Watercolor Easter egg Tutorial

Easter is this Sunday. Most people will be dying their Easter eggs in the next few days so they are ready for the Easter bunny to hide them on Sunday morning. This little video tutorial will get you in the mood to decorate. We went with sea-themed watercolor eggs for our basket.

Sea-themed, watercolor Easter egg tutorial

What you will need:

• Med flat paintbrush (soft)
• Small round paintbrush (soft)
• Gouache (opaque water colors) or Watercolors (in a tube) I like Holbein
• Water
• Paper towels
• Palette
• Hard-boiled eggs (cooled and dried)

Step One

Water coloring the Easter eggs 

(hint: leave a few white for a contrasting design to come later.)
For a fun, soft and different look create a watercolor wash effect on your Easter eggs. The soft variation in color and uneven painting makes for an interesting background for sea themed paintings and a cohesive collection of subtle, quirky, egg art.

Using a flat brush select a color (I chose blue to keep with our beach theme, but any color would work great, and color combos are encouraged!)

Use water to thin out the color (straight from the tube will be very thick, and would not allow white to shine through.) Holding the egg, brush color across the top, adding water and color as you go. Allow the paint to drip and create edges and patterns. Make some eggs darker and some lighter. Let the eggs dry before moving on to the next step.

(Hint: the refrigerator will cause condensation and make painting difficult. If you can, let the eggs dry completely and then move to the next step…it will be easier, I promise.)

Step Two

Paint details on your eggs

You can decide to paint anything on the eggs — we’ve seen Minions, emojis, and more. We went with seashells and ocean themed designs. Paint a fish scale pattern in white over the watercolor, then paint a fish scale pattern in blue on a white egg, paint an anchor, paint seashells…paint anything you like. Use white to add highlights and shine. Use navy blue to create outlines and shadows. If you are less artistically inclined, silhouettes make easy graphic details. Try a starfish shape or a seahorse. We stayed in the blue color palette to keep a consistent look. When you’re finished, let the eggs dry thoroughly.

Step Three

Display your Eggs

We displayed them in a large seashell (be careful if you choose to use these eggs for hiding. If they get wet the paint will come off and possibly stain clothing).

Step Four

Eat your Eggs

Hardboiled eggs are delicious on their own, but we found some fun recipes you may want to try.

Avocado Egg Salad
Deviled Eggs
Sriracha Egg Salad
Scotch Eggs

Do you have any Easter egg traditions you’d like to share? Write in the comments below. Also check out our Seasonal Fun Pinterest board for other fun Easter ideas.