Puffy Paint, Printmaking,and One Big Mess

 

A few days ago we experimented with homemade puffy paint for the first time.  I tried two recipes.  One using glue and shaving cream, the other using flour, baking soda, and salt.  The latter of the two seemed to work a lot better and was easier to clean up.  You could also microwave the flour paint if you wanted a different affect.  Here's the recipe based on several that I looked at online:

 

• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• Food coloring or Bath color tablets (shown in the picture above)
• 1/2 cup water

 I used my magic bullet to blend the ingredients, especially when using the color tablets.  You could also soak the color tablets in the water before blending.  Food coloring also works great, I just had more tablets on hand.

Pour into squirt bottles (at Wal-Mart in the kitchen aisle for 97 cents). 

 

We tried a few different techniques.  First he squirted paint all over his construction paper.

 

Then he folded it in half. 

He seemed to really enjoy the results.

 

 

This one was a nice surprise and turned into a really nice heart shape. 



 

On one of his paintings, he made nice big puddles of paint and experimented with a sponge.  There was so much paint on the paper, I thought this would be a good time to make some prints.

Just take another piece of paper and place it on the painted paper.  Press down and carefully lift. 

 

While Dustin was piling up more paint, I tested out microwaving the puffy paint after making a design on a piece of cardboard.  I microwaved the painting for about 45 seconds on high.  It didn't really puff up any higher, but it hardened and dried the paint.

 

Overall Dustin had a blast and it only took a few minutes and a bath to clean up.