Mixing Dark Colors in Watercolors

Mixing Primary Colors to make Burnt Sienna

Put Finishing Touches on a Painting

Art Therapy - Create Mosaic to Reduce Stress

Art Therapy for Stress Management

Project No. 2 Create a Mosaic or torn paper collage.

Material: Collect a variety of scrap paper (card stock, colored paper, wrapping paper, etc.); white glue or glue stick to hold the design in place.

Put on some music.

Have a variety of colored paper, scraps of construction paper, pieces of colored newspaper or newsprint. Use black paper, white paper, or any color as a base.
Option A. Take the scrapes of paper and tear shapes that appeal to you. Set them aside to work on later. Choose light colors against dark.
Option B. Use scissors to cut – gives more mosaic effect. Cut small pieces like small mosaic tiles out of construction paper.

Work 2 ways.
1. Torn construction paper. Leaf shapes fall into a Fall leaf motif. Enjoy the process, of tearing and constructing imagery that you are in control of.
2. Cutting, like mosaic. Play with a background for a pleasing design. Look like a window, a door, or a portal. Stay loose.
Drop the pieces of paper on the base color randomly or arrange. Look for different effects.

When ready , use white glue or glue stick. Place the shapes down. You can work abstractly.
The beauty of stress reduction is that you are making all the decisions. You are in charge of everything.

The end result really reduces stress. I made something that was pleasing to me and I’m feeling more relaxed.

Watercolor Painting - Value Options

Value Study Options. The layers in a landscape (foreground, middle ground, background) can have 6 options for value. With the values of light, medium, and dark shown below which option do you like 1,2,3,4,5, or 6?

Art Therapy - Crayon Resist

A new Topic - Art Therapy

Art can be a wonderful tool in the use of stress reduction. One idea that I enjoy is keeping a daily Journal of my Art. When you are choosing your materials, I suggest a larger pad of watercolor paper, such as 9 x 12 inches because it offers more opportunity to express yourself either in larger form or small form.

Project number 1 Crayon Resist

A technique that I am going to share with you that I find very useful in stress management is called crayon resist. To do the crayon resist you will need wax crayons or oil pastels, a watercolor wash or acrylics mixed with water in a dish and large brushes. Often you can get a big house painting brush at the Dollar Store. You don't need expensive brushes for this technique. None of the stress management techniques that we look at today will require expensive materials. Next step; put on some music.

Fill the space on the paper with some ideas of shapes, color or still life. Use colors that are relaxing. Really bear down using oil pastels and crayons and build up the wax layer you want to get a good heavy coat of wax on the paper.

Using a wash mixture (a tablespoon of acrylic paint or watercolor and some water) paint over the wax colors and imagine the wash mixture as creating an underwater scene.
As you work without talking you will get involved in the paint and you're stress leaves . Work very intuitively, don't stop and judge yourself, let it emerged don't try to be perfect .

Let me know how this goes and I'll be back to show you more examples of Art Therapy.