Water coloring

My great-grandpa, Glenn Graff, was a teacher/principal in many little towns in Southern Utah. During the Depression he was a Principal in New Harmony. Times were hard and he was grateful for work. The first 15 minutes of his class in the morning was spent in singing. He would write the words of the song on the black board and the kids copied them into their song notebook. At the end of the year, each student had a book of songs that they could sing. He taught them to love music, nature and the ABC’s. The following water coloring project was among his students’ favorite activities. It has been passed down through the generations. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Decide what to paint

This is a fun way to make a symmetrical art project with the kids.

First thing is to decide on something symmetrical you would like to paint, such as a butterfly, an apple, a tree, a deer with antlers, a bunny, etc.

Fold the paper

Take a piece of paper. We cut ours down and made them into squares. Fold the paper in half and only paint one side.

Start painting

You are going to start with only water. Dip your brush in water and apply water in the half shape of your drawing. Draw right up to the fold. Be generous with the water so there is enough to transfer over to the other side, and then add in the color paint. Once you have that half of the drawing done, you will then fold your paper the opposite way, so the paint is on the inside. Press firmly.

The big reveal

After a few moments, you can unfold your paper and you will have a perfectly symmetrical art piece. It may take a couple of tries to get this to work just right, but the kids will have fun with the process. Have fun creating!