Craft Inspiration: Painting With Nature

I recently took a few art classes to try new things, see if I can help myself think outside the box that I put myself into (if you create, you might know the feeling). One class was about finding objects in nature and using them as paint brushes.

This painting with nature video by Evite is basically all the classes I took summed up. It is suitable for all ages and levels and I find it very relaxing. I used acrylic paint I had on hand, things I found in my yard and I bought a sketch book with heavy drawing paper to use but you can use any sturdy paper you have on hand.

I have a pine tree in my backyard. The needles and cones produced different effects. I used the needles in holiday colors to produce small gift tags for gifts. The bottom of the cones made a unique stamp. I used bright cheery colors and really liked how this turned out. I cut them into small cards for bookmarks to send with zine orders.

I used rose petals from arrangements I picked for the house that were wilting for some abstract fun. I dragged the petals across the paper, not following any rules, just letting my mind relax. Painting with rose petals had an added bonus – the smell was fantastic!

Why not spend an hour outside and gather some supplies to use in your own nature paintings? It is very relaxing and fun! You can frame the finished pieces as artwork or fold them into cards and use them to write notes to friends. I recommend a heavier paper for this, so the paint does not seep through or wrinkle if you tend to be heavy handed.

You could even decorate fabric and clothing, as shown in the video. There are lots more ideas to explore!