Creativity in hot weather - veil painting

How the seasons and weather affect our creativity

A lot of people are inspired by nature - and with it the seasons - in their creativity.

I have always felt drawn to certain crafts at specific times of the year. For example, knitting is very much an autumn and winter activity for me: when the afternoons are dark and cold, it is comforting to handle warm and soft materials.

Embroidery is more of a spring and summer craft because there are green shoots and flowers everywhere and I want to sketch and then embroider them.

But with current temperatures so high, I find it too hot to work with fabrics.

So this must be 'paper weather' - drawing and sketching seem a better choice than painting due to paints drying up too quickly. Unless of course your painting technique relies on quick drying - such as veil painting.

What is veil painting?

Veil painting is a method of painting used by Waldorf/Steiner educators that creates layers of colour on the paper which look like overlapping veils of silk. This effect is achieved by applying a series of very thin coats of watercolour paint.

I have always enjoyed this technique because it is playful and there is no pressure to paint 'something' as it is all about mark making. It is a very simple and beautiful technique, and like most creative exercises I enjoy, there is something meditative and calming about it.

How to practise veil painting

You need good quality water colour paper (100% cotton, acid-free), some watercolours and a mop brush (although in Waldorf education, a flat, soft bristled brush is preferred). A popular brand of watercolour paints in Waldorf education is Stockmar. Their paints (and crayons) are non toxic, beautifully transparent and don't go muddy (but are also quite pricey).

To paint the ‘veils’, you have to mix the watercolour paints with a good amount of water in a palette dish to create a translucent glaze.

Applying this to dry paper gives each layer a beautiful crisp edge.

Each layer of paint has to dry completely before the next layer is applied. Apply a layer as quickly and smoothly as you can so that it is even, and don't be tempted to dip your brush into water - the water you added to the paint earlier is all it needs.

I usually stick to one or two colours as I find that leads to the most attractive results, but of course you can also use this technique to play with colours and see what overlapping them leads to - overlap them once, twice, three times (letting the layers dry in between) and you will get a different result again.

This is a really fun creative exercise for hot weather - and children will love it too. If patience is a problem, you can give them three sheets of paper and they can paint on one while the others dry (or a large sheet of paper where they paint different areas).