Paint with acrylics

I don't have a canvas or acrylic paints — what can I use instead?

If you don't have acrylics or a canvas, use tempera or poster paints on heavy watercolor paper or sturdy cardboard and follow the same mixing and painting steps (squeeze blobs on a paper plate palette, mix sky and greens, paint top two-thirds, etc.).

My greens keep turning muddy or my brush leaves drips — how do I fix that?

Avoid muddy greens by testing mixes on scrap paper, add only tiny amounts of red when making darker green, rinse your brush in the water cup and blot it on a paper towel until mostly dry before painting foreground details to prevent drips.

How can I change the activity for different ages?

For younger kids (3–5), skip the light pencil horizon, use thicker tempera and large brushes or fingers to paint simple sky and hills, while older kids (8+) keep the pencil sketch, mix subtle sky gradients, and use a small brush to add the tree or path details from the instructions.

How can we make the finished painting more special or longer lasting?

Add texture by scraping wet darker green with a palette knife or pressing torn magazine pieces into the foreground paint, add highlights to the tree with the small brush, let everything dry, then photograph the finished colorful landscape and share it on DIY.org as suggested.