How to Turn Dried Flowers into Watercolor Paints
Ever look at dried-up flowers and wonder what to do with them? Most of us probably toss them in the trash without a second thought. But what if those faded petals could have a second life, like turning into watercolor paints? Yes, it’s totally possible! Instead of throwing away dried flowers, try recycling them into something creative. Here’s a super simple step-by-step guide to transform those petals into paints that you can use for art projects or even homemade cards.
In this activity you need…
- Flower petals (recommended: flowers that are highly pigmented! Examples include butterfly pea flowers, hibiscus, and chrysanthemum.)
- Water color paper
- Paintbrushes
- Dropper
- Painting Palette
What you need to source:
- 3 small jars for mixing colors
- Mixing tool (chopstick, spoon, etc.)
Lesson Instructions
- Step 1: Place the blue, yellow, and red flowers in the jars separately.
- Step 2: Pour in warm water and let is sit for 1-2 minutes. (2:1 flower to water ratio is recommended)
- Step 3: Mix the extracted pigments.
- Step 4: After the flowers and water are well mixed, use the dropper to extract the water color and pour it to the painting palette. Experiment with mixing primary colors (red, blue, yellow) to create secondary colors (orange, green, purple).
- Step 5: Once painting palette is filled with colors, it’s time to paint! Use the watercolor paper to paint!