter Bunny using the original print as your guide

Turn it over and there is your "Designer Wear" Easter Bunny!!

Attach a googly eye and a cotton ball tail if you want to finish him (or her?)

To make the flowers print out the Flower Template (links above)

Using these flowers as patterns, cut them out of your coloured paper

Glue your stems in place on your card background 

Glue your flowers onto the card background

We finished off with some butterfly stickers!

Hope you enjoyed this Easter Craft - for more ideas click on the EASTER button at the top of my Blog!

6 New Bookmarks to Print and Colour-In...!

We enjoyed making these simple Bookmarks at Mencap this week...

If you would like to make some with your group or with your children here is a tutorial with printable templates...

what you will need...

Thin card in light colours

Colouring in pens or crayons

Laminator and Laminator pouches (optional)

Ribbon (optional)

Single punch (optional)

How to make up the bookmarks..

Print the templates onto thin card. (If you are laminating them, then you can print onto paper)

Here is the link  Bookmarks

Colour in the pictures

Cut out each bookmark

They will last a long time if you laminate them (seal in a plastic sleeve) but not essential.

Punch a single hole centre top and tie in your ribbon.

Printable Quiz - Ten Words ending in TEN!

An easy quiz - just for fun...over a cuppa tea or coffee!

How many words do you know that end in "ten" ?

For example...often, handwritten 

Ask your group to try to write a list of 

that end in "ten"...

Here is selection of some I have found, but there are lots more...have a dictionary on hand to resolve disputes!

Have fun! 


If you would like more quizzes to have fun with, here is the link to my
Printable Quiz eBook - 41 x 10 Easy Quiz questions