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School-aged kids will learn how to create whimsical shamrocks in this fun project. Our simple watercolor techniques can easily be used at home or in the classroom.
Watercolor Bleeding
Wet watercolors will bleed into one another when artists paint them over, or next to, one another. Kids will learn to use this blending technique in our whimsical shamrock project to create a simple blurry background.
Related: Learn more fun Watercolor Techniques.
Supplies Needed to Make This Whimsical Shamrock Art Project
- Watercolor Paper
- Watercolor Paints
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Permanent Marker
- White Gel Pen, Correction Pen, or Paint Pen
- Water
- Paper Towel
Directions to Make Whimsical Shamrocks
Step 1
Begin by wetting the watercolor paper by loosely painting clean water across the page, roughly halfway up from the bottom. Refrain from painting straight edges with your water. This area will become the blurry background for your design.
Step 2
While the paper is still wet, add blue, green, and yellow watercolor paints to the wet portion of the page. Use bold colors for this step as the paints will lighten as they bleed into the clean water.
Set paper aside to dry.
Step 3
When paper is dry, use a pencil to lightly sketch shamrock design.
Step 4
Next, use a permanent marker to trace shamrock sketch. Erase unwanted pencil lines.
Step 5
Then, use watercolor paint to fill in the shamrock design.
Step 6
Next, use a permanent marker to add whimsical details outside the shamrock design. We added small dots and wavy lines along our shapes.
Note: Only use markers where the paper is dry.
Step 7
Finally, when the shamrocks are dry, use a white gel pen to add highlights to your shamrocks. This is achieved by drawing short lines on the shamrock that loosely follow the outer edges.
Finished Whimsical Shamrock Art Project
I love our whimsical shamrocks! Since these projects are made on paper, they are easily framed, clipped, or displayed in your preferred style with your seasonal decorations.
Our Experience Making this Whimsical Shamrock Art Project
We had lots of fun exploring watercolors with this project. I love the basic techniques that are used to create wall-worthy art! Whimsical projects are wonderful because they allow kids to express their style and creativity in a way that doesn’t involve perfection or realistic details.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
20 minutes
Additional Time
2 hours
Total Time
2 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty
Medium
Estimated Cost
$1
Tools
- Watercolor Paints
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Permanent Marker
- White Gel Pen, Correction Pen, or Paint Pen
- Water
- Paper Towel
Instructions
- Wet the watercolor paper by loosely painting clean water across the page, roughly halfway up from the bottom. Refrain from painting straight edges with your water. This area will become the blurry background for your design.
- While the paper is still wet, add blue, green, and yellow watercolor paints to the wet portion of the page. Use bold colors for this step as the paints will lighten as they bleed into the clean water.
Set paper aside to dry.
- When paper is dry, use a pencil to lightly sketch shamrock design.
- Use a permanent marker to trace shamrock sketch. Erase unwanted pencil lines.
- Use watercolor paint to fill in the shamrock design.
- Add whimsical details outside the shamrock design. We added small dots and wavy lines along our shapes. Note: Only use markers where the paper is dry.
- When the shamrocks are dry, use a white gel pen to add highlights to your shamrocks. This is achieved by drawing short lines on the shamrock that loosely follow the outer edges.
Notes
Whimsical Shamrocks Art Variations
- Speed up dry time with a hair dryer or heat gun.
- Adapt colors and theme to fit any holiday or season.
- Explore adding other mediums to your whimsical shamrock designs.
Whimsical Shamrocks Art Variations
- Speed up dry time with a hair dryer or heat gun.
- Adapt colors and theme to fit any holiday or season.
- Explore adding other mediums to your whimsical shamrock designs.
Other Fun Shamrock Art Projects from Kids Activities Blog
Did your kids enjoy creating these whimsical shamrocks? Did they enjoy the process of mixing wet paints on paper?