Mixed Media 'Shrooms
The Set Up
Clear a space and lay out sheets of A3 paper (the thicker the better). Put out watercolour palettes, jars of liquid watercolour diluted a little, and plenty of brushes. Keep coffee filters close by, because they are magic with colour. Add droppers or pipettes for those, then line up scissors, glue, and dot stickers for when the cutting and assembling begins.
The Making
Begin by flooding the page with colour. You could wash watery blues across the paper, drop in yellows that bloom into greens, or layer soft patches of pink and orange until the whole background hums with energy. The joy is in letting the paints meet and wander!
Meanwhile, coffee filters soak up liquid watercolour like sponges. How incredible is it watching the colour spead! Snip them into shapes once they are dry enough, or dive straight in and cut while wet if you love the unpredictability. Pair each cap with a simple stalk cut from painted paper or card, then glue them down. Kusama’s mushrooms have always hovered between reality and imagination, and these carry the same spirit.
Finish by pressing on bright dot stickers. Their flat boldness against the watery filters is striking, a simple act that transforms the piece into something I think she would really adore.
Variations
Swap coffee filters for paper plates or fabric scraps and see how each material holds colour differently.
Add metallic pens or paint over the caps once dry to bring shimmer and light.
Try oversized mushrooms on big sheets of paper and let them tower like something out of Kusama’s world.
Materials
Large paper sheets for backgrounds
Watercolour palettes and liquid watercolours (diluted a little)
Coffee filters
Droppers or pipettes
Card or painted paper for stalks
Dot stickers or coloured labels
Scissors and glue