I’ve just finished my first class which ran for two weeks called Exploring Watercolor. It was a lot of fun and I think the kids really got a great introduction to watercolor which was one of my main goals. The first week I had 7 students and yesterday I had 5. The class sizes were both great because it gave us all a chance to get to know each other (kids and moms). I am trying to keep the classes really relaxed and open for the kids to explore major concepts of watercolor and try a few examples of technique. This process is working well I think because it is allowing the class to cater to a few different age groups. The class was made up of four mini projects and each focused on a different concept. I tried to choose concepts that Gemma has always enjoyed learning about and that were simple enough to gain toddler/preschooler attention.

Wet Watercolor: We started by painting the whole paper with just water and then slowly added bits of color. The children were encouraged to explore how the color dissipates across their page.

Blend: To teach blends, I folded a piece of watercolor paper for the kids and had them paint one color on each side, in the center I encouraged them to add more water and more color and explore how the two colors begin to blend.

Texture: For texture, I had the kids paint a blank page as they wished, focusing on one or two colors and then sprinkling with salt to create a texture pattern. The kids enjoyed this activity and some of the paintings were gorgeous!

Border: Last, I gave the children a paper with painters tape around the border and they were to free paint the page. After the class was over and their paintings were dry they were to remove the blue tape and see the border they created!

This class was so much fun, I truly enjoyed my mornings with all the little kids relaxing and painting. If the classes continue to go well I may organize a fall session!