Painting With Unconventional Materials

Have you ever wanted to create at but just didn't have the right materials? Don't let that hold you back! You can easily look around you for inspiration. You can create art with just about anything! In this video I experimented with different ways to use natural materials instead of traditional watercolors. The results were not exactly always as expected but it was a lot of fun to play around with.

I spent some time gathering materials around my kitchen, but you could find potential pigments anywhere! Use hot water to dissolve our materials or let them sit overnight for the most potent pigments.

I used a palette to hold small amounts of the liquid to be able to paint from easily, but you could paint from the cups themselves as well.

I used traditional brushes, but sponge brushes could also work. If you don't have either, you could even try old toothbrushes or other ways to apply the paint. Don't be afraid to get creative!

I made swatches of each color and waited for them to dry completely before painting. As fun as nontraditional paints can be they do not always turn out how you might expect!

Any traditional watercolor techniques can work with your natural paint substitutes, such as wet on wet washes or dry brush. You can even sprinkle salt on the wet areas of your painting to see what happens when the salt soaks up the water!