Waldorf Wet on Wet Watercolor Painting

Wet on wet painting is one of our favorit creative indoor activities these days. When I was a Waldorfstudent the Wet on Wet watercolor Painting lessons have been on of my favorit lessons at school and now it is a great pleasure to paint with my daughter using this technique.
Because the wet paint is laid on wet paper, the watercolors are flowing and blending into one another in beautiful, unexpected ways. The use of watercolors allows fluid mixing and movement on the paper.
My experience is that painting with watercolors is a very relaxing and calming activity. To invite creativity it is helpful to set up everything You need in a quiet atmosphere. All gestures of Your preparation should be performed mindful.
Our favorit Waldorf Kindergarden teacher Margit inspired us to use our pentatonic glockenspiel to surround the painting with some crystal clear and spherical tones. She always attended the childens painting sessions in her Kindergaden creating a beautiful and quiet atmosphere with her pentatonic glockenspiel. A poem can be a great inspiration as well as a little story.
To get started You will need:

A sink, basin or tray in which to soak your paper. We use a normal baking tray placed on the table for easy access.
Heavyweight or normal watercolor paper, heavyweight paper is more expensive but the result is worth it.
Some shades of watercolor paint. We use an recommend Stockmar paint
Carmine Red, Ultramarine Blue and Lemon Yellow is all You need for the beginning.
A watercolor paintbrush with flat bristles like this one.
A jar for water
One little jar for each color of paint
A flat board on which to work like this one.
A sponge like this one and a little rag

1. Soak one sheet of paper at a time in the water You have prepared. The paper can soak about 10 minutes.
2. Mix Your colors with water, add more paint to make it stronger, or more water to soften.
3. Lay a piece of soaked paper on a flat board. Watercolor paper has a rougher side and a smoother side. Lay paper down with rough side up.
4. Use a wet sponge to make sure there are no puddles of water on the paper, and wipe away any air bubbles. Paper should have a sheen to it, but not be soaking wet.

Start with just one color at a time. After painting with each of the primary colors singly, try the two color combinations: red and yellow, red and blue, and yellow and blue. Children will be excited as they experience how secondary colors are formed when combining two colors.
Let Your child experiment with the colors one by one, there is no need to explain to much. Just sit down with Your child and start painting and be a good example. Childen find out and internalize soon, that yellow and red will make a beautiful orange and that red and blue can be all shades of violet.

countdown to Christmas


i used my vintage metal tree that i found last year, to hold our advent countdown. There are 25 little envelops and each day my kids will pick one and it will describe the special activity we will do.

Here is my list (in no particular order) of some of the things we will do...

1. have a happy birthday Jesus party
2. make Christmas gifts for the kids teachers
3. bake gingerbread cookies
4. watch Polar Express and drink hot cocoa
5. go look at Christmas lights
6. make candy cane streamers
7. watch veggietales Saint Nicholas
8. bake lamb cookies
9. make homemade peppermint ice cream
10. make happy birthday Jesus cake
11. milk and cookies night
12. make a paper gingerbread house
13. Nativity craft
14. make candy cane play dough
15. fill the tub with snow and let the kids play in it
16. candlelit bath for the kids
17. trail of lights at the botanic gardens
18. got to the children's musical at church
19. decorate the Christmas tree
20. act of kindness for our neighbors
21. a night singing Christmas carols
22. Christmas tree waffles
23. act out the Christmas story
24. go to Christmas eve service
25. make Christmas tree garland

linking up with...
tatertotsandjello
kojodesigns
sunscholars
bedifferentactnormal
underthetableanddreaming
C.R.A.F.T.