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This umbrella craft is such a fun art project for kids of all ages! Grab some oil pastels, liquid watercolors, and less than 30 minutes and you can create this adorable umbrella craft on a rainy day!
Umbrella Craft with Watercolors and Oil Pastels
This umbrella craft is such a fun art activity that kids will LOVE! Kids will get to experiment with a mixture of art mediums such as oil pastels and liquid watercolors. They will work on fine tuning some fine motor skills while they draw their umbrella graphic and trace it with a Sharpie marker.
Whether you make this project in an Art class setting, in a homeschool co op, or just on a rainy day at home this is a fun and simple project that is the perfect mix of learning and creativity
Materials Needed To Make A Umbrella Craft for Kids
- Free Umbrella Printable
- White Cardstock
- Oil Pastels, we love this set!
- Liquid watercolors – it needs to be liquid watercolors that you mix with water not a pallet of watercolors.
- Liquid Droppers – these are perfect for little fingers.
- Plastic straws
- Pencil and Sharpie Marker
What are oil pastels?
Oil pastels are similar to crayons in that they are waxy but oil pastels are made with a non-drying oil whereas crayons are not. The oil in the oil pastels allows for more vibrant colors and easier blending. The oil in the pastels also makes them a bit harder to clean up so be sure to cover your surfaces and wear oil clothes as they may stain if not used properly. Oil pastels are a great medium to use when wanting to make textured art or blending colors to help teach them about color mixing.
How to Video:
How to Make this Adorable Umbrella Craft for Kids
Step 1: Draw your umbrella graphic.
On a piece of white cardstock draw your umbrella with a person below it. You can use our free umbrella printable as a way to get started with your drawing.
Step 2: Trace and Color
Once you draw your umbrella picture trace it with a black Sharpie marker. Color your image with your oil pastel colors.
Step 3: Add water droplets
Mix a small amount of water (1/8th of a cup of water) with liquid watercolors and mix. Flip your paper upside down so that the umbrella is closet to your body. Use your dropper and add a few drops around the top of the umbrella.
Step 4: Blow Water Droplets
Using your straw, carefully and forcefully blow air at the water droplet to force it to splatter down the paper and around the oil pastels (which resist the water) Let dry.
Tips and Tricks for this Umbrella Craft
- Cover your work surface before starting this project as the liquid watercolors can be quite messy.
- Be sure to use oil pastels for this project. Crayons CAN work but your liquid watercolors will seep more into the crayon colored portion resulting in a mix of colors that may look brown.
- Don’t forget to grab our free umbrella template if you need a place to start! For my younger art students they colored their umbrellas and they drew their own bodies. See what a great job they did below!
