Pumpkin Glue and Watercolor Resist Art Proejct For Kids

This art project combines a few of our favorite art processes. Kids can create a unique Fall inspired watercolor resist painting and maybe get a mini art appreciation lesson, too!

pumpkin illustration with watercolor paint, oil pastel and black glue lines.

Why You Will Love Kid Art Project

KID-FRIENDLY – Since you are drawing in glue, we recommend this art idea for grades 2 and up!
EASILY CHANGE SUBJECT MATTER– You can draw anything in the black glue.
MORE ART IDEAS – We also created beautiful leaf watercolor paintings using the same process.

Famous Artist Connection

Children can look at and discuss Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, The Starry Night to get inspiration for their skies.
Another excellent watercolor painting to look at before starting may be Winslow Homer’s The Pumpkin Patch.

Supplies You’ll Need

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Elmer’s Bottled Glue
Watercolor Paint
Black Acrylic Paint*
Water and Paintbrush
Large Paint Brush
Oil Pastels

*Cheap craft paint will work just fine.

Black Glue and Watercolor Resist Painting Tutorial

Before You Begin

Make your DIY black glue. We recommend mixing this in a glue bottle that is less than half empty. Slowly add your black craft paint to the glue. We mixed our glue and paint to about a 1:2 ratio. Test your mixture on a different piece of paper as you mix it.

pumpkin art project with black glue, oil pastel and watercolor paint.

Step 1: Draw Your Pumpkin or Fall Landscape

Here are easy pumpkin drawing ideas. One or two pumpkins will work well. Children should not draw too small.

Step 2: Outline In Black Glue

Carefully use the black glue to trace the main parts of the drawing.

Step 3: Let Your Projects Dry

When drying, make sure that the art is completely flat. Depending on the thickness of the glue lines, your black glue drawing may take up to 24 hours to be ready to paint.

Optional: Add Oil Pastel Lines or Textures

Encourage children to explore lines, textures, and other patterns. For example, you may feel swirls or wind looking at The Starry Night. You can also show children how to add slight highlights on the top of the pumpkin or stem.

Step 4: Add Watercolor Paint

The oil pastels will resist the watercolor paints. We think children should paint the sky, foreground or grass and then the pumpkin last.

hand using brush to add orange watercolor to pumpkin art project.

When painting the pumpkin, you can also show you can dilute watercolor paint to be lighter or darker. Pumpkins are a great place to experiment with this because of the texture and different tones you naturally would see.

Tips

Your lines do not have to be perfect when outlining with black glue.
To make drawing with glue easier, have the tip of the glue bottle touch the paper as the children draw.
When using oil pastels, ensure children know they will paint the leftover white spaces. You can also use white in places for a magical oil pastel-resist effect. Kids love this!
Kids can even experiment with various watercolor techniques, such as wet-on-wet, dry brushes, or adding plastic wrap to wet paint.