Painting Day

 

After much preparation, our first wet-on-wet watercolor painting day took place this past week in our upstairs "painting/quiet room". I had a wonderful time preparing for this special day which will now take place every Wednesday as the children arrive to us in the morning...

 

 Some details about the supplies I have chosen:

I searched for a good amount of time for the above small glass "pinch" dishes. I wanted to use them for the paint, as they are small in size and also pleasing to the eye. A small dish allows for just the right amount of paint for a 3 or 4 year old....the dish is full, but only holds a tiny amount. This way, the paper doesn't get totally saturated with too much paint...

I finally found the dishes in a 4-pack at IKEA, and also at Bed Bath and Beyond.

The paper I chose is Fabriano 90 lb. watercolor paper from Paper Scissors Stone.

Product description:

90 POUND
FABRIANO WATERCOLOR PAPER
Fabriano watercolor paper is perfect for wet paper painting; a tough paper with just the right amount of sizing so that paint neither floats too much on the surface nor is too quickly drawn into the paper. The most economical real watercolor paper in the world without sacrificing quality. This paper comes to us from a very old mill in Italy. 

This is the paper we use during teacher training and the experience is just heightened by the use of quality materials. I have worked with watercolor paper which falls apart or starts to wrinkle with the use of water and paint... I was thinking about the experience I am hoping for the children, so the bit of extra money has gone a long way, I think.

 

I am very pleased with the painting boards we're using from Palumba.

They would also be wonderful for drawing/coloring.

 

I selected 2 pop-up cellulose sponges for wiping the excess water from the paper right before painting...

The above is how the sponge appears before submerging it in water....

 

...here it is after being used. It is soft and so much fun to touch. 

 

We'll be painting with oranges and yellows, one at a time, until around Christmas time....

I wanted to set the room up with a few objects for inspiration as I sang our Pumpkin song during painting...

 

 An orange pumpkin, some dried sunflowers, and an open curtain to reveal some Autumn trees...

 

 Clean up is also a part of the experience; washing brushes, jars, bowls....

 

The colors of Autumn are beautiful to behold...and I'm presently watching the leaves fly through the air with fury. A hurricane is predicted to make landfall in about 2 hours, and we're bracing for the worst. Our area won't be nearly as affected as others, but we're prepared to lose power and to sustain some possible damage. 

Wish us luck!

I'm thinking a lot about the power of the ocean and wind...

it's mesmerizing to me....