Winter Watercolor Resist Paintings

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This time of year we love to do fun winter crafts! Create a bright, beautiful, and textured winter watercolor scene of tree trunks and a night sky with this simple and fun activity. These Winter Watercolor Resist Paintings are festive and perfect to try with your kids at home or in your classroom this season!

*Pair this with our Winter Centers and Activities for Pre-K & Kindergarten!

Winter Watercolor Resist Paintings

Young students can complete this winter watercolor activity with very little help from grown-ups. The trick is to use masking tape to create tree trunks and star stickers to make a night sky. Your kids will love it! Let’s gather our materials!

You will need:

• Watercolor paints
• Paint brush
• Masking tape
• Star stickers
• Salt
• Oil pastels or crayons

How to Make a Winter Watercolor Painting

Invite students to use masking tape across the watercolor paper to form the birch trees. The trees can be slanted slightly for a more natural look.

Be sure to press firmly on the edges of the tape. Add star stickers onto the watercolor paper as desired (press them down firmly as well).

Next, add the watercolor background. Since this is a winter scene, you may want to suggest that students try using cool colors such as various shades of blue and purple.

While the paint is still wet, try sprinkling a bit of salt on top. This can create an interesting starry night effect when the salt picks up the paint.

RELATED RESOURCE: Easy Readers – Winter Collection

Allow the paint to dry completely. Once the paint is completely dry, carefully peel the masking tape to reveal the birch tree trunks!

Peel away the star stickers as well, and brush off the salt into a garbage can.

Lastly, use crayons or oil pastels to outline the trees, and draw on the bark.

Optional: Use the opposite end of a paint brush dipped in white paint to create dots of snow!

It’s so cool how a little salt can have such a neat effect on the watercolor paint. Students can add as many or as few trees as they would like, and can experiment with blending paint colors to create unique works of art!

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Valerie

Valerie Deneen is the author of Inner Child Fun, where she inspires parents to spend more quality time with their kids, and less money doing it. Inner Child Fun celebrates simple pleasures for all ages—with more than 1,000 frugal and creative projects sure to bring out the “kid” in you too! Follow Valerie on Twitter or say “Hi” on Facebook.

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