Abstract Watercolor Tutorial

Today I want to share a cool watercolor trick that will help you to make an abstract watercolor artwork for yourself!  This is so simple and it doesn't any drawing/ artistic skills, except for choosing choosing colors.

What you need: Watercolor paper
                             Watercolors paints and brush -a cheap $1 set from walmart will do
                             Card board or some sort of hard surface to tape your paper to
                             Masking Tape
                             Rubber Cement
                             Hair Dryer
                             Pen

Step 1: Tape your watercolor paper to your card board.  Make sure you have half of the thickness of the tape covering your paper and half of it sticking to the board.

Tip : To help the tape come off easier when your painting is done, try this little trick.  Before you stick your tape to the board, stick it to the carpet or your pants and then quickly pull if off.  The tape will pick up little fibers making it easier to get it off your paper without ripping your paper.  Cool huh?

Step 2:  Choose your color palette.  A little planning in the beginning really helps the outcome of the painting.  I find it works well to stick to no more than 3 colors. An easy way to choose colors is to pick colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.  So you could do:  yellow, green, and blue OR red, purple, and blue.....something of that sort.  You get the picture.

Step 3:  Splat or drip random globs of rubber cement on your paper and let it dry.  This is where the blow dryer comes in handy.  You don't have to use it, but it makes the process go A LOT faster.  Don't rub  off the rubber cement until the very end of this project.

Step 4: Paint with watercolors on the paper going over the globs of dried rubber cement.  The placement of the colors doesn't really matter.  Just go with the flow.   Let the paint dry or use a blow dryer.

Step 5: Repeat step 3 by adding more globs of rubber cement and letting it dry.  Then repeat another layer of watercolors over it.  Do as many layers of rubber cement and watercolors as you like as long as you allow each layer to dry before applying the next.  I do 4 or 5 layers and that is enough for me.

Step 6: When everything is dry you can take the rubber cement off by gently rubbing your finger over it.  Once the glue is all off, you will see the cool patterns it leaves!

Step 7:  Gently pull the masking tape off your paper.  Careful though, the paper tends to rip and stick to the tape!  This is why you need to use the tip I gave in step 1!  Once the tape is all off, you will have a nice border around your painting.

Step 8:  Optional- With a pen, outline the designs you see left from the rubber cement. You don't have to do this if you like your painting without the pen on it, but I think the ink brings out the design and makes it look better.

Yay! You're all done!  You created an abstract work of art you can be proud of!

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