Wood slice flower paintings
Using wood slices as miniature canvases for any kind of painting is really fun for kids (and adults!) of all ages. For older children who are moving on from mark-making, this activity shows an easy way to paint a miniature flower meadow on wood slices.
What you will need:
Wood slices (the ones I used were about 6-7cm diameter but smaller or bigger is also fine). These had holes that were pre-drilled. You can order some 5-6 cm wood slices from our online shop.
Acrylic paints
Paint brushes - you’ll need a larger brush to paint the background and a smaller one for the flowers
A jar of water
A paint pallet to mix your paints - you can use a plastic lid or piece of cardboard if you don’t have one
Twine if you’d like to hang your decorated wood slices
Varnish (optional)
What you need to do:
First you’ll need to choose a background colour for your painting. Choose a colour that is fairly light as you want your flowers to stand out against the background. If your chosen colour is too dark, you can add plenty of white to lighten it.
Using your larger brush, paint the flat surface of your wood slice leaving the darker edge, where the bark is, unpainted. While you leave it to dry you can paint as many more as you like! Once they have all dried, add a second coat of paint and then leave to dry again.
Next, mix up some different greens on your pallet to paint your grasses and flower stems. Start by putting blobs of any green paints you have onto your pallet as well as some yellow and a small amount of black and/or blue. Then use your brush to pick up some of your green paint to mix onto another area of your pallet. See what happens when you mix a bit of yellow or blue into your green. Do the same again but add a little of your blue or black (you only need a tiny bit!) to make a darker shade of green. You should now have a few different green paints!
To paint the grasses and stems, pick up a small amount of paint with your small brush and use light, upward strokes from the bottom of the wood slice (note where the hole is!) to about half way along the wood slice. Grasses and flower stems don’t usually stand completely upright so add a little curve to your brush strokes, perhaps having some blades of grass overlapping others. Then do the same again with the other greens you have mixed.
Now comes the fun part - painting your flowers! As the painting is in miniature, you are generally looking for an approximation of the shape of the flowers rather than an exact representation so don’t worry about getting your flowers exactly right.
When painting your flowers, think about all the different shapes of flowers and try and add a variety to your painting. For instance, some flowers have rounded petals and some have pointy petals. Some are completely open, like daisies, and some are more closed or cup-shaped, like tulips and poppies. Some have lots of flowers along the stem, like salvias, grape hyacinths and gladioli, and others only have one flower.
You can also add some depth and dimension to your flowers by using a few different shades of the same colour on your flowers to indicate shadow and light, for instance a darker centre of the flower. You can even paint some multicoloured flowers - have fun experimenting!
Once you have finished your wood slice paintings, you can add a layer of varnish if you want to. This will protect the painting and will also make the colours more intense. I left these unvarnished.
If your wood slices have holes, thread some twine through them, tie a knot, and then they’re ready to hang and enjoy!
If you liked this activity, why not have a look at our April box which included a pressed flower pendant activity using wood slices. You can order one here. Or have a look at our blog post on how to make a nature noughts and crosses game using sticks and wood slices.
The wood slices I used were from a previous Mud & Bloom box which were 6-7 cm diameter, however you can order some 5-6 cm wood slices from our online shop.
Author: Denise Hope, home educating mum of two boys
Our monthly Mud & Bloom box contains two craft activities for children each month as well as two growing activities.