i love using watercolor pencils, but one thing that i noticed right away is the color of the pencil isn't always the exact color that goes onto the paper! so here's a paint-chip system that i've been using for a while now.....they're super easy to make, and all you need is your paints, scraps of watercolor paper, your waterbrush or paintbrush and cup of water, a pencil, scissors, glue or double-sided tape and some popsicle sticks.
draw a square for each of your colors onto your watercolor paper. paint each square using one color. i like to put more color at the top and less at the bottom so i know how the color looks both as a dark and a light.
label each color. you can leave your swatches as they are, and you'll have a great color reference......
but i like to cut mine out......
and mount them onto popsicle sticks using a dab of glue or double-sided tape. this way i can mix and match and see exactly what they look like right next to each other. it makes choosing your color palette really fun, and you'll be amazed at how many fabulous color combinations you discover!
plus, your entire collection will look so cute all tucked in a glass jar......
kind of like a rainbow-paint-chip-inspiration-bouquet smiling at you!
you can use this technique for your watercolor paints, acrylics, watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, and any other color media you enjoy working in!
37 comments:
Oooohhh!! Love this idea!! Can't wait to try it!!
Great idea!
This is a great idea Lori! I have so many WC pencils and this way I can see what colors I want to use before putting on paper.
Happy Monday!
hugs, Sue K
I absolutely love this idea. Thanks for sharing!
what a FABULOUS idea!! And now I have a use for that GIANT box of popsicle sticks I bought for my daughter a few years ago... thank you, thank you!
You're incredibly brilliant, Lori! Seriously! :) Thanks for another great kick-start to our Monday! :)
Love your system!! Good idea about making it dark and light....must remember that!!
You smart girl, you :D
what a fantastic idea!!!!
Brilliant, Lori! Can't wait to start making a jar of those lovely watercolor lollipops!
this is such a brilliant idea! I love it- thank you :)
Loove this idea, will copy it right away :) I've just bought my first Inktense pencils and I realy need a system like this :)
Thank you, you're so nice to share it.
I have always made paint chips of alll the colors of every color I own but I just love the stick idea and look at that beautiful "bouquet" of colors. I am going to make myself a bouquet for my table:)....thanks for the inspiration!
That is one gorgeous bouquet-- and it never needs watering! Love it! XOXO, Donna :)
cool idea!
What a cute idea! love it!
oh, the jar makes it, Lori! what a great idea. it's just fun to look at!
what a great idea :)
Brilliant! And I just bought a waterbrush too.
Are you a genius or do you just play one on TV? I LOVE this! Maybe I can actually do this since I'm on vacation this week....? oooh , I really want to (I ate a chocolate covered Peep and thought of you today, lori!)
What an absolutely charming idea! I took a watercolor workshop this weekend and making a color chart with our watercolors was a suggestion. But none of the charts I've seen were nearly as cute as yours! And I love the idea of being able to put colors together that would not be anywhere near each other on the color chart (in the typical wheel format). Great idea! (Thank you, btw, for leaving such kind comments on my site).
This is a fantastic idea! I have been dabbling with my watercolor pencils only a little bit, but I hope that once we get our place, and are out of this itty bitty hotel room, that I can play some more!
What a clever and lively idea!! Looks so cute!!
Love this and will doing this very soon! I think it will be very inspiring to look and all the colors I have available to me.
Hey Lori!
Your wonderful jar of "popsicles" look so enticing... and delicious! ;)
hugs,
Kate
what a great idea!!! Plus they just look so pretty together in that mason jar!
What a cute idea. Popsicle sticks, so inventive. It looks so cute, like little flowers. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for checking out my blog!! The bowl you liked says Love and Kisses on the inside and Strawberries and Cream on the outside. Unfortunately, I think it was a discontinued item when I bought. I sure do love Emma Bridgewater though. AND I love your blog!!! Your style of artwork is right up my alley!!!
What a great idea! And I just picked up the perfect cup to put them in. You are truly an inspiration and I just love your artwork. It is so fun and your techniques and ideas are wonderful to try. Thank you so much for sharing!!
I love what you have done with making your color samples of your watercolors. Then mounting them on sticks and being able to enjoy a wonderful "bouquet" of art. Happy inspiration...
Love it ;)
Super cool idea! And it looks lovely too.
This is a fantastic idea. I may have to do this. Thank you for the tip!
Those look so pretty all together - like yummy little lollipops. :)
This is wonderful...such a great idea and so pretty!
this is a wonderful idea and lovely to look at. thank you.
What a brilliant idea! I love this!! ♥
You are so clever! I love this, thank you for sharing! :D
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