Quick and Easy Crafts: Painted Grass Terracotta Pots

Here is another quick and easy craft project for any age. It is fun to do, and is so inexpensive you can make as many as you want. It's a Painted Grass Terracotta Pot. (Please click on the above photo to show the entire pot.) As you can see, the blades of grass are simple to make, and when you do the saucer as well, it really makes it stand out. I made a set of these for my mom, my sister and myself a few years ago, and as you can tell by the photo, it has held up quite nicely in the elements.

You can use any size terracotta pot you like, from the tiniest to the full size ones that are so heavy you need a dolly to move it with. The only limitations are your imagination.

Let's begin with the supplies:

Terracotta pots and matching saucers. (Any size you like)
3 shades of green and one light yellow of acrylic paint
2 artist paint brushes. One thin for highlighting and one thicker for the blades of grass. (Your choice.)
Paper plate
Newspaper
White scratch paper. (Construction paper is best).
Cup for washing brushes

Instructions:

First thing you do is lay out your newspapers. If you are like me, paint gets in the strangest of places! If you have little ones helping you, then artist smocks or old long sleeve shirts are good to protect their clothing. (The acrylic paints wash off of skin rather easy, but not so easily off of clothing!)

Once the newspaper is down, you will want to take your paper plate and dab some of your paints on it. It is best if you do this in order of the shades, darkest to lightest and yellow last. This will make making the blades of grass come alive a lot easier.

Take your thicker brush and dip it in the dark paint first. Take your scratch paper and start at the bottom and gently run the brush up about 2 inches or so. (This is good for the standard 4 inch pot.) Practice this over and over until you have nice even strokes. You will want the heaviest of the stroke at the bottom and it lightening as it reaches the top. Try your hand at curving a few of the 'grass blades' as you practice. After it dries, try the next color. This is where it gets tricky if you are not familiar with highlighting. Wash your brush and then select the next lighter shade of green. Use one of the blades you have already done, but do not cover it all the way. Only do it on one side. This will give a nice effect to the blade. Do this on a few blades, not all of them. Now dab the lightest green and then dab the yellow with the same brush to slightly mix the colors. Do not rub them! Let the brush do the work. On one side of the dark grass blade, gently go from the bottom to the top. It might take some practice, but it looks nice when the entire pot is done. After that, take the thinner brush and highlight some blades with yellow if they need more 'light'.

Now that you have practiced on your paper, try your skills on the pot itself. It does not matter if you mess up! If you put too much dark green, then highlight it with some of the lighter shades. It is easier than it sounds, and just takes a bit of practice.

After you have completed your grass on your pot, try your new skills on the saucer. Unlike the pot, where you only go about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way up, the saucer you do top to bottom to get the full effect. Do not worry if the blades from the saucer do not match up to the pot. They are not supposed to.

If you are feeling daring, then you can add a white picket fence, or maybe some flowers to your new green grass field. I even thought about adding a birdhouse!

I have had my pots outside for over 4 years and did not apply a sealer. If you feel you need to, then apply one. I did not and my pots are just fine.

Sources:

Personal Experience
www.Joanns.com