As an Etsy Shop Owner, I partnered with MaryAnn Nisley, Whole Foods Marketing and Community Relations Specialist, to do this event. We had 8 participants in all; they signed up in advance. Their materials were provided, and the class was free. There were adults and children; the children had to be accompanied by an adult. We had an hour and a half class, and in retrospect, the project was a bit ambitious for the time allotted. But, everyone completed their watercolor paintings, and left with their "hand made" holiday gift bags. They were a fun group to work with, and they all enjoyed themselves.
We painted simple watercolor paintings with impressionistic backgrounds, and used liquid frisket to save the whites of our paper. I provided templates for my students to trace, if they wished. Most people used the templates, but not all. Then we glued the paintings onto bags to create our holiday gift bags. This is what the day looked like:
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| Gift bag examples |
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| Hard at work - drawing. |
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| Me - getting ready to do a watercolor background demonstration. |
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| Mother and daughter with their gift bags! |
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| Student drew her own picture - a rainbow design! |
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| He had a wonderful time working on his gift bag. |
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| Mom and sister's designs. |
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| A double-sided gift bag. Side one design. |
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| Side 2 design. |
