How to paint with watercolors using straws

Did you know that a simple straw can be an effective painting tool?Let me show you exactly how it is in this easy tutorial.Plus if you’d like to be a bit more adventurous, I have just the right thing for that too.So go ahead and read on all about how to paint with watercolors using straws.

I can’t tell you the amount of fun I had in making this tutorial.My little munchkin was all puzzled looking at me with the “what’s mommy doing?” expression.In this tutorial, you will be able to learn two different things.First, you’ll learn how to make a fun background of a painting using watercolors and a straw.This can also be a fun kid activity.If you would like to go a step further,then you can also learn the basics of painting realistically with watercolor.

{This post contains affiliate links. This means that I will earn a small percentage if you decide to buy from one of the links you click below.You will not be charged extra.}

The materials required to paint with watercolors using straws are

[wc_row][wc_column size=”one-fourth” position=”first”]

[/wc_column][wc_column size=”one-fourth”]

[/wc_column][wc_column size=”one-fourth”]

[/wc_column][wc_column size=”one-fourth” position=”last”]

[/wc_column][/wc_row]

You’ll also need these other basic supplies

• Regular pencil
• Eraser
• Straw
• Water
• Palette

Step 1: Draw the outline of a simple fruit using a regular pencil. I decided on drawing a pear.Apples,strawberries,cherries,bananas etc make good silhouettes. Now,we need to mask this area.This will protect the surface from the watercolor when applied.I’ve explained about using masking in this post called “watercolor tools,tops and tricks-part 4″.Make sure you use a cheap or an old brush while using masking fluid.It generally kills brushes and you don’t want your expensive ones going bad.Keeping a jar of soap water nearby will help remove the masking fluid from the brush easily.

Mask the pear using the art masking fluid.

Step 2:Take a palette.Squeeze out some of your watercolor paint.I’ve used the color “viridian hue”here.It has a rich and bright hue.
I’ve chosen the Sakura Koi water brush for this tutorial for two reasons.One is that it is reasonably priced with a cost of just over $7.The other is that kids tend to have a heavier hand while working.The bristles of this pen are plastic but extremely flexible and it will last a very long time.I can’t recommend this brush enough.It’s also an excellent tool for modern brush lettering.It also has a water well in which you can fill so then you don’t need to keep another jar with clean water.

Step 3:Once the making fluid is dry,drop some paint around it.While wet,blow into a straw making the paint move.Keep repeating the process as you go around the pear shape.Don’t worry about the direction in which the color moves. The whole point is to have fun when you paint with watercolors using straws.

Step 4:Time to remove all that goo!I can’t stress this enough but make sure that your paint is completely dry before attempting to remove the masking fluid.I used the eraser at the back of my pencil to remove it.Once you get the tip,the rest can be easily removed by pulling with your hands.

You can stop right here and not go further because this in itself looks cool.A small pear silhouette with a fun background!But if you’d like to learn how to paint the pear realistically,you can continue working on it and read further.

Step 5:We’re going to first lay down a wash of lemon yellow hue.This is going to act as the base of the pear.I’ve assumed that the light is falling on the lower left of the pear.This will be your lightest area.

Step 6:To make it look realistic, I painted a reddish brown hue on the top left area making it lighter as I proceeded downwards.Make sure to leave a thin line next to the shadow areas depicting the roundish shape of the pear.I painted the lower right area with a little bit of yellow ochre mixed with lemon yellow.Again don’t forget to leave a thin line wherever the round shape starts.

Darken the colors by layering with the same colors over.For the stem I mixed a little bit of brown with black to get that rich brown shade.The sides were done in darker color and the middle part in the same brown but with a lighter shade.This is is to show the cylindrical shape of the stem.

Darken the colors.Add a few dots in brown here and there to show texture on the skin of the pear.Observe it from a distance and check whether you need to add a few more layers or for imperfections.Darken the background area around the pear to help it pop more. And you’ve painted a beautiful and realistic looking pear.

What do you think?

What a fun tutorial isn’t it?Do you think the littles in your house would love doing this?Would you like to see more realistic tutorials in the future?Let me know all about it in the comments below.And if you try this out,don’t forget to tag or use the hashtag #makeinkstruck on Instagram. I would love to have a peek.

So what are you waiting for?Get those paints out and your straws ready to try this.Thanks for being here.It means a lot to me.Have a splendid day and wonderful weekend 🙂

About zakkiya @ inkstruck studio

Zakkiya is the creative blogger and founder of Inkstruck Studio. She’s a self taught artist who let go of her architecture profession to pursue her passion in art. Zakkiya likes to write detailed tutorials in watercolor, calligraphy, and hand lettering. She also teaches watercolor workshops occasionally in Doha where she’s based currently. Other passions include traveling, photography, and basketball.When she’s not working, you can find her cuddling and running around with her toddler boy.