Crayon Resist Watercolor Card
My daughter and I recently read Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs by Susan Bernardo as part of #ReadYourWorld for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2018. This lovely picture book that tells about loved ones far away sending their love uses a lot of X's and O's in the illustrations. We were inspired by the book to make cards decorated with X's and O's to send to loved ones far away.
Pooky and I decided to try the crayon resist watercolor method. First we assembled our materials.
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Watercolor paints and paintbrush (we used Crayola)
Watercolor paper (we used Artist's Loft 140 lb 9 X 12in.)
Washi tape (to tape paper onto old cutting board to keep it flat)
Cup of water
Cotton Swab
White Crayon
We chose to tape the watercolor paper down so it would dry flat. This will leave a white border, so try to apply the tape straight. Once the materials are set up, the first step is to cover the watercolor paper with X's and O'x using the white crayon. I recommend varying the sizes of the letters for added interest. Tip: Make thick repeated strokes so there is enough crayon wax to resist the watercolor paint.
Now for the really fun part! Paint over the entire surface of the watercolor paper.My daughter couldn't decide which brush she liked better at first (broad or thin), so she kept going back and forth. In the end, we decided the broader one worked better.It helps if you use the paintbrush to apply a thin layer of water over the whole paper first before applying the watercolor paint.
By the end, we realized that the crayon shows up better if you use darker color paint. This is the work of my five-year-old. (Process is more important than final product.)An optional step is to use a cotton swab to trace the x's and o's in order to remove excess paint. It helps the white crayon marks stand out more.The paper did dry flat. (I sped up the drying process with a heat gun.) The tape did a great job creating a solid border.
Once the watercolor paper is ready, you have some options for how to turn it into a card. I wanted the watercolor background to be on the inside as well as the outside of the card. To do this, I folded the paper in quarters. I used a bone folder to get a good crease since the watercolor paper is so thick.
If you choose to have the colored background on the inside of the card, you will need to add a white space to write on. I simply cut a piece of white card stock to fit inside the watercolor card and used a glue stick to apply it.The only step left is to write a message, sign it with X's and O's, and send the card to a loved one far away.
These Crayon Resist Watercolor Cards are a great kids craft that would be fun to make for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day,Teacher Appreciation, or any other time of year when you want to send some love.
I’ve added links to the supplies we used at the bottom of this post.
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The image below is pinnable. Thanks!
