Art Set 10 – Feeling Good!

Welcome to me, Ellie and Jack’s first joined art post! This post is all about art that makes you feel good! It is very colourful and cheerful, which allows you to be creative! So gather your supplies and enjoy trying out these different art ideas.

1) Feel Good Jar! You will need: a large jar, pens, glue, various colourful glitter, water, decorative paper, scissors, and finally, extra cheerful decoration.

First, carefully cut out a shape from paper to fit on your lid. Write down on the paper memories or thoughts that make your happy. Glue it on to your lid, and decorate the outside of the jar with colourful decorative items. You could use stickers, decorative tape, colourful paper, beautiful ribbons or other things.

Then, cautiously fill up your jar with water (make sure not to spill any) and add half a teaspoon of each type of glitter for each happy thought. Screw the lid on tightly, or attach it with glue if necessary.

Finally, shake the jar and watch the glitter swirl around to remind you of all your happy memories!

2) Messy Watercolour Painting! You will need: paintbrushes, watercolours, two or more pieces of plain square paper, a hole puncher (optional) and string (optional).

First, leave a piece of paper to the side so it doesn’t get messy. Next take a square piece of paper smaller than the previous piece, and fold it to make a basic origami structure. Place your origami piece on top of the larger piece of paper. DO NOT stick it down.

Next, make your paintbrush damp and create a thick watercolour mixture. Flick the ends of your paintbrush upwards to spray the paint mixture all over the page. Repeat this with different vibrant colours and thicker or thinner paintbrushes, until the whole page is covered.

Once it is all dry, you can add extra layers using other colours if you want, however don’t use too much paint or the paper will get soggy. DO NOT at any point remove the origami piece unless the instructions specifically tell you to, otherwise you will not get the same effect.

Take off the origami piece. Now you can trace the origami picture and add detail, or leave it blank, depending on what makes you feel most happy!

Finally, here is an additional, optional step: hole punch the piece of paper when it dry and attach the string. Now you can hang up your amazing watercolour painting!

3) Nature Rubbings! You will need: colourful crayons, a large piece of paper, an area of nature where you can collect bark, leaves and twigs, and a beautiful sunny/snowy day.

First, take your crayons and paper outside to your area of nature. Collect some leaves, bark, twigs and grass for your nature rubbings. You could also use other items that you find nearby, such as pine cones or logs. Place your paper on the surface of your item, and make sure, if it is something thin like a leaf, that there is a hard surface underneath.

Next, rub the flat side of the crayon over one section of your paper, so the pattern prints onto the paper. Now, use the rest of your items and repeat these steps until you have covered the whole of the paper. Use different colours each time and try using various items to make this craft more creative.

Eventually, the paper will be full, and now you can optionally draw details with a pen or pencil or decorate the page with decorative stickers, ribbons and tape. Now you have completed your nature rubbings page, you can use a similar technique as in the Messy Watercolour craft and use a hole puncher and string to hang up your page.