Magic, creativity and elegance are on the menu this holiday season! Combining shading and calligraphy, this watercolour menu is a holiday table essential. Follow Elizabeth Zhang from @calligraphiewithliz to create your own and impress your guests this year!
MATERIALS:
- Watercolour paper, cut to the size of your choice
- Small, round paintbrush (size 0 or 00)
- Watercolour paint in the colours of your choice
- Black fineliner pens
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1 :
Using a small, round paint brush, start by painting the stems of the plant on the left corner of the page, then fill in the leaves. (Painting leaves are easy with a round brush!) Continue painting by extending the leave stems across the page. Start by painting the stems, then paint inside the leaves. Feel free to add multiple leaves per stem, and leave some space for berries in between.
Step 2 :
Let the stems and leaves dry before going back in to add the berries. This prevents colours from mixing with each other, which can happen with watercolour. While you wait, move onto painting the bottom of the page, and continue painting a mini version of stems and leaves. Remember to leave some space for the berries (add in when dry!).
Step 3 :
Using the smallest round brush, write the word “Menu” in calligraphy, or any font you desire.
Step 4 :
Fill in the menu with your options! I used a thicker fineliner pen to write my headers: Appetizers, Main, Dessert. For the dishes, I used a thinner fineliner pen to provide variations in the letters.
And voilà! You’ve just completed your handmade menu. You can use it for Christmas, or any other dinner party.
TIPS:
- To get different shades of green: I mixed the green paint with a darker shade of blue to get a darkgreen. This adds more dimension to the leaves. To get a lighter colour, you can always add yellow to the green.
- If you don't have fineliner pens, you can use a regular black pen and darken your strokes for your menu headers.
