The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, has the world’s largest coral reef. Over 600 types of hard and soft coral make their home there. The reef provides a perfect environment for countless other marine animals, making it a truly unique and beautiful habitat. Make our coral reef craft and bring the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef home!
Coral Reef Craft Materials
- Craft Glue – Like Elmer’s Glue
- Black Acrylic Paint
- water color paints
- Water Color Paper or Card Stock
- Pattern of Coral – optional
- mixer stick – chop stick or skewer
Coral Reef Craft Directions
Before you start the project you will need to make (or purchase) black glue. To make your own you will need to mix 3 parts glue to 1 part black acrylic paint. We like to purchase the small 1.25 ounce bottles of glue which we tint different colors. You can then use the bottles to squeeze out the glue.
Look at various corals in books or on the internet. You can use the pattern of coral we have provided or draw your own. For this project it is best to keep the shapes simple.
You can draw directly on water color paper or transfer your drawing or the pattern to water color paper. To do that, turn your drawing over and cover the back of the drawing with pencil. It doesn’t need to be solid but make sure it is covered anywhere there are lines on the other side.
Turn the drawing over and tape it to your water color paper.
Pressing hard, trace over your drawing with a pen.
The pencil from the backside of your drawing will be transferred to your water color paper.
Go over all your lines with the black glue. Don’t worry if it is not even or if you get some globs. It will actually make your picture more interesting! Allow your glue to dry overnight. It must be completely dry before you add watercolors to your drawing.
Use watercolors to paint your picture.
After your watercolors have dried, you can add detail to your painting with the black glue. Again, let it dry overnight before handling the painting!
Gallery
