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How to Paint a Dandelion
Dandelions seem to be popping up everywhere especially on artwork and cards. Here is a simple way to paint your own using a pen, a dab of paint and a small paintbrush.
Dandelions are incredibly easy to paint and draw and the best part about them is that they don’t hold a perfect shape.
Feel free to use my Amazon suggested links below:
All you’ll need for this craft:
- Craft board (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)
- White Sharpie paint pen
- White acrylic paint
- Flat brush
First, make a long stem leaning towards the center of the board.
Then make lines coming off the tip of the stem to make a circle. these do not need to be all the same length so don’t worry about perfection. This will be the flower.
Add a second dandelion by drawing another stem and another flower. Darken any lines as necessary.
Now draw little lines coming from the flower to the edge of the board. These will be the seeds in the breeze. You want a slight curve in these little lines and want them going in different directions.
Next is to paint the little whisp-y things. Not sure if they have a more scientific name. The part of the flower that you blow off to make a wish. Here is a picture of the brush I used.
Just dab some paint onto the paper to have a couple of testers. You don’t want too much paint or it will just look like a glob. If just enough paint is on the brush it will resemble the little whisps.
Carefully dab along the outside of the flowers. Take turns between doing heavy dabs and light dabs.
Now do a dab of paint on one side of those little lines you made earlier.
And that’s it! Again, feel free to darken any lines with the Sharpie and add any extra dabs of paint for the whisps.
I ended up putting my painting on my fireplace mantel. I love it as the center piece.
I hope you enjoyed your Easter!
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Dandelion Puffs – 4th Grade
This easy and fun 2 day art lesson focused on the elements of art; Line, Shape, Color and Value. Students also learned about a new watercolor resist technique using rubber cement before painting!
Special shout out to artroombritt.blogspot.com for this lesson idea!
DAY 1
Students observed various drawings of dandelions and reviewed the meaning of composition in artwork, (composition= the way things are laid out or where things are drawn/placed on paper).
Students drew three stems spaced apart a bit coming from one side of a sheet of 9×12″ tagboard with pencil. They could be drawn coming from either side of the paper going towards the middle.
They drew a small circle at the tip of each stem for the dandelions center and then lightly drew a large circle around it to act as a guideline to where their dandelion seed heads would be drawn to, to create a full, fluffy dandelion puff.
Students drew 1 large dandelion and 2 smaller ones on either side of the large one. Then drew a variety of seed heads stemming out from the center of each dandelion. I demonstrated various seed head tips for drawing before students drew on their own papers. I also offered a handout to refer to and observe, if they wanted while drawing.
Then once all three were drawn, they added drifting seed heads blowing away from the dandelion puffs in the wind. These drifting seed heads were drawn traveling in different directions (just like in real life) and not only adds interest, but creates a nice composition with the three dandelions along the opposite side.
Then students went over their stems lines and dandelion puffs lines and drifting seed heads with a black sharpie. After using sharpie they erased any pencil lines that remained.
Once that was done, after class, (when students were no longer in my art room), I brushed on a thick layer of rubber cement where each circular dandelion puff would be, as well as on the drifting seed heads. The rubber cement was a bit stinky and isn’t healthy to breathe in, so I worked next to an open window. This is why I applied the rubber cement and not the students.
The rubber cement was left to dry until the next class. (BTW- This doesn’t take up much rubber cement at all- I used about 3 small jars for 4 classes (roughly 24 students per class).
DAY 2
Before applying paint to our drawings, we reviewed warm and cool colors.
I had ice cube trays filled with liquid watercolors (one end with warm colors (warm colors=reds, pinks, oranges and yellows) and the other end with cool colors (cool colors= blues, greens and purples).
We also reviewed the wet-on-wet watercolor technique before painting. After demonstrating, students applied water only to 1/2 their paper quickly with a watercolor brush. THEN applied dabs of either just warm colored paint OR just cool colored paint onto the wet areas using one color at a time.
Students noticed how the paint spread outward from where they dabbed little bits of paint over the watered down paper. The water helps spread the paint and it also changes the value of the color making the color lighter and less vibrant (value= the lightness or darkness of a color).
Then once one 1/2 of their paper was painted, they dabbed the painted section with a paper towel while still wet, to help soften the color and spread the paint even more.
Then painted the other 1/2 of their paper with water only and applied paint to that wet area then dabbed off with a paper towel.
Once paintings were dry, the rubber cement was rubbed off, revealing the white dandelion puffs!
Thanks for visiting my blog!! Check back soon for new 1st grade artwork! Next week!
