After going through phase one of my unplanned journey, I was ready to start doing creative activities again. My sisters came for a visit and since we like to do creative things every time we get together, I planned a watercolor workshop for our special project. I asked my friend Mary Evelyn, who paints beautiful watercolor paintings, to come teach us. My sisters and Mom love to make their own greeting cards, so I asked her to teach a technique they could use in their card making. (You can find out more about her at Mary Evelyn Studio Art.)

She first sent us all outside to collect leaves we liked and then we traced the leaves onto watercolor paper.

She showed us how to paint around our leaf shapes with plain water and then drop in color in the wet areas. The color only spreads where the water is, leaving the leaf shapes unpainted. Dropping in a little or a lot of color gives nice variations.

Before the watercolor dries, salt can be added for unique texture. The salt soaks up the color and water around it, leaving beautiful unpredictable designs. After the paint and water completely dry the salt is easily brushed off the paper.

One of my sisters decided to paint the inside of her leaves instead of outside.

This is my finished picture. I liked adding additional colors to the wet paper before dropping on the salt.

If you are new to watercolor, this is a very easy technique to try. If you like to make cards, choose a small leaf and give it a go. You can experiment with different kinds and sizes of salt crystals and barely wet to very wet watercolor paint to see what kinds of textures you can create. One things is certain — no two paintings will turn out the same! Have fun!