“Antiqued” Flowers in a Vase

We finished school really early, before lunch, yesterday so Mackenzie asked to do an extra art project while the Wee Babe napped.   Something with flowers was requested.

So I found this great, and easy, “Antiqued” Oil Pastel Flowers in a Vase lesson over at Deep Space  Sparkle.

Art with Mackenzie is always interesting.  She wants to do it all the time.  However, there’s an issue with almost every art project.  She gets stressed over them almost every time. She expects her work to look like that of a “pro” or mine (so not pro) that she gets all uptight.   The joy drops right out of the bottom.

I’m forever telling her that she’s just like Beezus, from the book Beezus and Ramona, when she’s miserable in her art class.  You’re too uptight, just relax and have fun.  I hope one day she’ll find the fun.

At any rate, here’s what we did.

We drew a vase of flowers on a piece of white drawing paper using a DARK oil pastel.  Do you see her stressed out little face?

We colored the drawing in with colored oil pastels.  She’s finally starting to relax a bit.  But trust me, the drawing of the vase was a painfully long experience.

 

Now you crumple the paper into a ball.  Don’t worry, it’s supposed to smudge the pastels a bit.  It’s a part of the “effect.”   Even a perfectionist first-born can feel confident in her ability to squash a picture.  Joy at last!

 

Now you smooth it out.   Nice and neat!

Now paint over it with a liquid watercolor wash in brown or blue.  (We used the watercolor paint in the tubes rather than liquid.  In burnt sienna.)

Let it dry and then admire the beauty of your creation.  All the earlier drama will be forgotten.