It’s late winter and the days are chilly. The Philadelphia Flower Show begins this weekend and the thought of all those lovely flowers has me longing for spring. I’ve seen a few snowdrops blooming in the neighborhood, but it’s not until I see the daffodils dancing in the sun that it really feel like spring to me. Since we still have a few weeks until the colorful spring flowers bloom, let’s paint some daffodils to cheer us indoors while we wait for the warm weather.
Supplies:
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Heavy paper (that can hold up to painting)
- Pencil
- Tape
- Cup for water
- Rag
Before you get started, take a few minutes to look up photos of daffodils (or other early spring flowers) on-line for inspiration. This will provide a detailed understanding of the petals, stem, and leaves. Be sure to look at single blooms as well as clusters of flowers together so you are well informed.
To create a border for your finished painting, tape around all 4 edges of your paper using masking tape or painters tape. Make the tape a bit longer than the paper so you can secure the paper to the table. This also assits at keeping it flat while it dries.
Lightly sketch out the design with a pencil. Experiment with color by adding varying shades of green for the stems and leaves. Using white will lighten the color. Adding a little yellow to the foliage will cast a sunny glow. What can you add other than black to darken the color for the shady areas?
Take a break while the flowers and foliage dry. Make some tea or cocoa, grab a snack, snuggle up and do some reading together. Even your middle-schoolers will actually enjoy listening to you read! This sweet book That’s not a daffodil! by Elizabeth Honey, is available at your local library and is great for this months art project.
After the paint is dry it’s time to add in the sky. Take a look outside. What colors and shades do you see in the sky. Will your painting have an early morning, mid-day or sunset sky? How about clouds or the sun?
Watercolors can provide a variety of soft shades, while tempera or acrylic can offer a more uniform color. Again, you can experiment to lighten or darken the sky by mixing in small amounts of additional colors.
Once everything dries be sure to sign and date your artwork.
Comment below to let us know when you spot the first daffodils this spring!
Keep Going! Keep Growing!
Andrea