Pathway to Easter

Counting down to spring flowers and the Easter egg hunt.

Last week we started painting daffodils and tulips, and this week we are watercolouring a countdown to Easter pathway. Like every modern parent countdown ‘calendars’ have been a staple in our house for years. We countdown not just to Christmas and Easter but Halloween, Valentines, birthdays and half birthdays, the solstices and equinoxes and any holiday that captures our interest.

This painting is done is several steps as we want to use enough water to swirl colours but we also want to let our painting dry between pieces to keep the pathway and flowers separate.

We start with a clean piece of watercolour paper, I like to use frog tape or painter’s tape that will peel away easily to anchor it to our work surface.

You can use a pencil to lightly draw your path of stepping stones – or you can use crayons which will help contain the paint. If something goes awry at this point simply turn your paper over and use the other side. I also like to keep a small scrap of paper nearby to test a colour or practice painting the flowers, but this isn’t necessary.

We made our ‘stepping stones’ into a pathway of colour and counted the days until Easter. We used 1-2 colours per stone to achieve a wider variety of colours than our paint palette provided. After our pathway was finished, we took a break and let our painting dry.

The next step is to add in our daffodils and tulips -and chicks if desired. Follow the steps below to paint a watercolour chick.

One year into the pandemic and I think we are all looking forward to a pathway out. The simple rituals that mark our lives have been so impacted over this past year and we all need to have compassion for each other and what we have been through. This simple painting is a cheery reminder in our home that Easter is near, spring is coming, and that hope walks with our every step.