DIY Watercolor Paint Set & Printable

This DIY Watercolor Paint Set and Printable make the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the artist in your life!

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You know those fun recipe and tutorial videos that pop up on your Facebook feed?  Last week, Skillshare shared a video to make your own DIY watercolor paints.  As much as I love viewing those recipe videos, I got really excited to see a craft tutorial!  So I had to try making my own set of watercolors.  I mean, who knew that you could make your own paint set using a few ingredients you have stashed away in the kitchen?  As much as I love my sometimes weekly trip to Michael’s, this saves me time and money on paint.

Now I must admit that when it comes to paint mediums, watercolor is somewhere at the end of the spectrum for me.  My watercolor creations have been something of a colorful, puddled mess.  I have uber respect for artists that can bang out a watercolor masterpiece.  Apparently my water to color ratio is way off, but I’m willing to practice.  The only watercolor I’ve managed to achieve is through watercolor pencils and, even still, my paintings are a little too damp.  Maybe I should blame my brush!

This tutorial was easy enough to follow.  I mixed all of the ingredients in a measuring cup and then poured them into an ice cube tray.  A side note about ice cube trays: we have far too many for a two person house with only one person who uses ice once a day.  So I was happy to use one of our many trays for something other than taking up space in the freezer or being stashed away in a cabinet.

I used gel food coloring to make my paints and mixed them right in the tray.  The one difference I realized from the Facebook tutorial was the amount of white vinegar used and the time it took for the paints to dry.  I adjusted the vinegar until the mixture became a pourable liquid more than a paste.  The original tutorial said it took about two days for the paints to set.  It took about five days for my paints to set.  Maybe it was because I used a little more vinegar than directed.  You’ll be able to tell when your paints are ready to be used.

SUPPLIES

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup white vinegar, or more as needed
• 1 tsp. light corn syrup
• Food coloring
• Bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks, for stirring
• Ice cube tray

STEPS

1. In a bowl or measuring cup, mix baking soda, cornstarch, white vinegar, and corn syrup.  If mixture is the consistency of a paste, add a little more vinegar at a time until the mixture becomes pourable.
2. Pour mixture evenly into an ice cube tray.
3. Use food coloring to mix your colors.  Add a few drops at a time and adjust to make lighter or darker colors.
4. Allow paints to dry 2-5 days.
5. When paints are set, create your watercolor works of art!

So cool and so easy to make!  This custom DIY watercolor set is a perfect gift for artists of all ages for Valentine’s Day!  And since you’ll need something to paint with your new set of watercolors, I created a Valentine’s Day printable.  Print this on watercolor paper to use with your paints or regular printer paper to color with crayons or colored pencils.

DOWNLOAD

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!