After we painted watercolor strawberries and watercolor apples and pomegranates, I am still loving the idea of using watercolors in so many fun ways, so I thought I'd paint something fun for my twelve year old son's room, as he just got his own room for the first time ever! Now that I've made this cute wall hanging and he loves it, I think I need some new accessories and bedding to pull the new look together! I live in a somewhat remote area, so online shopping is really helpful, and before I start shopping I like to check out chameleonjohn.com to see if there are any coupons that might be useful.
In case you are wondering if this little wall hanging just came to mind, and I set about painting it, well not exactly. At first I thought I'd paint patterns inspired by the amazing skin of chameleons, but that didn't quite work out, so then I thought maybe I'd make a painting, but that didn't quite work out either! So then I realized I just need to go with more basic painting, and this sweet little wall plaque was born! I can of course see this as a fun series to teach kids about important personality traits, can't you?
You'll Need:
- watercolor paper
- watercolors
- a pencil and a fine permanent marker
How To:
First draw the light outline of a chameleon on half a sheet of watercolor paper. You should of course look at photos of chameleons and take not of all their special attributes: the feet, the tail, the texture of the skin, the amazing colors......
Then fill in your shape with watercolors, wide stripes of color that bleed together will lead to the best looking results for those of us who are not quite so professional in the painting department. Use water, but not too much so that everything runs over the lines. While painting is still wet, sprinkle kosher salt over the desired areas and set aside to dry.
Once dry, gently tap the paper on a clean surface to remove the salt, and then add the eyes and mouth and a few details here and there using a series of small dots make with your fine line pen. Using a pencil and then a black fine lined permanent marker, add words and some little decorative flourishes. That is it!
And of course instead of "be adaptable" you could write "show us your colors" or "let your colors shine." Just off the top of my head, I'm sure there are some great quotes out there that would also be perfect for this little work of art. Enjoy!
