Watercolor Tips and Tricks for Elementary Art Teachers: how to teach watercolor successfully to elementary students

Every teacher's greatest fear when introducing a watercolor project is mud! Let's face it: students love mixing colors and have a particular zeal for it when given free rein to a watercolor set. Understanding these tips and techniques can help keep that mud puddle on the playground and off the artwork. So let’s get started!

TIP # 1 Teach the Rainbow

The first thing I teach my students when using a pan set is that watercolor sets are arranged in rainbow order. This information and a quick color theory lesson can help students make informed decisions when choosing their project colors. Most watercolor sets have removable pans, so you can put them in rainbow order if needed.

Tip # 2 Hello Neighbor

Use the neighborhood analogy. Explain that the colors are like houses in a neighborhood when in rainbow order. The “next-door neighbors” (the analogous colors) will blend nicely to make a new color. Red and purple are located at the ends of the pan set. If their neighborhood street was in a circle, they would be next-door neighbors, too! Neighbors that have two colors in between them (the complementary colors) will make brown when blended.

Tip # 3 Keep Students Informed

Keep visual reminders in your room or cart, such as a Roy G Biv Poster and working color wheels. Surrounding them with information is empowering!

Tip # 4  Activate, activate, activate!

Teach students to activate their pan set before painting, and they will have beautiful, saturated colors. I like to do this together as a group during the first couple of watercolor sessions. We dip our brush in the clean water and add a drop to each color. I like to tap a drop off the tip of the brush, and some students squeeze their brush tip to get a drop or two. Then, we let the paint sit and soak while discussing the upcoming project, color theory, or anything that allows the water to get to work.

Tip # 5 Prepare for Disaster

When it comes to set-up, if you have trays available, place water cups and pan sets on the trays to keep them separate from projects. This way, if there are any spills (or should I say WHEN there are spills : ) , the liquid stays on the tray and not on their projects.

Tip # 6 Prepare for Success

Change the colors in the pan sets to reflect the colors you would prefer students to use. For instance, I usually remove the black and brown and replace them with white and magenta. Brown is easy to make when needed, and eliminating black keeps them from using way too much of it and ruining their project. It is a special day when I allow them to use black, and it is understood that it must be used carefully.

Tip # 7 Practice Blending

Use the lid to make custom colors and allow them plenty of time to practice. Getting the correct ratio of water to paint takes time, and so does creating the color blends they are trying to achieve. I show them how to use each little section in the lid for a new color combination. For clean-up, teach them to soak up leftover paint puddles with a paper towel so the lids are clean and somewhat dry. Keep the lids open after class so the paints dry properly.

Tip # 8 Water Matters

Keep warm-colored water cups and cool-colored water cups separate. Oh, how I wish I had learned this sooner! If you just have one water cup to rinse brushes in, then all the colors get combined into a murky mess and will affect the paint colors on the paper. But if you use the warm-colored cup when painting with warm colors, and vice versa, the paints stay nicer, as do the paintings!

Tip # 9 Adjust Brushes

Larger brushes help get projects done on time! Are you ever amazed at how long it can take students to finish their projects? I love a nice-sized No. 10 round brush for most projects and am happy to give them a second, smaller brush if needed for details. My favorite is the Creative Inspirations Dura-Handle. I am amazed at how the tips have held up over the years.

Tip # 10 Take the Pledge

Use a pledge to help maintain supplies. When students repeat the Brush Pledge, they have “buy-in” to keep their brushes nice. I don’t even have to monitor them much after taking the pledge because students will correct their table mates if they see them “making spiders” with their brushes. The pledge also keeps the mood light and fun and keeps our brushes in good shape for the next class, too! You can print my pledge here.