15+ Watercolor Fourth of July Printables
Display your patriotism in style with our free Watercolor Fourth of July Printables! Available in 2 sizes in both landscape and portrait layouts.
You guys love watercolor printables, so today we’re giving you some awesome free watercolor 4th of July printables! I know many of you are impatient – you just want to get right to the printables. In fact, those folks are probably not even reading this!
But I also know that quite a few of you actually enjoy reading the words that fly from my fingertips.
This little story is for you!
It has absolutely nothing to do with our Fourth of July printables, but hey, telling random stories is what I do best.
And I enjoy it!
So here’s a little something to keep you occupied while you scroll through Handan’s beautiful 4th of July printables!
Ah, the Fourth of July!
It’s the one glorious day of the year when men gather to eat and drink their weight in hot dogs and beer while celebrating the birth of this fine nation by blowing up a tiny piece of it with small explosives made in China.
But it is just one of many days in a year that wives and mothers and daughters shake their heads in communal disbelief and wonder how the hell humanity has made it this far.
When I was a kid, we spent 3 or 4 Independence Days at the summer house of an extended uncle on Rogers Lake in Connecticut.
Uncle Ed was a beloved fireman 364 days of the year.
On the Fourth of July, he was The Firecracker Man!
Even my dopey preteen mind saw the hilarious irony in that.
But I suppose, what better man to have around if something went wrong with all those explosives?
Though there were never any major catastrophes, each year I managed to blow up some small part of myself or suffer some other mishap.
There was the year I tossed a smoke bomb into the tall grass by the shed…
Smoke bombs are round red spheres about an inch in diameter with a fuse sticking out. Once the fuse burns down, an intense flame shoots out of the sphere for about 2 or 3 seconds. This is the burn that will eventually produce the smoke.
I tossed my smoke bomb into the grass by the shed, but no smoke came out.
I figured it was a dud. You get one from time to time.
No biggie. I walked over, reached down and picked it up.
It wasn’t a dud.
It was just taking its time.
The instant I picked it from the grass, the intense blue flame came roaring out of the fuse hole right into my thumb.
I yelped like puppy and tossed the very-live smoke bomb back into the grass, where it put out a fantastic display of thick white smoke.
I ran to my mommy as a big yellow blister grew on my singed and throbbing thumb.
There was the year I got bitten by a Black Cat with a short fuse…
Remember Black Cats? They are those little firecrackers that come in a red paper package.
You can either light the whole pack off at once or untie them to light them individually.
I preferred the latter. I would unwind each pack and stroll around the yard with a pocketful of firecrackers. In my left hand, I carried a punk – a small length of rope with one end lit and smoldering. It was much easier to light our firecrackers that way.
So I’d wander around lighting firecrackers and tossing them up in the air or out ahead of me. I walked down to the waterfront where the bigger kids were tossing cherry bombs into the lake.
My cousin Patrick was there. I stood a little behind him. The big kids intimidated me.
I casually lit another firecracker, intending to toss it away from the group.
But it had a short fuse.
An instant after I touched it to the punk, the fuse had burned most of the way to the firecracker.
No time to think.
Only time to react.
So my body did what any body would do when it senses harm: create as much distance between itself and the danger as possible.
My arm spasm’d outward, ejecting the dangerous thing from my orbit.
No thought went into the throw. I just threw…
…right towards Patrick’s head.
The little Black Cat exploded about a foot from Patrick’s head, and he jumped up with a scream.
He whirled around, and there was fire in his Irish eyes.
He glowered at me.
I gulped.
“It had a short fuse…” I said, offering the only explanation I could think of.
“SO DO I!!!” He roared back.
I blanched, and then I turned tail and ran back up the hill towards the safety of the adults.
Not long after that, I got another short fuse.
I didn’t manage to throw it in time, so it blew up in my hand.
Black Cats aren’t too powerful, so it didn’t do any damage, but it sure hurt like hell to my little hands.
Especially after the verbal sting I had just received.
And then there was the year of the Roman candle mishap…
It was our last year at Rogers Lake, though I didn’t know it at the time.
Everyone was getting older. The big kids from previous years were playing a more dangerous game.
Cherry bombing lily pads may have been fun in the past, but that year they discovered the joys of Roman candles.
Now, traditionally, Roman candles are lit and then stuck in the ground or in a tube so they can spew out their colored fireballs a safe distance from stupid humans.
But these kids discovered that you could hold the candle and wave it around in circles in front of you – sort of like a multi-color hand canon.
I had to admit – these kids were cool, and I wanted in on that action.
I asked Patrick if I could try.
He handed me a Roman candle.
(Oh boy, this is gonna be great!)
He lit the fuse.
(Yes, yes, yes!)
The first fireball shot out with a mighty thwump!
(I’m king of the world!)
The second colored ball followed closely behind, and I felt like a mighty soldier!
And then…
…nothing.
A pause.
I kept swirling my candle, but nothing came out.
No more thwumps.
Aw, man! Another dud…KA-BOOM!
The Roman candle in my hand exploded with a tremendous bang.
I watched as it fell tattered and smoldering to my feet.
Then I looked up and saw the shock on everyone’s face.
My own face must have looked the same.
I looked at my hand.
No blood.
But I couldn’t really move it.
And I couldn’t really feel it.
Huh. I should probably go tell my mom.
It took a few hours for the feeling and mobility to return.
No one had ever seen a Roman candle explode like that.
It was just my lucky day, I guess!
That was our last year at the lake. I guess my mother had enough of my yearly injuries!
I’m older now and far less interested in potentially blowing off limbs and digits.
When the Fourth rolls around each year, my happiness comes from my family by my side and a big piece of meat on the grill. That’s all I need.
I’ll leave the fireworks to the professionals! 🙂
We hope liked these 15+ gorgeous and FREE 4th of July printables! Which one(s) will you be printing out and decorating with this year? However you plan on celebrating, we hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!
We love to see our printables out in the wild! If you display our free printables in your home or use our free SVGs in your projects, and take a picture and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag us @TheNavagePatch!
15+ Watercolor Fourth of July Printables
As usual, here’s some information on these free watercolor Fourth of July printables: today’s freebies come in 8.5×11 inch and 16×20 inch sizes. The 8.5×11 inch printables are PDFs, so they are not scalable. But the 16×20 inch printables are JPGs, so you can scale them up or down as necessary. Remember, 16×20 inch JPGs can scale down to 12×15 / 8×10 / 4×5 inches with no problems. If you need help with scaling down these printables so you can print them on your home printer, then make sure you check out Handan’s “How To Easily Resize Pictures” post.
Note: If you don’t have a large format printer like the Canon i8720 Printer (prints up to 13×19 inches) and are wondering the best place to get these large printables printed bigger than 8×12, we recommend trying Staples in your area or Amazon print shop. Both stores offer custom-sized prints on matte or glossy paper, and they both cost about the same. Staples also offers Engineering Prints, which are really affordable for large-format prints, but in some areas (like ours), they must be ordered from their online print shop.
Now it’s time to click on the button below to download today’s free watercolor patriotic printables – you’ll find them under the 4th of July section of The VIP Patch.
take me to your
amazing freebies library
If you’re not a Navage Patch VIP, you won’t be able to access our Freebies Library. But that can be easily fixed! Subscribe for free on the form below and become a Navage Patch VIP. Once you subscribe, a password will be sent to you in our Welcome email, and that will give you access to The VIP Patch [Freebies Library].
Share it on Pinterest & Facebook!
You’re right. There are those of us who read your terrific words while scrolling through Handan’s gorgeous art work. I wish I wrote like you. I wish I could draw like Handan. Le sigh (as the French say . . .)
Thanks for the gorgeous printables! I love them all.
Does anybody else besides me find the irony in you wishing your readers a safe 4th of July after you regaled us with tales of your 4th of July mishaps? 🙂
LOLOL! And the truth is, I’d still be lighting them off if I had the time and access to the “good stuff!” 😀
Loved the stories, love the prints! I downloaded! Thanks for all your work.
You are so very welcome, Linda! 🙂
Such a Happy July 4th to you guys, Handan and Greg, and a thank you for so much laughter in my wee head, bwahahahah. But this is truly my wish for your whole family.
As a Canadian I do not have the right to print what I think of the shenanigans and dastardly damned deeds that are abounding your beleaguered nation. Also, as a Canadian, I do really love all these watercolour designs…fine pieces of art in my mind (you do remember that I have a wee mind, eh)? I would love to have the ways and means of sending the “Where Liberty dwells, there is my country” to that orange mook down there…Bwahahahahah, but that will remain the only nice thought I shall ever have ever have go through my mind about that mook.
OOOOPS, forgot I was Canadian and should not comment upon your politics. A minute amount of regret buzzed past so fast there was a sonic boom, hehehe. Have a wonderful (and safe after those stories) summer to the whole family. Maybe next year there may be some magical watercolours for my beloved Canada!
Cheers,
Linda
Thank you so much, Linda! I think some Canadian printables would be a great idea! You can expect them in time for your Independence Day! 🙂
I messed it up somehow by trying to edit…I have a giant hit wonder for all of us Canadians who are glued to your blog and everywhere else, snicker.
Maybe the Magic Faeries will provide a couple of these beauties for us to proudly display on our birthdate of July 1…we have seen unicorns that proves we can do this. Bwahahahaah
You’ll have them! 🙂
Thank you ! The printables are gorgeous! Your writing is great ! Happy 4th of July ! God bless the USA !??
Thank you and you’re welcome, Jane! Have a wonderful 4th! 🙂
And, yet….I STILL LUV “WATCHING” FIREWORKS!!! Those “sparklers” burned through to my fingers EVERY TIME…and yet….franki
LOL! Yet you still kept reaching for one more…
Rogers Lake….I was recently in Old Lyme visiting my cousin. Her mother’s family owned Becket Hill and she, with her boyfriend, were staying in the big house on the hill. A cousin from her mother’s side of the family lives in one of the houses on the property. Standing on the edge of her property, we could see Rogers Lake in the distance. A lot of great memories from our visits to the “Hill.”
Oh, wow, Marianne! Small world! 🙂
As usual Handan you have created something beautiful, i will have to do a Welsh version for my special day 🙂 Greg thanks for the entertaining story, your poor mum must have been a nervous wreck! I shall be stuffing my face with Birthday cake on the 4th, if i had a pound for every time in my life i have been asked my birth date only to be quoted ‘that’s American independence day’! Nooooooo really i never knew that!:-) 🙂 🙂 I’d be quite rich:-)
You have an awesome birthday, Catherine! Happy Birthday to you and America! 🙂
Thank you, you enjoy your celebrations too:-)
Did Handan really create those beautiful pieces of artwork? It doesn’t credit the artist so I’m not sure. 🙂
Hi Lynn, none of our printables are done by hand. They are all created in Photoshop using different vectors and backgrounds. So credit and copyright goes to Handan 🙂
It never ceases to amaze me what America lets its citizens get up to. We’ve got nothing more dangerous than sparklers (though taping 1000 together makes a pretty big fireball!) and considering these events are usually combined with the great equaliser of men – beer – that’s probably for the best! But hey, you guys can rewire lights and stuff yourselves, too! (We have to call an accredited electrician for any electrical work.) I think fate wanted you to keep your hands ? You’re a lucky man.
Land of the Free and Fingerless, lol! 🙂
They are beautiful. They make me cry.
Aw, thank you, Derry! 🙂
I love the watercolors and the stories! Thank you both for sharing your wonderful talents!
Thank you and you’re welcome, Karen! 🙂
Wow! Great memories and your “about us” is pretty damn amazing! Thank you for sharing these beautiful watercolors with us! Have a great day.
Thank you, Bernie and you’re welcome! 🙂
I am new how do you apply the watercolors on a canvas or a shirt? Do you cut them with Cricut?
Amy, what a perfectly-timed question! Hang tight until tomorrow morning -I’m publishing a post on exactly this topic! 🙂
As always I love to read your posts. Thanks for the beautiful watercolors. I have a whole room in my house that I dub the patriotic room, so these will be perfect. Have a great 4th!!
Oh perfect! You can make some pillows now, too! 🙂
I love the watercolor Fourth printables. However, only 1 per set is listed as 81/2 x 11. All the rest are listed as 16 x 20. Does this mean that I would need a large printer to print them? Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
Hello Karen, that one 8.5×11 file is a PDF file and has 17 pages (all the designs) in it. So just download that 8.5×11 and print whichever page you like from it.
Also keep in mind, you can always resize 16×20 inch size down to 8×10 and print it from a normal printer. If you need help with resizing pictures, check out my tutorial here: How To Easily Resize Pictures
I hope this info helps! 🙂
Happy New Year!
still trying to download your lovely fourth of July printables. I am not finding the button to download them on the free printables page. Would appreciate some help. Thank you.
Hi Karen, there is a category for “4th of July” in the VIP Patch. Are you able to access the VIP Patch?
I have subscribed twice and I have not gotten an email to access your lovely Fourth of July watercolors.
Hi Mary, I see that you’ve been a subscriber since October. You can find the password to the VIP Patch at the top of any of the emails we send out each week. If you have deleted those emails, please drop me a note at greg@thenavagepatch.com, and I will send you the password.
Are we no longer able to access the free printables? I have tried subscribing quite a few different times and I never receive anything 🙁 love seeing your posts though!
Hi Jordan, I just checked our mailing system and I can see that you subscribed on June 3rd and received 2 emails from us. But you never opened them, so I’m guessing that they might have ended up in your junk mailbox. If you can add greg@thenavagepatch.com to your contacts you should be able to receive our future emails, and within them you’ll find the latest password (and future password updates).
I’m trying to figure out how to find the 4th of July prints and i can’t find them. There’s so many ads . Can you email the prints?
Hello Courtney, the prints are in the VIP Patch under the “4th of July” section and only our subscribers have access to the VIP Patch. The ads the only reason why those prints are available for free. I hope this info helps!
Having the same difficulty as everyone else. I received the password but can not access the Patriotic Printables. I keep getting kicked right back to the blog story and not to the prints. Your link must be directed the wrong way.
Hello Kim, you need to go to the VIP Patch and under the “4th of July” section you can find those prints. Once you click on the relevant picture in the VIP Patch, it will take you to its related Google folder. If you’re still having issues finding the printables, please CLICK HERE and follow the step-by-step instructions given in the help file. That should help you downloading our free printables.
I would like to paint one of the images with a group from church. But I don’t want to infringe on your copyright. Am I able to use your image as a photo guide for a personal painting?
Absolutely, Amber! I’m happy you like it enough to paint it! 🙂
I would like to access your free printables. I can’t figure how I get to where I can download and print.
hi Liz, just head to the VIP Patch and enter the password! Please email me if you’re still having trouble – greg@thenavagepatch.com
My very first concert was the Beach Boys at the Los Angeles Forum. My brother took me…I felt so grown up (I was 16)…and we had seats on the floor. Out of nowhere during the middle of the concert someone threw firecrackers down to the floor. One landed in my long hair and rolled across my face! Security showed up immediately and whisked me to first aid. I spent weeks hiding the red mark on my face…afraid my parents would never let me go to a concert again. Months later I found out they knew all along 🙂
Never been a fan of fireworks since…
Oh wow! Yeah, I can see how that would turn you off to them! Glad there was no permanent damage!
Hello! Love these! I cannot for the life of me find the library. I’ve clicked clicked and clicked and the same things keep popping up, but no library. I did see the link for computers, but I don’t even see those options to click on. Lol. Ah hhh
Hi Brooke, I’ve answered you via email!