Painting Planospheres with Pizazz!

Happy New Year! & Happy 1st Wonder Wednesday of 2024!

I can finally tell y'all about my big surprise! Wings, Worms, and Wonder is a 2024 Viviva Colors ambassador! You may think you're having deja vú, but never fear, all those new years bubbles haven't gone to your head!

You're right! Viviva Colors + Wings, Worms, and Wonder should sound familiar. A while back, in spring 2021 when my book Draw Yourself Back to Nature came into the world, it was along with its sister, the Wings, Worms, and Wonder collaboration Viviva Colorsheets paint set!

And now, this awesome socially and environmentally responsible company has invited me to be a part of their ambassador program.

That means I get to play with their paints and show y'all all the cool things we can paint with them! So expect more paint alongs and how-tos and fun nature journaling explorations each month for the next few months! Hooray for making time for art making!

And it means giveaways and discounts for YOU!

Double Hooray!

We're kicking it off with one for all the Montessori schoolers out there by painting some planosphere (aka continent) maps! Whether in the classroom or the homeschool room, we know art is an integral part of Montessori education.

We also know that so is social and environmental responsibility. Plus, Maria Montessori spent 7 years in India where she developed the Cosmic Curriculum - which makes this project perfect for using Viviva's paints!

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Maria observing her students in India, Photo credit Cambridge University press

Did you know that Viviva's founders are from India, the offices and awesome crew making it all happen are there, and the women's empowerment initiative is in the village where the founder's grandparents are from!

Maria would love that art and beauty are being connected with community - and that is just one more reason why I am so psyched on Viviva and being an ambassador!

So without further adieu, here's a video how-to for you on how to paint the planosphere maps in the wet-on-wet watercolor technique, with a special feature on how to paint Antarctica - because I get so many questions on how to paint white things or with whites! The solution for the Antarctica map is especially fun - and as shimmery as the ice we find there!