Got Leftover Watercolors? 11 Fun Projects to Create

Watercolor painting can be a great way to get creative and express yourself, but you may feel like you need to throw it away if you don’t use up all of your paint. However, you should save it for another art project.

Leftover watercolors work great for art projects with abstract painting, hand lettering, and DIY gift tags. Kids can also use the paint to create fun paintings with salt and glue or a straw. Watercolors also work well for designing shoes and even a wall clock.

If you have some extra watercolors, you don’t have to throw them away. Whether you want to get creative or find an easy project, you can use up your excess paint. So, Got Leftover Watercolors? 11 Fun Projects to Create:

Abstract Painting

If you have some leftover watercolors, a great way to use them is to create an abstract painting. You don’t have to worry about having enough of a certain color because you can make the painting unique. Abstract paintings can take on a variety of designs, so watercolors are perfect.

The color will go wherever the water goes, and you won’t have to worry about it messing up a design. You can create a design with the water; then, the colors will fill in. Follow the process below:

1. Grab a piece of paper and add water. Let the water design the shape for you to create something cool.
2. Add drops of the watercolor paint and let the color flow naturally. If you want some control, you could hold the paper so that the color moves a certain way.
3. Start with one color or a few similar colors. If you use a lot of different colors, the painting will probably turn brown.
4. If you see a design within the painting, you can use a black pen to emphasize the shapes, or you can leave it with just the watercolors.

Creating an abstract painting is great because you can do it with any amount of watercolors. Whether you have a bit of one color or multiple colors left, you can create one or more abstract works. Then, you can display the abstract art with your other projects.

Gift Tags

If you don’t have a ton leftover of one or more colors, you can create something smaller. Gift tags always come in handy for birthdays and holidays so that you can make some DIY gift tags. This is a great option if you’re almost out of a color, and you can make the tag as small or as big as you like.

You can make the tags different colors, so it doesn’t matter how much paint you have leftover. As long as you have some paint, you can make it work by following this process:

1. Get some thick watercolor paper at or under 280gsm. Cut the paper into gift tags that are the size and shape you want. Feel free to get creative!
2. Use mini alphabet stamps to write messages on them, such as “Happy Birthday.”
3. Let the stamp ink dry, then add your choice of watercolor paint to the tag. One color works best, but you can experiment to find what you like.
4. Repeat the process for as many gift tags as you want or until you use up all of your watercolors.

Almost everyone needs gift tags. Even if you don’t have a holiday coming up, you can use the tags to decorate your table or other areas of your home. You can use them to send messages or label certain items, and the colors can make the tags stand out.

Hand Lettering

If you want to stick with gift tags or notes, consider using your leftover watercolors for hand lettering. You can use the watercolors to design a birthday or holiday card, or you can create some unique notes.

Hand lettering can be complicated, so this project is best if you have control over your watercolors. However, you can use hand lettering to create a lot of unique designs and projects with these easy steps:

1. Find some paper that you want to use for your project. Consider if you want to create a greeting card or something else.
2. Plan out your design in your head or on another sheet of paper. Think about the colors you have and how you can use them.
3. Grab your extra watercolors and start putting the design on your paper of choice. If you have multiple colors, you can do an ombre design, or you can stick with one color.
4. Make sure you work fast so that the water doesn’t spread out. You can also use different amounts of pressure to create different lines.

Hand lettering can take some practice, so you may want to start with a marker. But once you have some experience, it’s a great way to use up your excess watercolors. That way, you can create cards or other designs, and you won’t waste any supplies in the process.

Wood Clock Face

If you want something easier or less intimidating, you can design a wood clock face. As long as your watercolors work on wood, you can create any design. You can mark the numbers on the clock, or you can do something more abstract.

Your local craft store may have a wood clock face, so that’s a good place to start. Once you have the wood, you can add your leftover watercolors to it. See the process below:

1. Determine what colors you have and if you want to use one or all of them. Think about your design before you start with the clock.
2. Grab the wood clock and wet your paintbrush. Now, you can add the watercolor paint to your clock.
3. You can use more colors for a more vibrant look, or you can keep things more subdued with less color.
4. After you finish painting the clock, let it dry before you add the hands. Then, you can display the clock in your home.

If you’ve needed a wall clock for a while, it’s the perfect project for your excess watercolors. You can create a design that fits your home, and you can use up your extra paint.

Dip Dyed Baker’s String

If you don’t have much paint leftover, you may want something small to use it up. In that case, you can dye some baker’s string, and you can use the string for packaging foods or other things. You don’t need a ton of color, and this is a great project if you want an ombre design.

This project is all you need for this project: some white baker’s string, water, watercolors, and some jars. You can complete the project in less than 10 minutes with the following steps:

1. Add the different paints and water to individual jars. You’ll need a jar for each color, so you may need one or more.
2. Determine how long you want your baker’s string, then cut it to fit. Then, you can dunk the string into one of the watercolor jars. If you’re using multiple colors, leave some of the string out.
3. Continue dipping different parts of the string into the various colors until you finish.
4. Then, let the string dry completely before you use it for packaging foods or other items, such as gifts.

Dip dying baker’s string is easy and doesn’t require a ton of extra paint. You can use as few or as many colors as you have, so it’s also super flexible. You can then use the string for whatever you like.

Watercolor Shoes

A great practical craft for leftover watercolors is to design a pair of shoes. If you have an old pair of white or light-colored shoes, you can liven them up with watercolors. You can use as little or as much paint as you like, and you can choose the colors.

And if you don’t have old shoes, you can get a new pair of white canvas shoes just for this project. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Take the laces out of the shoes so that they don’t get in the way. Or if you don’t mind, you can leave them on and paint the laces, too.
2. Mix your watercolors, and make sure you have enough to cover both shoes. You can create a thinner or thicker design based on the amount of paint you have.
3. Get the toe area of your shoe wet so that it can soak up the paint. Then, add the paint in small amounts to see how it fills out.
4. If the paint gets too thick, add water near it and spread the paint around. You can also add more water as you add different colors on the canvas.
5. Once you finish your design, let the shoes dry for a few days.

Painting your shoes can be a great way to make them unique. But it would help if you were careful about where you wear them. Keep them out of the rain since that can cause the paint to run, but otherwise, you should be good.

Shaving Cream Marbling

If you’re looking for a family-friendly project for leftover watercolors, you can combine them with shaving cream. You can use the shaving cream and watercolors to create a unique design to put to paper.

It’s a great project for kids, but you can also do it on your own. You’ll need a baking dish, shaving cream, watercolors, and paper to follow the process:

1. Spray shaving cream so that it covers the entire baking dish. Be careful not to make the layer too thick.
2. Add your watercolors over the shaving cream in a pattern that you like. Then, grab a stick, such as the end of your paintbrush, to mix up the paint to make it look like marble.
3. Put the cardstock on the shaving cream/paint mix. Lift it off, then sit it paint-side up.
4. Use a piece of cardboard to scrape the excess shaving cream off, then add it back into the shaving cream to use all of it.
5. Repeat the process with as many pieces of paper as you want, then let them all dry.

If you’re not very creative or can’t think of a design, marbling is a great option. You can add colors in a random order, and you can spread the colors around. Then, you can let the shaving cream do the designing for you.

Salty Watercolors

Another great project for kids with leftover watercolors is to use salt for the design. You can use salt and glue to form a design that the watercolors will stick to. That way, you can keep the colors from running just anywhere.

You’ll need some poster board, glue, salt, and watercolors for this project. Follow these simple steps:

1. Use the glue to create a design on the poster board. You can use as little or as much glue as you like, but keep it relative to your leftover paint.
2. Next, add a layer of salt over the paper and pour the excess salt off into a separate dish.
3. Once you have your design, you can use your paintbrush to soak up some watercolors and add the paint to the paper. It will take on the shape of the glue and salt.
4. You can add multiple colors if you have them, or you can stick with one. Once you’re done adding colors, let the project dry, then hang it up like you would any piece of art.

This project is super easy because most households already have salt and glue. You can easily turn your leftover watercolors into a unique project, and you won’t have to worry about pouring the paint down the drain.

Saran Wrap Design

If you want another great project for leftover watercolors and household items, consider using saran wrap. You can use any watercolors you have, and the saran wrap can help create a unique design.

For this project, you’ll need saran wrap, watercolor paint, and watercolor paper. You can use as few or as many colors as you want, so it doesn’t matter what you have, but do the following steps:

1. Grab your watercolor paper then start adding the paint. You can attempt a design, or you can add the paint at random. It’s all up to you.
2. Next, grab some plastic wrap then start folding and scrunching it over the watercolors. Make sure the wrap sits right on top of the paint.
3. Let the paint dry overnight so that it gets as dry as possible. Then, you can peel the plastic wrap off the paint.
4. It will leave a cool design with different colors and textures based on how you applied the saran wrap.

You can do this project multiple times and get a different result. Even if you use the same colors, you may not get the same effect from the plastic wrap. And since you don’t need much paint, this is a great way to use up what you do have.

Adding Rubbing Alcohol

The next project you can try is to combine watercolors with rubbing alcohol. You can let the paint run free on a piece of paper, and the alcohol can add some visual textures. The project works for creating cards or bookmarks, or you can create a regular painting.

You’ll need a baking tray and some paper as well as watercolors and rubbing alcohol to complete the following process:

1. Put the paper on top of your baking tray and make sure that it fits.
2. Grab a dropper and use it to add various watercolors to the paper. Start with one or two colors so that it doesn’t turn brown or black.
3. Use a second dropper to add rubbing alcohol to different parts of the painting. The alcohol will lighten the area, so if it doesn’t, you may need to add plain water.
4. Finally, let your painting dry for a few hours. If you want to turn the design into something else, great. But you can leave it as-is.

Rubbing alcohol is a common item, so you shouldn’t need much for this project. But if your kids will be doing it, make sure you help them so that they don’t overdo it with the alcohol.

Painting With Straws

If you have some straws on hand, you can use them to apply watercolor paint to paper. You can use scraps of watercolor, so you don’t need a ton of leftover paint for this project. It’s also a great option for kids and adults so that anyone can do this.

You’ll need your watercolors, some paper, and a straw for each person doing the project. Then, follow these steps:

1. Apply a bit of watercolor paint to your paper. You can put it in the center or off to the side, whatever works.
2. Use a straw to blow the paint around. Don’t touch the straw to the paper, but get it a couple of inches away.
3. Keep adding colors in different spots and blowing them around the paper.
4. If you don’t have a strong enough airstream, you can place the straw in your watercolors, then plug the other end with your finger.
5. Then, put the straw over the paper and release your finger, which will release the paint.

You can combine both methods to create a unique design with your watercolors. It’s also a great option if you have a lot of colors since you can put them in different places and blow in different directions.

Final Words

Leftover watercolors can seem annoying because you don’t want to waste your precious paint. Luckily, you can use the excess colors to create a unique piece of art, a DIY project, or perhaps find more novel ways to use on the skin. And whether you or your kids have extra paint, there’s something for everyone.

Sources

• Felt Magnet: How to Create Art From Leftover Watercolor Paint!
• Melissa Esplin: Tutorial: Lettering With Watercolors
• The Crafted Life: Dyed Baker’s String
• KiwiCo: Water & Alcohol Paper
• Scrumdilly-do: Revisiting Art Through a Straw