If you think painting with watercolor, acrylic, or oil-based paints is fun, wait until you try painting with walnut ink. It's a beautiful medium to work with and so versatile.

Topics Covered

• Making walnut ink from walnut ink crystals
• Various ink painting techniques
• Painting a simple landscape 
• Painting a flower
• Creative ways to write with walnut ink 

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

 Materials Needed

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• variety of round paintbrushes, small to medium size
• small paint palate or small plates or bowls
• walnut ink
• watercolor paints, optional
• pencil
• two glasses of water
• paper towel
• watercolor paper- size of your choice

Homework Challenge

Want to see our students homework? Search the hashtag #kcawalnutink on Instagram to see samples from this week's homework. Our students who participate in this...

Got mail to send? Have you thought about decorating the front (and back) of that envelope? How many times have you seen a beautifully decorated envelope and thought to yourself, "That's gorgeous!" but stopped because it either looked too difficult or time consuming? Well, envelope art can be as simple as putting some creative lettering on the front or complex with intricate flourishes and designs. This class is about finding that middle ground with floral borders that you can easily create a handful at a time and have envelopes ready to address and mail!

Topics Covered

• Examples 
• Finding inspiration from what is inside the envelope
• How to decant watercolors from your pans to a palette
• A large loose floral element on one corner (front and back) and outlining it to make it pop
• Using a masking tape to create a border
• How to use a wedge brush and a round brush for each floral element
• How to create a floral border with just paint and another with outlines and a last one without...

In this class you'll learn to design your very own hand painted and embellished postcard using gold leaf, watercolors and a little ancient history.  You'll get a quick background on the menorah motif, as well as a thorough tutorial on gold leaf application and some beginner watercolor techniques. Calligraph a short message on the back of your postcard and ship it off to a loved one who celebrates the Festival of Lights to illuminate their day! 

Topics Covered:

• Gold leaf for illustrative elements & calligraphy
• Wet on dry watercolor technique
• Ancient art history context 
• Appropriate holiday greetings

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Enroll Now

Materials Needed:

• Artificial gold leaf & adhesive size
• Link to The Israel Museum's virtual Menorah Exhibit
• Strathmore Watercolor Postcards or Watercolor paper
• Pencil and Eraser
• Watercolor paints
• Watercolor...

Nothing says "Welcome and Merry Christmas!" than a holiday wreath hanging on a front door. Wreaths exude a sense of joy and a desire for peace, as its circular shape symbolizes unity and never ending love and life. Spring and Summer wreaths represent new life and growth. Autumn wreaths represents change and the circle of life. Christmas wreaths have deep and symbolic religious meaning, but over time, have come to represent the spirit of Christmas and the holidays. For me, leaves represent the tree of life, symbolizing health and growth, the pine needles represent peace (the Tree of Peace), the holly leaves represent hope, and the poinsettia represents good cheer. We will be combining all four elements to create a beautiful Christmas wreath, using watercolor techniques that you can use to make holiday cards and decorate envelopes. 

Topics Covered: 

• Creating leaves and poinsettia petals
• Creating pine needles
• Creating holly leaves
• Revisiting all four elements 
• Step...