Namaste friends! Today let’s create a Diwali watercolor painting together! Whether you’re a beginner or crafting with kids, this step by step guide will help you paint a glowing watercolor diya that can be used a handmade card or as a decor item.
Celebrating festivals while living in the USA is so different than how it was when we were growing up. The nostalgia of those Diwali photos inspire me to be creative and find ways to celebrate with my children and friends. Some Diwali art and craft ideas that we have LOVED in the past few years are making clay diyas, decorating Diwali cookies and making rangoli on paper. These are simple crafts that you can do with your children and you don’t need too many special supplies. Today, lets paint a Diwali watercolor painting.
supplies you will need:
To complete this watercolor diya painting, gather
- Watercolor paints or a watercolor cake palette like this Grab your watercolor cakes, a paint brush and watercolor paper. I’m using Camlin Kokuyo Water Colour Cakes,
- Watercolor paper or thick mixed media paper like this Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad
- A round paintbrush (size 5 or comparable)
- A small container of water
- Cotton swab, white pen or white paint for embellishing
How to Paint a Diwali Watercolor Painting
Follow these simple steps to create your Diwali watercolor painting:
Step 1: Sketch the diya outline:
Refer to this how to draw a diya guide and practice with a pencil before painting if needed. With your paintbrush, start by painting the base of the diya with a raised edge around the top.
Step 2: Flood the base with color:
Wet the diya shape with clean water, then pick up paint colors onto your paintbrush and add paint drops into the clean water. This technique is called watercoloring by dropping colors.
Use two or more hues to create a gradient.
Step 3: Add depth to the rear
Use a slightly darker color or diluted shade to paint the back edge of the diay and give it dimension.
Step 4: Paint the flame
Above the center of the diya, paint a flame using warm tones- yellow, ornage maybe a touch of red. Blend softly.
Step 5: Decorate with accents:
White the paint is still damp on the paper, press a dry cotton swab onto the paper to lift off the paint and create small decorative dots. Alternately, you can use watercolor masking fluid or a white gel pen to create white dots.
Finally, if you wish to, you can add an pen outline to the painting. I share tips on how to use watercolor and pen together without having your pen ink bleed that might help you.
And that is your finished Diwali Watercolor Painting!
Diwali Watercolor Painting VIDEO:
Paint along with me and create an Easy Watercolor Diwali Painting in my YouTube video here https://youtu.be/iG7CBpNa5dg
Conclusion:
This easy Diwali watercolor painting is a wonderful way to add personal, handmade charm to your festival of lights. With just a few supplies and some creativity, you’ll have a beautiful glowing diya painting in no time.
Bringing handmade traditional decor into your home makes festival celebrations even more special. Browse these DIY Ganesha craft ideas for home for easy painting and paper crafting tutorials you can display during Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali
If you try this tutorial, tag me on social media – @smithakatti #smilingcolors. I’d love to see your art work!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial friends! This is such a colorful way to bring the festive season into your sketchbooks and celebrate! Wishing your family a happy, prosperous Diwali filled with light and positivity!
