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! This rose watercolor painting tutorial includes; 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.
Painting a watercolor rose is a fun and easy flower painting art project for kids, teens, and adults. for more flower art ideas, have a look at this list of fun and easy flower art projects.
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 did! Put completed rose art in a frame for an easy gift idea for mom, grandma, or your child’s favorite teacher!
How to Paint Faux Stained Glass Rose Art
Before you get started on 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 would like to use black glue, follow the simple instructions in the next section to make it–you can’t get it wrong!
If you decide to 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, making and using black glue will require allowing time for the black glue to dry before painting a rose. Decide on the art supplies that you would like to use from the watercolor rose art materials listed below.
Related: Real flower Nature Crafts
Watercolor Rose Art Materials
- White Glue
- 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 and/or water brushes
or 
, OR, 
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, OR 
Related: Fun Art and Craft Ideas for Kids
How to Make Black Glue for Rose Painting
If you would rather 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. You don’t even need to measure. Add a good squirt of black acrylic paint
to a bottle of white glue
and shake well.
We have a small bottle, of what was once white glue, dedicated to continually mixing white glue and black acrylic paint into to make a never-ending supply of black glue. We never measure and it always turns out fine.
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 it is wet but it always dries black.
Related: Fingerprint Flower Glass Magnets Kids Can Make
How to Paint a Rose Watercolor Painting with A Black Resist Medium to Create Faux Stained Glass Art
If you are working with young children, we recommend doing this faux stained glass rose art project in stages over two separate days. First, draw or print the rose art template, and then trace it with a black resist medium of choice; black glue, black oil pastel, or black crayon. On the second day, get out the watercolors and invite children to paint their roses.
If you decide to 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 a lot more fun when you make it easy!
Step 1 – Draw a Rose or Print Rose Art Template
Invite your child to use a pencil
to draw a rose onto watercolor paper
, draw a rose for them, OR, print our free rose template onto watercolor paper or heavy cardstock
.
Step 2 – Trace Rose Art Template with Black Glue, Oil Pastel, or A Crayon
Trace the outline of the rose art with black glue, black oil pastel, or a black crayon. The directions to make black glue are posted above. If you choose to make and use black glue for your rose art project, allow it to dry overnight. Older children will be able to do this step on their own 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 once it is finished! Aren’t they gorgeous?!
Related: Starfish Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art
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 I introduced this watercolor art project to her. I made two roses because I wanted to paint a rose with watercolors too!
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 of my influence, so I told her that I would paint mine when she was finished.
If your child has 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.
Make sure you show children how to paint, more than tell them how to paint a rose. Young children are imitative creatures and learn best by watching others. (You can see evidence of this fact in “Round Two” below.)
The rose petals can be painted with watercolor paint individually, or, you can paint over the entire rose black glue and all. 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 rose 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.
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. Monkey see monkey do!
I decided to paint a rose with yellow, orange, and magenta watercolor paint, and my daughter took the photos below as I worked. I was seriously impressed with the pictures that my daughter took of my rose watercolor painting, so I decided to include her photos in the photo collage below.
In this watercolor rose art tutorial, you can see how to lay the watercolor paints side by side and/or layer them on top of each other in order to allow them to mix and blend. Rose 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 literally work with the way the watercolor paint flows as opposed to against the natural flow of the watercolors. Use water to help them mix, blend, and flow even more.
Related: Four-Season Hand and Fingerprint Tree
Related: Art and Science Experiment with Watercolor Resist
Black Glue Rose Watercolor Resist Art 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 her rose art with a smaller watercolor brush
just like I did.
And… wait for it… she began layering the watercolors and using water in the same way that she saw me paint rose art. Amazing yet true, and perfectly normal, too! As I mentioned above, children learn best by watching others. I gave no instruction at all. Not one tip or 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.
Related: Easy Felt Flowers with Twig Stems
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 her grandma’s for Mother’s Day!
You may also like these cute fingerprint flower glass magnets and this collection of amazing homemade gifts kids can make.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art Projects
If you like working with black glue you may like some of the other art projects below. Click on the title to see the full tutorial for each art project.
- Winter Tree Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art
- Under the Sea Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art Projects
- Starfish Black Glue Resist Art Project
- Fall Leaves Black Glue Watercolor Resist Art Project
Popular Art Ideas for Kids
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- Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree
- Heart Art Salt Painting
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- Rainbow Shamrock Art Project
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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
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.
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!!
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! 🙂
THANK YOU, Nell! You are amazing!!!!!!!! 🙂
Awww, gee, thanks… blushing 🙂