Around Halloween time, I saw the coolest project on Carissa Darling for Spooky Black Glue Drawings. They used black glue to create some spooky Halloween pictures. We never had time to make those pictures, but with Fall upon us, we made some Fall leaves using black glue. We have since used black glue for other projects such as Black Glue and Watercolor Pumpkins and Hearts with Black Glue.
Jump to:
Why watercolor fall leaves are awesome
- A fun fall art project for kids of all ages
Supplies
- Black paint
- regular white school glue in a glue bottle
- Paper (I used copy paper)
- Water color paints and brush
- Construction paper
How to make fall leaves with black glue
To make your black glue, just squirt some black paint into your Elmer's glue bottle. I wanted to be sure to have a dark black color so I emptied out most of the white glue from the bottle until there was only ¼ left. Then I added some squirts of black paint and shook it up.
I was left with some cool-looking black glue.
Older kids would probably have a great time making their own leaf picture. Since my kids are all ages 3 and under, I made the leaf picture outline. Note that this is not much of an improvement.
I added some veins.
These took forever to dry. I made them while the kids were napping, thinking we could use them when they woke up. Nope. It took a day for the black glue to dry. So plan accordingly.
When the glue had dried, I talked to the girls about Fall leaves and the different colors they can be. Of course, this went in one ear and out the other. The kids used watercolors to paint the leaves whatever colors they wanted.
Little C was so into painting her leaf. Her colors actually did look like all the shades of Fall with the combination of yellow and orange!
When "A" finished painting her leaf with watercolour paint, she decided to paint the paper surrounding it too.
After the paintings were dry, I cut them out and glued them to some Fall colored construction paper. They would also really pop on black construction paper or white cardstock. I left one on the water-colored background to show you how it looks. I really like both options. I was so pleased with the vibrant leaves the kids created. Even B who painted a large portion of her Fall leaf black still managed to have a colorful leaf.
For more fun activities for kids, check out Green Kid Crafts for environmentally friendly crafts.
If you are looking for more fun activities for kids, check out , an earth-friendly monthly craft subscription box for kids that sparks creativity while teaching kids respect and love for the environment. These boxes are themed and each month will be filled with fun projects and creative activities that can be enjoyed by kids from ages 3-10.
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Vicky @ Mess For Less
Thanks so much for sharing and for the kind words!
Wise Owl Factory
this is great for children to see how to use glue the opposite of how we usually use it (white and hidden) so this will be a creative experience---thanks for all the supportive information
I pinned and am linking to this from a recent blog post of mine (KBN network)
divina besenio
these are sooo cool! We'll try to do these tomorrow (after the paint has dried. thanks for the tip!)
divina besenio
Thank you for these! We'll try to do this tomorrow (after the paint has dried) 😉
Bethany
These are beautiful! I've pinned it: http://pinterest.com/bethanyatlhb/
Yvonne
This is going to make a great project to send to our Compassion kids! Thank you for sharing!
sunnymum
Love them! It did work out nicely even with the black paint, but one trick I use with my kids to limit the "muddy" colors while watercoloring is to use masking tape to cover the brown and black (and sometimes purple). {Repinning this post on pinterest}
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
this is something I really want to do - use the black glue & watercolors!
Thanks for linking your idea to the Sunday Showcase last week. Hope to see you this week!
Bern
http://momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Showcase
lauryn
how fun is this!
i love it.
{love} lauryn @ lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com
Mimi
How fun - I love this idea! Can't wait to try it...maybe for some Christmas decorations? Thanks for sharing!
Rose @ Walnut Acre
I've never heard of black glue before but it looks like a lot of fun.
Anne
That is so cute! Never heard of black glue before, I will be using it!! xox
Michelle L.
So cool! Thanks for introducing me to black glue!