Learn about watercolor vs chalk pastels in your homeschool art. Two artists share their favorite medium plus the pros and cons.
Jenna Leigh Ashbaugh shares a beginner’s guide to watercolor (her favorite medium). Then Nana shares her love of chalk pastels and Tricia shares the benefits for a homeschool family.
Watercolor 101: A Beginners Guide
First, Jenna Leigh gets us started! She shares all about getting started in watercolor art, the supplies you need, the pros and cons plus a list of watercolor activities.
Pros and Cons of Watercolor
Watercolor can be tricky to learn, but there are many reasons why it has become my medium of choice.
- One of its biggest advantages is that it is easy to clean up. The paints are water-based, obviously, and because you are often working with paints that are hardened, there is little danger of spilling or staining. Water will easily remove any messes, and brushes can be quickly cleaned.
- Another benefit of using watercolors is that they are versatile and have several natural properties which make them useful for different types of painting. Depending on the amount of water you mix with the paints, you can create lighter or darker washes, thinner or more saturated colors, and smoother or more textured surfaces. This depends upon the skill of the painter, but once you have mastered mixing your watercolors, the possibilities are endless.
- Another advantage of using watercolor is that it is easily portable. Watercolor supplies can be packed neatly and carried wherever the artist desires. I often paint in coffee shops, bringing my palette, paints, brushes, and paper with me and setting up at a table. Because the paints dry quickly, there is no need to worry that you will make a mess, or that any freshly painted layers will not have time to dry before you leave.
- Lastly, watercolor supplies are generally affordable and can last for years.
A Simple Start in Watercolors continuing course is included in You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse membership!
Despite its many positive qualities, watercolor also has a few drawbacks that do discourage some artists from trying it out.
- It is difficult to learn watercolor techniques, and because it is a thinner medium, the artist has less control.
- There is no white in watercolor; the artist must work in layers, and once paint has been applied, it cannot be covered up or undone. Major mistakes are nearly impossible to fix.
- Because watercolor dries so quickly, it can be difficult to blend colors and edges on the paper.
- Working in layers takes time and patience, and it can be difficult to achieve darker, more saturated colors with this thinner, watery paint.
Although some artists prefer other mediums due to the finnicky nature of watercolor, it is a fun, multifaceted paint that can be used to create beautiful paintings of different styles, sizes, and subject matter. I encourage you to give watercolors a try!
Watercolor Supplies and Resource List
To begin painting with watercolors, you will need to purchase the following supplies and pull out a few you may have on hand:
- Paints—tubes (which are squeezable) or a pan set (which come hardened)
- Paper—cold press, 140 lb, size of your choice
- Brushes—just one or two round brushes with a fine tip for details
- Palette—metal, not plastic; I recommend a butcher’s tray palette for squeezable watercolors
- Cup of water
- Paper towel
- Sketching supplies (pencil, pencil sharpener, and kneaded eraser)
If you are working with a larger size paper, you will also need artist’s tape to tape your paper down to a flat surface while painting. If you do not keep it flat, it will develop lots of bumps (rivers and valleys) in the surface of the paper as you add wet layers of paint. Alternatively, you could purchase a watercolor paper “block.” The paper is attached on all sides, which keeps the painting flat until you are finished, and then you must simply cut it away from the block with an x-acto knife.
*Note: if your paper does develop lots of these bumps, simply lie the painting flat and facedown once you are finished, spray the back with water (or rub it all over gently with a wet paper towel), and sandwich it between two pieces of smooth cardboard with a heavy book on top. Leave it to dry for a day, and it will be nice and flat!
- Grumbacher Academy watercolors
- Winsor and Newton watercolors
- Hobby Lobby paints (tubes)
- Hobby Lobby paints (pan set)
- Strathmore watercolor paper
The Advantages Of Using Watercolors With Kids
One advantage of using watercolors with children is easy clean up. Another is you can also use ‘starter’ and student grade supplies, making this medium a frugal option.
The Power of Paint with Water – Tricia shared this fun and easy way to enjoy art and be able to easily say yes! ‘Watercolor’ painting for the youngest to oldest.
Watercolor Activities For Kids
Horse Activities for Kids: Books, Art, Nature Study and More! If you have kids that are crazy for horses, you will want to jump into these!
Hobbit Second Breakfast Watercolor Video Art Lesson – Celebrate Hobbit Day and a love of Lord of the Rings with this fun art lesson.
Watercolor Pencil Tutorial – Creating a Nature Study Journal is a beautiful opportunity to document all the wonderful things your student has learned. Especially when a student adds their own creative touches to their journal. If it’s fun lettering, doodles, sketching, or coloring in images, etc. Adding a creative touch not only enhances a science class, but includes an art lesson as well! Try this helpful Watercolor Pencil Tutorial to add some pop to your next entry.
Watercolor Clouds Nature Journal: Cure for the Winter Blahs – a fun challenge to pull out your watercolors and make a nature journal entry.
Spring Nature Journal Using Shadows – grab your paints and brushes, gather some spring flowers, find yourself a warm pool of sunlight and let’s get painting!
Watercolor Fun with Preschool Story Time – Using watercolor, paint each stage of the butterfly life cycle.
Jenna Leigh is a homeschool graduate and studied art at Liberty University. She is currently working, living, and running her small art business in Central VA. Her favorite medium is watercolor, and she loves to paint portraits and animals. You can find her work on her website, on Instagram (@jennaleighdesignco), or on Etsy.
The Advantages of Chalk Pastels
From Nana: Ok, I see you sitting at your table or desk, and right in front of you is a very small box of 12 pastel chalks. You could be age four or five years old, an older student, or even an adult! Your assignment is to use your pastels to paint a blue ocean with clouds in the sky above. You’ve never used pastels before and don’t know how to paint your ocean and sky with them!
Ahhh! Open that box and you will find beautifully colored chalks! Look at them, reach over and pick up the blue chalk…hey, the color comes off on your hands! That’s what pastels are like: a bit messy until you learn how to use and appreciate them as your “partners in painting!”I absolutely love them, and I am an enthusiastic teacher of pastel art!
These chalks can take your imagination a LONG way…they are almost ancient tools; they date back hundreds of years! Yep, they can color your fingers, and you’ll learn that the bit of pastel chalk can be spread with your chalky hands and make shadows under the clouds, define that arrow you just drew , sending it flying from your bow!
Soap and water clean up on skin, and an old shirt or smock protect clothing! The rewards are stunning, and you have spent time imagining and painting with your pastels!
I want to share with you our favorite chalk pastels. Chalk pastels offer a beautiful palette of colors. But there are many more reasons for you to consider this art medium.
Why Should I Use Chalk Pastel Art in My Homeschool?
Tricia shares: There are a few basic reasons why we love chalk pastels. First of all, as a larger homeschooling family, we simply do not have the funds for a long list of art supplies (even though we’d love to!)
Chalk pastels are frugal and the colors can easily be shared around the table. A starter set of chalk pastels can be purchased for around $8 and shared among the family around the kitchen table. Besides a set of chalk pastels, you can simply use a stack of printer or construction paper. Add an art tutorial and that is just three supplies!
Secondly, chalk pastels are so very successful for all ages. Chalk is familiar. Children love to hold a chunky piece of chalk and draw in the driveway. Chalk pastels are a step up from there. Pure pigment that you can ‘paint’ with. We began using chalk pastels when our youngest was just two years old. As the children have grown, we’ve continued to use them and discover their varied uses. Chalk pastels are easy to layer – color upon color – often called an ‘under-painting’. Older children can spend more time on a painting, add details and learn techniques.
Chalk pastels are also forgiving. If you make a stroke that you decide you don’t like, simply layer over it with another color. You can also smooth it out of your picture and spread a new color.
Don’t Like the Art Mess? Baby Wipes to the Rescue
We use chalk pastels at our kitchen table. You may want to have an inexpensive, plastic tablecloth or newspaper to cover your table. We simply wipe away any chalk residue with wet paper towels or baby wipes. Yes, baby wipes or soap and water get all chalk off of your artists hands. Shawna also shares Homeschool Art For The Child Who Hates the Mess.
You ARE an Artist
You might think that you are not artistic or the thought of teaching art may be overwhelming. Here is some encouragement. I am the daughter of a master artist. I thought that I had not inherited the ‘art gene.’ But my mother, Nana, came and taught us all. And through me watching the children, then practicing myself, I found that I am an artist as well. All I needed was practice. Just chalk pastels and practice! You simply need practice to build your confidence as well. Nana says…
“All of us are born with talent…an inbred wiring to create. As parents, grandparents and teachers, tapping this talent and helping students reach a rich satisfaction with creation of art is our goal! If you pick up a brush, pen, pastel chalk or use your finger for glorious finger painting – you become an artist.” -Nana
Hence our motto, you ARE an artist!
Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared the fun of her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with four homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.