Symmetrical Valentine Birds

I showed students how to create texture in their watercolor paintings, just by sprinkling a little salt while the paint was still wet. The salt absorbs the water and leaves interesting patterns behind.1. Start by drawing the heart in the upper center of the paper. Students broke the birds down into steps to make them the most symmetrical: Two upside down “U”s, two beaks, two wings, two tails and two feet. Lines were traced with a black Sharpie marker.2. Crayons were used to add some extra color lines in the picture.3. Liquid watercolor paints were used to paint the birds. Before the paint dried, a small amount of salt was sprinkled over them. The rest of the art was painted in. When dry, the salt was brushed aside.