Simple and Fun Painting Ideas

Salt or Sugar Paint

In a bowl mix together:
2 teaspoons of salt or sugar
1 teaspoon of liquid starch
A few drops of tempera paint
Have fun painting.
Hint: to make the texture rougher add fine or rough sand

White sand paint looks great as snow in a painting. Also, brown salt paint works great for a desert.

Shiny Paint

In a bowl mix together:
¼ cup white liquid glue
¼ cup tempera paint
This paint gives a wet shiny look. It looks great for water or rain on a picture.
This can be used on both objects and paper. Keep tightly covered.

Sugar Chalk Stick Paint

In a ¼ cup of water dissolve 2 teaspoons of sugar. Soak various colors of chalk sticks until softened (about 10 minutes or more). Use like paint sticks on dark, dull construction paper. The chalk stays on because the sugar glues the chalk to the paper.

Straw painting

On a piece of paper place a few dollops of paint. Let your child blow through the straw gently to move the paint around into an abstract design.

Finger Paint

Finger painting is always a hit with children. You can make hand-prints, practice letters and numbers, make shapes, or just have creative fun.
Materials:
1 cup of wheat flour
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon of one of the following: body lotion, petroleum jelly or liquid starch, or liquid soap (or any other syrupy liquid you have.)
Tempera paint or food coloring
A throw away shallow container
Butcher paper or any slick surface, such as shelf paper, recycled, clean meat and produce trays, plastic bag taped over cardboard or any shiny paper.
Disposable spoons or stir sticks

Combine flour with water and mix thoroughly. Add paint and lotion. You can do several different containers with various colors.
If you are painting on a plastic surface, save your painting by blotting a print of the finger paint with construction or newsprint paper.

Use other mediums for finger painting, such as chocolate pudding, whipped cream or shaving cream.

Ink Blot Painting

Materials:
Paper white or light color Paints-either tempera, food coloring, water colors,
Paint brush or plastic spoon
Newspaper

Cover your work area with several layers of newspapers.
Fold your paper in half. Open the paper and put various dabs of paint on the crease of the paper. Fold the paper. Starting from the center crease, use your hands or finger to push the paper from the center to the edge. You can eve use a small rolling pin, crayon to roll across the paper. When the paint has been spread out, open the paper to see the surprise you have created.

Print Painting

Materials:
Tempera or thick paint-various colors
Thick paper
Containers or recycled plastic trays

Printing materials:

Empty spools
Clothes pins
Styrofoam peanuts
Plastic berry basket
Apple cut in half
Bottom or lid of bottle
Pipe cleaners shaped into a design
Hands, finger tips, feet, etc.
Potato carved with letter or design

In a shallow bowl or bowls put in paint. Dip with a printing material and make cool designs. You can make cards, wrapping paper, or unique paintings with this.

Weird paint brushes:
You don't always have to us a paintbrush to paint.

Here are some fun items to paint your next creation

Sponge brushes (These are usually used for decorating or painting walls)

Small paint roller

Feathers

String

Sticks

Marbles

Plastic knife, fork or spoon

Jar lids

Cotton swabs

Bottle corks

Aluminum foil formed into various shapes

Montessori Handwork Ideas from Montessori World