One of the California Visual Arts Standards for 1st graders deals with adding texture to art. I made these paper towel leaves to give this painting some very real bumps and wrinkles.1. I used Bounty paper towels (I like the spongy look to them) and cut out about 3 large leaves and 4 small ones. Mix up a small amount of 50/50 water and glue. Dip the leaves, get them completely wet, and spread them on watercolor paper as desired. Let dry overnight.
2. Choose one crayon for each leaf and trace around the edge, pressing firmly. Add a stem at one end.
3. I made some extra watery watercolor from my tube set, and painted the inside of each leaf. Dabs of different color in each leaf can add some more interest. When complete, paint the sky. Some splotches are going to pop up from the glue and water, but I think they add to the un-fussy look of the picture. Finally I used a small brush to add brown vein lines on each leaf.
CA Standards of Visual Arts: Grade One
2.7 Use visual and actual texture in original works of art.
