Are you looking for a new medium to try with your paper crafting projects? Look no further than liquid watercolors! Liquid watercolors are a fun, versatile way to add color and texture to your next mixed-media project. They are portable, easy to use, and highly pigmented, giving you all the vibrant colors you need for any project.
In this blog post, we'll explore the basics of how to use liquid watercolors, including different types of mixed media projects and creative techniques you can do to get the most out of your liquid watercolor paints. Let's get started!
How Do You Paint With Liquid Watercolors?
Liquid watercolors are an exciting medium to use for mixed media projects. They are an incredibly versatile and vibrant way to create beautiful artwork. If you want to learn how to paint with liquid watercolors, treat them like any water-based medium. The only difference between watercolor pans and liquid watercolors is that the latter is more vibrant since it comes in a portable liquid form.
Before you start, you’ll need a set of liquid watercolors, some watercolor paper, a palette to mix your colors in, and a variety of other media, such as markers, pencils, and pastels.
- To begin, create a color palette by choosing the colors you’d like to use. Then, prep the paper by lightly sketching out your design with a pencil or light markers.
- When you’re ready to start, you can apply the liquid watercolors directly to the paper.
- Layer and blend the colors to create exciting textures. Remember, you can control the saturation of the colors by adding more or using less water.
- Once you’re happy with the base of your artwork, you can add other media, such as markers and pastels, to create more detail and depth.
- When you’re finished, seal the piece with a varnish or spray sealant.
- Finish by framing the artwork piece for display!
If you want to learn more about the basic techniques of using liquid watercolor paint, check out this FREE liquid watercoloring class by Lydia – you’ll pick up a lot!
Other Fun Projects You Can Do With Liquid Watercolors
Besides being used to color your cards and your paintings, you can use liquid watercolors to add beautiful hues to your mixed media projects. Here are a few inspiring ideas on how to use liquid watercolors and stretch their use:
Make Your Own Colored Glue
Have you ever wanted to make colored glue? Well, now you can, with liquid watercolors! Making your own colored glue is an easy and creative liquid watercolor project you and your kids can do at home. Using liquid watercolors, you can make your custom glue in various fun shades and tones!
All you need is some liquid watercolors in the color of your choice, some white or clear glue, a bowl to mix it in, and a spoon to stir with. In the bowl, simply mix the liquid watercolors and glue together until the color is even. Then have fun with painting, gluing items, or even making subtle glue designs and patterns on paper.
Color Your Embossing Paste Pretty
Did you know that you can color your embossing paste with liquid watercolor paint? You only need white embossing paste for all your projects – let the liquid watercolors do the coloring. Now, you can bravely make embossed patterns and designs on your cards, scrapbooks, journals, and other projects without worrying about whether you have the color for them.
What's even more fun is that you can experiment with different colors and try out different combinations to make your very own color palette for your embossed designs. For a more glamorous look, try adding glitters too! Whether it’s florals, foliage, geometric designs, stencil patterns, or even sentiments, you'll never have any dull projects with your colored embossing paste again.
Dye Paper Flowers and Real Flowers
Dyeing paper and real flowers with liquid watercolors is an easy and fun way to add color and beauty to your floral arrangements. To get started, you'll need a variety of paper flowers or real flowers, liquid watercolors, and a container or tray. For best results, use white flowers, so you can clearly see how the colors appear on the petals.
- If you are dyeing paper flowers, lightly water them first, then place them in the container. For real flowers, simply place them in the container.
- Next, fill the container with some water and liquid watercolors.
- Submerge the flowers in the colors until you get your desired color. When done, remove the flowers from the container and allow them to dry.
- If you work with paper flowers, lightly press your flowers with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
This technique works because the paper flowers and real flowers will absorb the pigment in the water. Whether it's through the stem of the real flowers or the absorbent tissue paper, you can get beautifully-colored flowers with this science-approved trick!
Play With Paint Splatter Artworks
Play around with beautiful paint splatters by putting your liquid watercolors in a spray bottle! This is a great liquid watercolor project if you want to quickly create textures and interest in your paintings, cards, scrapbooks, journals, bookmarks, and more. Simply point and spray, and you'll instantly have colorful paint marks. Again, if you want lighter colors, just add more water, and use less if you want bold and vibrant spots of liquid watercolor paint.
Add Colors to Mixed Media Projects With Liquid Watercolors!
Whether you’re looking for a subtly blended background or want to add a bright pop of color, liquid watercolors are a perfect choice. Not only are they versatile, but they also provide an element of creativity and exploration as you experiment with different ways to use this fun medium.
We hope we have convinced you to give liquid watercolor projects a try. Hopefully, this blog gets your creative juices flowing! Thanks for stopping by today!
