Plastic Wrap Watercolor

Use plastic wrap to add texture to a watercolored background.

Supplies

Step-by-Step

1. Step 1

   Prepare your workspace with paper towels. Place an extra piece of watercolor paper under the plastic wrap to help with size and placement. (Watercolor paper cut to 4 3/4” x 3 1/2” here.)

   

2. Step 2

   Apply water base markers directly to the plastic wrap as shown (4 colors used here).

   

3. Step 3

   Spritz 2-4 times with water. The more water you use, the more “watery” the effect will be.

   

4. Step 4

   Place your second piece of watercolor paper on top of the ink, and wrap the plastic up around the paper so you can turn it over.

   

5. Quickly move the water and ink around to your liking. Creases in the plastic wrap will create texture in the ink when it dries.

   

6. Step 5

   Set aside to dry completely with the plastic wrap in place. When dry, stamp an image using a precision stamping tool so that you can repeat the stamp if needed.

   

7. Step 6

   Use a dry detail paint brush or dry water brush to “paint” the image with bleach or Dakin’s solution.
   
   NOTE:
   Do not use natural hair brushes with bleach - make sure the bristles are synthetic.

   

8. Step 7

   Once the image has been “painted” with bleach to remove the pigment from the ink, add any other color to the image with markers or pencils.

   

9. Step 8

   Use the panel to complete a card or other project.

   

Video!

Your Turn

You've seen the tutorial, now you try it! We've got a section of the gallery set aside for Plastic Wrap Watercolor. Try this technique, then upload your artwork to the gallery. Show us your creations!

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