The Making

Begin by letting go of the brush and seeing what else paint can do. At Smudge I love saying “anything but a paintbrush” — it always gets kids’ eyes sparkling as they start rummaging for tools. A toy car might leave tracks like a secret map. A fork might drag out lines you didn’t expect. A fly swatter makes a splat so funny you want to try it again straight away. There is no plan, just play, and every mark feels like a discovery.

While the background is filling with colour, drop liquid watercolours onto coffee filters and watch the colours spread like inkblots. Dry them first if you want control, cut them wet if you love unpredictability. Either way, they turn into mushroom caps (or anything you like!). Add stalks cut from scrap card, glue them down, and suddenly you have a strange little forest. You could finish with dot stickers to bring the whole piece to life.