Fun with Paint!

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I have been extremely busy with the school year starting and art class and many other things, but I promise I will be posting more frequently. Today, I thought I would do a quick post about one of my favorite things- paint! I taught an art class today and due to some scheduling conflicts with the library I hold the class at, I took the kinds outside to do some painting projects. Even though it was hot, humid, and windy, the kids still had a great time and made some beautiful masterpieces.

Marble Painting

Materials-

• paper (any color; size depends on the container you use)
• washable paint (variety of colors)
• marbles
• plastic spoons
• egg cartons or any other type of container to hold the paint when coating the marbles
• foam trays, shoe boxes, or any other type of container that has a lip on the edge

Instructions-

1. Pour paint into the egg cartons (one color per compartment) and drop in the marbles (one per color). Place a spoon in each compartment or container so that there is one spoon per color/marble.
2. Put the paper on top or or inside the foam tray or shoe box.
3. Choose a color and coat a marble with it, then using the spoon scoop out the marble and drop it onto the paper.
4. Tilt the paper back and forth so that the marble rolls around and creates a pattern.
5. Repeat this with as many colors as you want until you get your desired design.

Note: This activity is best done outdoors, that way when the marbles fall off the paper they just fall into the grass.

Other painting projects:

Splatter painting- Use straws and paintbrushes to flick the paint onto the paper- creates a cool 3D effect.

Kaleidoscope effect- Dab and splatter paint of different colors to create a layered effect that looks like a kaleidoscope. (The picture above is an example of what one of the kids created. Beautiful!)