A felt water lily provides you with a lasting decoration that works well in centerpieces, or just looks attractive as it sits on your shelf. Cut the lily pad out of green felt first. Cut the leaves of the lily out of a lighter green felt. Cut three sections of white felt for the lily itself into a flower shape. Make a small piece, middle piece and large piece. Stack them inside each other with the smallest one in the middle. Push three yellow-tipped sewing pins through the center of the flower. Pierce the pins through the leaves and the lily pad to hold the whole thing together. Bend the sharp ends of the pins underneath the flower so they can't poke you.
Claude Monet created what is arguably one of the most recognized abstract paintings using his lily pond as a muse. Challenging yourself to recreate his work can teach you about soft-color usage, capturing interesting light effects and morphing real scenes into abstract designs. The actual painting of the lily pond is quite large, so choose a small section or shrink the entire image, allowing you to copy it properly. This is an advanced project, so don't feel discouraged if it takes practice to replicate his brush strokes and colors.
If you are a fan of the Andy Warhol style of artwork, woodcut artwork may be right up your alley. A woodcut is a carving of the image that you use as a stamp to replicate the same image several times using different colors. While traditional woodcuts were on actual wood, you may benefit from creating the design on a piece of soft rubber tile. Paint the carved side of the tile and stamp it down on a piece of paper. Wash the tile, repaint it, and create a second stamped image. Repeat until you create as many copies as you desire.
Realism is often one of the hardest parts of creating art, but it gets easier if you have an actual representation of the water lily. Visit a pond in your area with healthy water lily specimens. Choose a quiet day in which you won't have other people interrupting your artistic process. Position yourself in a comfortable position, with an ample view of the water lilies. Create a basic sketch of the lily's shape. Once you have the shape, add details such as shading or color.