Sleigh Silhouette Watercolor Painting

I am thrilled to be here with you for Storybook Advent on Rainy Day Mum. Today I’m sharing a simple yet beautiful sleigh silhouette watercolor painting that we did to go along with the classic Christmas story, The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore.

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (also called A Visit from St. Nicholas) is a popular poem and one I had mostly memorized from childhood. The text is readily available online and there are several options on Amazon with different illustrators. We picked up two copies from our local library so we could look at the different illustrations that go along with it. One thing we noticed that the different books have in common is the Santa sleigh flying though the sky. So we thought it would be fun to paint it!

Here are some book-cover examples of different artist illustrations for ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (clicking on the book photos below are affiliate links that lead to Amazon for more information):

Materials Needed to Make Your Sleigh Silhouette Watercolor Painting:

• white paper (we used construction paper)
• The moon and sleigh silhouette printable (for the moon)
• Paintbrush
• Watercolors (we used black, white, blue, and purple)
• White Paint (we enjoy this set)
• Glue
• Optional: Black Paint or Black Construction Paper (for trees/houses)

Older kids may be able to create their own sleigh silhouette going through the sky. However, I created a moon and sleigh silhouette printable because my boys are young and aren’t quite able to paint specific objects yet. They really like to watercolor so I figured they would enjoy painting the sky, especially because they LOVE the moon. The watercolors paint right over the sleigh with it still showing through.

The kids can even get creative and try some watercolor resist techniques for kids or go all out and create a city or forest below!

How We Made the Sleigh Silhouette Watercolor Painting:

1. Paint the moon on the moon printable. We mixed white and black with water to make a watery light grey which worked well. Set aside to let dry.
2. Paint the sky background onto the plain white paper. We used white construction paper and painted different strokes of black, blue, purple, and white. When the sky is how you like it, set aside to dry.
3. Now use white paint to paint dots for snow.
4. Paint a snowy ground. My son wanted to paint hills.
5. Optional: Make a scene below with houses and/or tree shapes. Is Santa flying over the countryside? The city? We used black construction paper to make tree shapes! My son wanted to do a row of trees and a house on a hill. We simply added them on top of the paint while it was still wet.
6. Cut out the moon and glue it onto the background

And that’s it! This sleigh silhouette watercolor painting would be a fun and simple project to do as a family on Christmas Eve after reading the story together. I hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas!

Emily formerly taught extra-curricular activities with elementary school children and now stays at home with her two young boys. She loves to get out exploring and learning alongside them. More about their adventures and activities can be found at To be A Kid Again, where Emily shares hands-on learning ideas, crafts, family fun, and more.
You can also find To be a Kid Again on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+

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