Summer Solstice Suns
Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, the first official day of summer! The Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the heat of the sun for this quarter of it’s yearly orbit. In honor of this longest day of the year, I’m creating watercolor and pastel suns with my art groups this week.
This simple project is great for all ages, adults included. Find a sunny spot to relax, and as you paint, think about all the things under the sun you are grateful for.
MATERIALS
watercolor paper
watercolor paints
medium to large paint brushes (I like to use round brushes for watercolor painting)
oil pastels (only white oil pastels or warm colors, or substitute white crayon)
ruler
something round to trace (I used jar lids)
painter’s tape
cup of water
paper towels
rock salt (optional)
steps
Start by taping down your watercolor paper, all the way around each edge. This will create a nice clean border, and helps the paper stay flat as it dries.
Choose a color from your oil pastels for your sun and sunrays. I usually use only warm colors for this project.
Trace a circle in the center of your paper using your oil pastel.
Then use your ruler to draw straight lines radiating out from the circle. Be sure that your lines
do not go inside the circle
extend all the way to the edge of your paper or to the taped border
Time to paint! I like to use all warm colors when painting my suns and create a color pattern as I paint from ray to ray, but paint as you please. The oil pastel creates a wonderful resist against the watercolor paint, meaning your drawn lines will stay intact if you happen to paint over them.
Make sure you have paper towel nearby and plenty of clean water for switching colors.
You can play around with layering colors on top of your wet paint, or dropping a few salt crystals onto areas of wet paint to create very cool little paint “blooms”. Adding salt must be done on pretty wet paint, think little puddles, as the salt needs something to soak up in order to create cool effects.
Let dry completely flat on the table, and then carefully remove the tape and brush off the salt.
Hang somewhere to be reminded of the warmth and joy of summertime!🌞
Tips for Teachers:
set up with tables first with only the drawing and tracing materials, then add paint materials as students reach the painting stage. I taped all the papers down first before the students arrived.
lead a short demo, maybe in a circle on the floor, before students sit at their seats with materials. This project is simple enough that you should be able to briefly chat about the summer solstice, demonstrate drawing the suns, and demonstrate painting the suns, all in about 10 minutes
I suggest using plastic rulers as your straight edge, to make your life easier in cleaning them. The oil pastel will stick to them, but I used warm water and dish soap to clean them up which worked well.
