Rose Art Watercolor Painting Project

Paint a rose with watercolors and a black resist medium to create gorgeous faux stained glass rose art.

Here’s a fun and easy watercolor rose painting idea for kids, teens, and adults. Learn how to paint a rose with watercolors and a black resist medium to create gorgeous faux-stained glass art with this easy step-by-step tutorial! Painting a watercolor rose is a fun and easy flower painting art project for kids, teens, and adults. For more flower art ideas, look at this list of fun and easy flower art projects.

The rose watercolor painting instructions below include; 1) how to use a black colored resist medium to create faux stained glass rose art, 2) how to make black glue, and 3) basic beginning watercolor techniques to help you learn how to paint a rose with watercolors. You might also enjoy this sunflower art template that you can color, or paint, and make into a flower crown!

Rose Art Watercolor Painting Idea

Invite your children to paint a watercolor rose, and join the fun! I had as much fun painting a watercolor rose as my 4-year-old daughter! Put completed rose art in a frame for an easy gift idea for mom, grandma, or your child’s favorite teacher! Or, try any one of these homemade gift ideas kids can make.

How to Paint Faux Stained Glass Rose Art

Before you start your watercolor rose painting, decide on the resist medium that you would like to use; black glue, black oil pastel, or black crayon. If you want to use black glue, follow the simple instructions in the next section to make it–you can’t get it wrong!

If you use a black oil pastel or crayon, you can skip learning how to make black glue and move on to the step-by-step directions to paint rose art. Remember, creating and using black glue will require allowing time for the black glue to dry before painting a rose. Decide on the art supplies you would like to use from the watercolor rose art materials listed below.

Related: Real flower Nature Crafts

Watercolor Rose Art Materials

White glue and black acrylic paint, OR black oil pastel, OR black crayon
Heavy cardstock or 140 lb cold press watercolor paper
Rose art template (optional)
Stockmar watercolor paints, OR liquid watercolors, OR watercolor tubes, OR watercolor pallet, OR food coloring
Paintbrushes

How to Make Black Glue for Rose Painting

If you instead use a black crayon or a black oil pastel as the resist medium for your faux stained glass rose art, skip to the step-by-step directions for painting a rose in the next section. Otherwise, follow these simple directions to make black glue.

Making black glue is simple, and you don’t need to measure. Add a squirt of black acrylic paint to a bottle of white glue and shake well. You can also use a chopstick to mix the color through the bottle if needed.

We have a small bottle of what was once white glue, dedicated to continually mixing white glue and black acrylic paint into it to make a never-ending supply of black glue. We never measure, and it always turns out fine.

Make sure you add a lot of white glue and a little black acrylic paint each time you re-mix it to make more. Remember, white glue dries clear. You don’t need to keep adding black acrylic paint to make black glue look black. Black glue will always look a bit grey when wet but always dries black.

watercolor rose art with black glue as the resist medium

How to Paint a Rose Watercolor Painting with A Black Resist Medium to Create Faux-Stained Glass Art

Follow the easy steps below to complete this watercolor rose painting project. If you are working with young children, we recommend doing this faux stained glass rose art project in stages over two separate days.

On the first day, draw or print the rose art template, then trace it with a black resist medium of choice; black glue, black oil pastel, or black crayon. And on the second day, get out the watercolors and invite children to paint their roses.

If you use black oil pastel or black crayon as the resist medium for painting a rose, you can complete your rose art in one day, as long as everyone has the energy to continue. Remember, children find art much more fun when we make it easy!

Step 1 – Draw a Rose or Print Rose Art Template

Invite your child to use a pencil to draw a rose on watercolor paper, draw a rose for them, OR print our rose template onto watercolor paper or heavy cardstock.

Printable Rose Outline Template

Step 2 – Trace Rose Art Template with Black Glue, Oil Pastel, or A Crayon

Trace the outline of the rose art with black glue, oil pastel, or a black crayon. (Scroll up for the directions to make black glue.)
If you use black glue for your rose art project, allow it to dry overnight. Older children can do this step independently, while younger children may need a bit of assistance.

Step 3 – Paint Rose with Watercolor Paint

When the black glue rose art outline is completely dry, invite children to use watercolors to paint a watercolor rose.
The black glue, crayon, or oil pastel will resist the watercolor paint and give it the appearance of stained glass–aren’t they gorgeous?!

Black Glue Rose Watercolor Resist Art Project sq1

Rose Watercolor Art Process and Tips

I thought it might be helpful to share how my daughter and I painted roses with watercolors. First, I printed out and traced two roses with black glue the night before introducing this watercolor art project to her. And I prepared two roses for painting because I wanted to paint a rose with watercolors!

Because my daughter has had a lot of experience working with wet-on-wet watercolors as a student of Waldorf education, I decided to let her give this project a go without demonstrating it first. I was curious to see her process without any influence, so I told her I would paint mine after her.

If your kids have never worked with watercolors, I recommend that you prepare at least one extra rose so you can demonstrate how to paint with watercolors before they give it a go.

Ensure you show children how to paint while describing what you are doing in simple terms. Young children are imitative creatures and learn best by watching others. (You can see evidence of this in “Round Two” below.)

Paint the rose petals with watercolor paint individually, or paint over the entire rose with black glue. The black glue will resist the watercolor paint as long as it does not get soaking wet.

My daughter loves pink, so she chose to paint a rose with light and dark pink watercolor paint and light green for the background. I told her a color story about a rosebud that longed to be bright and colorful, and away she went.

For more information about how to tell an optional “color story,” check out single-color wet-on-wet watercolor painting.

rose watercolor black glue resist art project

Related: Starfish Watercolor Art

Faux Stained Glass Watercolor Rose Painting: Process Continued

Because I took pictures of my daughter painting, she wanted to take pictures of me painting rose art so she could take photos of me. Children love to imitate what they see the adults around them doing.

I decided to paint a rose with yellow cadmium, orange, and magenta watercolor paint, and my daughter took the photos in the image below as I worked. I was so impressed with my daughter’s pictures of my rose watercolor painting that I wanted to show her how much I valued her work. So, I included her photos in the photo collage below.

In the watercolor rose art photo tutorial below, you can see how to lay the watercolor paints from the center of the rose to each petal edge by layering them on top of each other and allowing them to mix and blend. Painting a watercolor rose is a perfectly imperfect art form.

The key to painting a rose with watercolors is to go with the flow. You want to work with how the watercolor paint flows instead of against the watercolors’ natural flow. Use more or less water to help the colors mix, blend, layer, or flow. Watercolors have a mind of their own. Either use what they decide to do as part of your art, a beautiful oops, or an exercise in mindfulness. Even better–do both!

Rose art - How to paint a rose with watercolors.

Watercolor Rose Painting Project: Round Two

My daughter loved this rose painting project so much that she begged me to print more roses to paint with watercolors, so I did! I was amazed at what happened.

A few days after her first watercolor rose painting, she painted two more watercolor roses. Even though she had watched me paint a rose with watercolor a few days prior, I could see the influence that observing my work had on her rose art painting.

This time I watched her start to paint a rose with her flat watercolor wash brush. Next, she decided to paint a beautiful rose with a smaller watercolor brush, just as I did.

And–wait for it–she began layering the watercolors and using water in the same way she saw me paint rose art. Amazing yet true, and perfectly normal, too! As I mentioned above, children learn best by watching others. I did not instruct her at all, and I didn’t give her one tip or even a tiny bit of advice.

She watched me paint a watercolor rose, took photos, and learned! Monkey watch, monkey learn, monkey see, monkey do! Look at the amazing pink and blue rose and the gorgeous pink and red rose she painted below using her new watercolor layering and blending skills. Look at how beautiful the colors blend near the center of the rose.

how to paint a rose watercolor painting step by step photo tutorial — *Pink and blue rose on watercolor paper*

blue rose art and red rose art - watercolor roses

Watercolor Painting Tip

When using a single color, such as the red my daughter is demonstrating in these photographs, use more or less water to create light and dark areas that almost look as if they are different shades of color–such as the lighter pink she is creating in the photograph above. The final version is in the photograph below.

red watercolor rose art project for kids and adults — *Pink and red rose on watercolor paper*

Watercolor Rose Painting with Black Glue Resist

A black glue rose is too gorgeous to stash away or sneak into the round file known as the trash can. This artwork would look amazing framed and hung in the home or given away as a gift.

My daughter can’t wait to give the black glue roses she painted to each of her grandmothers for Mother’s Day! You may also like these cute fingerprint flower glass magnets and this collection of amazing homemade gifts kids can make.

Or, make a paper flower crown with a gorgeous sunflower tiara with this fun sunflower crown coloring page printable.

Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!

Black glue rose watercolor resist art project.

More Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art Projects

If you like working with black glue, you may be interested in some other art projects on the list below. Click on the title to see the full tutorial for each art project.

Popular Art Ideas for Kids

Holiday Art Projects for Kids

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Comments

Sally Samuel says

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Hi there Nell!
This is a gorgeous project that I am interested in trying out with the kids in my Library programs. While there is lots of rose clip-art online, I really like the one you used. Do you have link to where you found it? Or know where the image can be downloaded? I would be so incredibly thankful if you could help!

Thanks so much for posting this,
Sally

- nell says
  
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  Hi Sally! So glad you like the project and the rose I used. Creating my own printable is on a very long list of to-dos. I will move it up in priority and do my best to get to it in the next day or two.
  
  - Sally Samuel says
    
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    Oh! I didn’t realize you made it yourself. Nell, I would be deeply grateful if I could receive a copy – whenever you are able to. If it is easier, my email is sally.samuel@wbrl.ca. Thanks so very, very much!!
    
    - nell says
      
      at
      
      Okay, Sally, I have edited the post to include a link to a free rose template that you may use for personal use only. You may copy them for students to use, but they may not be distributed. Enjoy! 🙂
      
      - Sally Samuel says
        
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        THANK YOU, Nell! You are amazing!!!!!!!! 🙂
      - nell says
        
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        Awww, gee, thanks… blushing 🙂
Laura says

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I printed the template and put the black glue on and let it dry overnight. When I put watercolor on, black started running into the paint. Any ideas on what might be causing this? Thanks so much.

- Nell Regan M.A. says
  
  at
  
  Hi Laura,
  
  I’m sorry that happened to you! Let’s troubleshoot what may have caused your rose watercolor painting to run black. My guess is either that the black glue was not completely dry (even though you waited overnight), or you may have used a bit too much black acrylic paint mixed into the white glue. The most exciting thing about making black glue is that you only need a little bit of black acrylic paint. The glue will always appear black when it dries because white glue dries clear. My suggestion is to make another batch of black glue or add a bunch of white glue to the solution you already made and try it again. I promise it works!
  
  Nell

Rose Art Watercolor Painting Project

Paint a rose with watercolors and a black resist medium to create gorgeous faux stained glass rose art.