This is an easy but time-filling project that I just love. Abstract art- shapes, colors, and lines- is some of my favorite to create. There are endless possibilities of how it will turn out and I love not knowing what it might look like until I’m finished. I believe this project originally came from ArtBarBlog : she’s an awesome creative who runs an art studio out of her home and posts really great process art projects! This was probably a Valentine’s day project but can be used at any time. Lovely! Let’s get started, shall we?

MATERIALS:
+ watercolor paper (thick paper)
+ ruler
+ pencil
+ watercolors
+ paintbrush and water

I started by creating a rectangle. Mine measures 7x9 but you don’t have to make anything quite so large. Maybe start with a small square that’s 4x4 or a small 4x6 rectangle. I measured an inch from the sides and the top. I always leave extra room near the bottom, which is called bottom-weighting, because it makes the image appear balanced and even if you hang it up on a wall.

Next I created horizontal lines every half inch. Again, make this easy for yourself- create lines every inch instead to make your first go a breeze!

Turn your paper and do it again with vertical lines using the same spacing measurement. Now you’ve got a grid in front of you, ready for juicy color!

Choose your palette or color family. I challenge you to use monochromatic colors (if you have enough to choose from) or analogous colors (neighboring color wheel colors like red/violet or green/yellow). I’ve decided for this grid that I’m going to use a monochromatic palette of blues. I guess I’m missing the water and beach again.

Choose one color to start with and fill in several squares of your grid. Trust me, this will help save time and energy. Don’t worry about being precise or working in order. I placed my first color all over the grid.

Continue filling in your grid, switching colors here and there. Can you see why I wanted you to start a little smaller? This took me a long while to finish (and it’s worth it) but maybe for your first try you want to give yourself a little break.

When you’re finished it should look like a beautiful tiled mosaic. This one definitely reminds me of a tiled pool. Man, I really am missing the water right now! Each one will look unique and no two will ever look quite the same.

Are you happy with your color choice? Does it remind you of anything like mine does? Happy making!

Grid Watercolor Painting