These watercolor Valentine cards are so pretty! There are two different options for kids to choose from. One is a watercolor resist using white oil pastel and the other option uses a wet on wet technique with salt using a heart template.

There are so many fun watercolor techniques for kids to try! Take a look at my collection of watercolor painting for kids for more fun and creative ideas.

Using watercolor resist with oil pastel is a wonderful technique that always looks great and is easy enough for kids as young as preschool-aged to do! These cards would be perfect for kids to make for family members, teachers, and friends!

For more great Valentine’s project ideas check out my collection of creative Valentine’s Day arts and crafts for kids to make!

Take a look at this mixed media heart art project for another great idea using watercolors!

Create your own watercolor Valentine cards

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Supplies

• Watercolor paper
• Watercolor paint we used a watercolor set and liquid watercolors for these cards
• Paintbrushes
• Paint palette
• White oil pastel
• Pencil and scrap paper
• Scissors
• Painter’s tape and wooden board (optional)
• Water dish
• Coarse salt

Instructions to make your handmade Valentine’s Day cards

Cut and fold your watercolor paper into a card. I cut mine to 7 x 10 inches so each card once folded measured 5 x 7 inches. You could also use premade blank watercolor cards if you have them.

Tape your card down to a wooden board using painter’s tape. This isn’t a necessary step but will help to keep the paper steady while kids are painting and help the card to dry nice and flat.

Watercolor resist Valentine card

1. To make the watercolor resist Valentine’s card have kids draw out heart designs onto the front of their card with white oil pastel. Remind kids to press quite firmly, this will give the best results.

Kids can draw hearts of different sizes with other doodles like in my example, they can write words such as “love” or “XoXo” or even write someone’s name.

2. Mix up 2 – 3 colors of watercolor. You can use a watercolor set or liquid watercolors for this part. I used our watercolor set for this card. Make sure to test your colors on a scrap piece of paper. Your colors will always dry a bit lighter.

Paint your card with your colors, making sure to rinse your brush in between. It’s always fun for kids to reveal their designs as they paint!

Set aside the card and let it dry completely on a flat surface. Once it’s dry, you can carefully take the tape off.

Heart Template Card

1. First, cut out a heart template out of plain paper or cardboard. If you are using plain paper, you can fold it in half to draw your template like in the photo below. This is an easy way for kids to draw a heart.

Use the template to draw a heart onto the front of your card with a pencil.

2. Mix 2 – 3 colors of watercolor, kids can choose traditional Valentine colors or any colors they like. For this card, I used red and purple liquid watercolors.

3. Using a clean wet brush, paint around your heart shape with just water to start. Go slow and remind kids to try not to get any water inside their heart shape.   

4. While your paper is still wet start to paint your card with your watercolors, being careful not to paint inside the heart shape. Remind kids to clean their brush in between colors.

Let the paint mix together on the paper rather than using your brush to mix the colors together. This is called a wet on wet technique, you can read more about different watercolor techniques by taking a look at these 5 easy watercolor techniques for kids.

5. Once you are done painting your heart card, sprinkle on some coarse salt while the paper is still wet. The salt will create interesting and cool patterns in the paint as it dries.

Set aside your card to dry completely on a flat surface, this can take several hours or even overnight. Once your card is dry, brush off the salt into a sink to reveal your watercolor design!

Carefully take the painter’s tape off of your card.

I love how easy these watercolor Valentine cards are for kids to make! Just a couple of easy watercolor techniques are all you need for kids to make these beautiful cards for Valentine’s Day!

We love creating and exploring with different art supplies and techniques. If you are looking for more art projects to try, take a look at our ultimate collection of amazing art projects for kids!

More Valentine’s Day art projects kids will love

Easy Chalk Pastel Heart Art for Kids to Make

Easy Heart Spin Painting for Valentine’s Day

Follow me on Pinterest for more amazing project ideas. 

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