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Easy Watercolor Heart Painting For Preschoolers

Kids will absolutely love this easy heart art watercolor art project!!!!! You can create a heart or any design of your choice with painter’s tape.

How to create an easy watercolor art project kids

This project would be a great and easy watercolor project to complete for Valentine’s Day because it is suitable for kids of all ages. However, it doesn’t just have to be Heart Art. Anyone could make this easy watercolor art project that kids will love for any occasion.

What age is this easy watercolor idea for?

Any aged child would love to complete this project. Some adult assistance may be needed when taping the designs.

For instance, my 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son created the beautiful heart art examples in this post. We plan on giving these to our Grammy on her birthday. I just had to help tape and cut the heart on their papers.

After we were done, my son said, “This was awesome!”

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Recommended Art Supplies

Extra Tools

  • Exacto Knife
  • Scissors
  • Paint shirts for kids (I always recommend just using a large T-Shirt)
  • Water container (any old plastic container will do)

Tips For Using Watercolor Paint With Preschoolers

Use Washable Watercolor Paint

For watercolor paints, my toddlers and I used the washable paint that I have linked above. However, for older kids, I love using this Prang Watercolor set. This set is a little more pricey, but I have seen 500 kids use them all year, and still works well.

Try Diluted Liquid Watercolor

If you really want some different and vibrant colors in your projects, you should check out ordering a set of liquid watercolor paints like these from Sax. You can dilute and mix these to achieve a variety of colors. This set of 8 is also great because it will last a very long time for all your projects.

How To Create An Easy Painting

Step 1: Decide On Image

For instance, I am going to show you how you can create beautiful heart artwork pretty easily using painter’s tape.

In addition, the taping and cutting should be done by an adult or an older child. Obviously, I did not have my young children using an Exacto knife. More power to you if let them! However, any aged kid can cut things out of the painter’s tape and create their own images.

Step 2: Tape Out Larger Shape

On thicker paper or watercolor paper tape a larger area than you will need. For a heart artwork, I taped a large upside-down triangle first.

Blue painter's tape on white watercolor paper

Step 3: Sketch Out Heart (or other shape)

Draw an image you will want to cut out on painter’s tape and cut out using an Exacto knife. Be careful not to press too hard.

Amazing and Easy Watercolor Project for kids

Step 4: Get Ready To Paint

Now we are ready to start painting our heart art! My young children could not wait to start using watercolor paint.

blue painter's tape on watercolor paper in the shape of a heart with watercolor paint palette

Step 5: Add Plain Water First

Before the kids start using colors, have them paint some water on the paper. This will easily help the colors blend when they start making their watercolor art project.

Awesome Heart Art for Kids and Toddlers

Step 6: Start Painting

I had to encourage my daughter to paint in the white space around the heart and not on the heart! She still painted on the heart anyway!

grammy art project with child's hand using purple, blue and green watercolor paint

Step 7: Continue Painting

preschooler hands painting grammy and heart easy watercolor paint project

Keep working to cover the white space around the tape area. It does look cool if they leave some space white, but make sure near the tape is painted.

Step 8: Add Salt To Wet Paint

If you want to get a cool effect, sprinkle regular table salt onto the wet watercolor paint. Let the kids see what magic will be created on their own heart art watercolor art project!

Grammy taped design with heart and blue, green and purple watercolor paint
warm colored watercolor paint with child's hand painting heart and adding salt

Step 9: Let Paintings Dry

You must be patient. Luckily my kids went to the library while their paintings were drying.

Step 10: Carefully Pull Off Tape

painter's tape being pulled from child's watercolor painting to show heart

Carefully remove the tape from your project and see the beautiful watercolor artwork that was created by these little hands.

Tips for avoiding a brown mess when the watercolor paints mix!

First, I had each kid pick either warm (red, orange, yellow) paint or cool (green, blue, purple) paint. Secondly, I even cut the plastic in the paint palette, so that they did not mix the colors.

child's hand using paint brush and watercolor paint

If you separate the colors into warm and cool, they will end up with interesting color mixtures.

Colors that are next to each other in the color wheel will mix better than if kids just mix all the colors. But hey, they are kids so let them experiment, too!

You can always make more of these heart art projects because they are such easy watercolor art projects to make.

grammy easy watercolor artwork made by preschooler

I love this project so much that I have even framed one of these heart arts that my three-year-old did as his first painting when he was around 1! It is currently in our “art gallery” at home and it fits right in with the rest of the artworks from artists of all ages.

Art gallery with framed artworks by adults and one framed heart watercolor painting in a black frame.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how kids of all ages can feel successful and create their own beautiful watercolor paintings and heart art projects. Not only will you create wonderful & easy watercolor paintings, but you will be creating memories that last forever!

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Deanna

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

I love love love this! This will be perfect to do on a snuggly rainy day inside

Jenn Summers

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

Out of all the different crafts I’ve tried over the years I have never tried this. Can’t wait to give a go with my girls. Thanks for the great tutorial.

Anna

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

What a cool idea! And it looks amazing on the wall, framed! Definitely have to try it out!

Sonja - Too Much Character

Thursday 7th of February 2019

This looks like so much fun! I can't wait to try this out with my kiddos. Thanks for the great photos to help with instructions.

Erin

Friday 8th of February 2019

Hi Sonja. Let me know how it goes! Enjoy being creative with the kiddos!

The Sunny Side

Thursday 7th of February 2019

Oh, I miss the days where these sweet types of projects littered the house!

Erin

Friday 8th of February 2019

Hi! I know one day I will miss all the craziness! Thanks for visiting my site.

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