Paper Animal Painting

About

You Will Need (12 things)

Steps (8 steps, 25 minutes)

1. 1

   Start by painting the background a bold, vibrant color! Let a little bit of white canvas show through in places; the “unfinished” background adds more texture. I used three different shades of blue, swirling them all together on the canvas with a large paintbrush.

2. 2

   Once the background is completely dry, use a paintbrush to add a strip of white gesso on the bottom. Let the gesso dry, and then brush on green paint for the grass.

3. 3

   Cut watercolor or other medium-weight paper to the same size as your canvas. If you’re using specialty handmade paper that is already colored or has a pattern on it, you may not want to add any paint. If you’re using watercolor paper like I did, paint it to “match” your animal. I used watered-down acrylic paint and watercolor paint in brown, cream, and various yellows.

4. 4

   Let the background dry before adding any other paint elements, such as cream splatters. I watered down cream acrylic paint and used a medium paintbrush to tap paint over the paper. Once the background is completely dry, draw your animal with a pencil.

5. 5

   Cut out the shape of the animal and glue it onto the canvas with Mod Podge, using a layer under the animal and on top. Press firmly and apply as many layers of Mod Podge as needed until all the edges are glued down. Then add some paper flowers or other designs.

6. 6

   Use a small, fine-tipped plastic squeeze tube filled with slightly watered down black acrylic paint to outline the flowers. (You can also use a black marker or watercolor crayon.) Outline the tiger with a sharpened watercolor crayon.

7. 7

   The finishing touches make a big difference! Add darker green to the grass for a “striped” look. Then roughly outline the stripes and the top of the grass with black oil pastel, smearing it in some places. Use the oil pastel to add stripes and a face to the tiger! Then use black and white watercolor crayons to draw stems and leaves for the flowers and outline the blossoms.

8. 8

   Add some final touches of color. Dip the handle end of a large paintbrush in orange acrylic paint and stamp on the flower centers. Then use a palette knife to add a few bursts of purple—or the color of your choice—to the edges of the canvas.