Folk Art Forest Art Project

Step into a magical forest…

Jane Newland is the illustrator of the chapter book Pog by Pádraig Kenny, a fantasy-adventure novel about a creature that lives in the roof of a house in the woods. Her cover is the inspiration for this Folk Art Forest Project, perfect timing for the launch of The Glitter Bomb’s September issue called Forests in the Fall.

Her illustrations on the cover, and on her Instagram feed captivated me from the start. The colors, use of repetition and unity, and shapes are a feast for the eyes, and there’s always a small surprise hanging out in the corner.

Students use watercolors to paint shapes across the page, and then will be excited to hide something within their forest: a house, a bear, or even a unicorn.

Then using crayons to add branches, and texture to the grass, the scene comes to life in a beautiful array of color.

Or change it up!

Use the same techniques but change it up for your kids or students:

• Change it from autumn to a winter wonderland by using blues and purples
• Add stems to each shape and turn it into a magical lollipop forest
• Use neon watercolors so the entire forest glows under blacklight
• If kids only have a pencil, use it for teaching a gray scale
• Use light colored markers for the shapes and darker colored markers for the branches
• Experiment with different patterns for each colored tree
• Write a story about what is happening in the woods

Easy to use in any situation

Right now it’s more important than ever to have lessons that are easy to use with art-on-a-cart, virtually, with non shared supplies, or at home. And this one is perfect.

If you’re looking for a set of watercolors that offers a lot of color options, I recommend Arteza or Ooly pods. They’re vibrant right out of the palette.

Click below to grab your free PDF of this perfect fall art project.