Monday, August 3, 2009

Art Time - Oiled Paper Suncatchers

I remember seeing this somewhere a long time ago, and it's been sitting in the back of my mind ever since. Finally we got around to doing it.
We used some sketch-pad paper, slightly heavier than regular printer paper. I thinned our tempera paints down a little bit with some liquid starch, thinking that might help it appear more translucent; however, after seeing the completed project I'm thinking bolder, more vivid colors would look nicer. The oil really makes the paper as translucent as it needs to be.
So, stick your paper somewhere in front of your child and have them paint it:
Let it dry.
Take some cotton balls and some oil (we used mineral oil, but you could use baby oil or even vegetable oil) and rub the oil onto the back of the artwork. I was going to let M do this part, but I got impatient while he was doing something else and ended up doing it myself. I'm glad I did because, well, oil is... oily. And it can make a big mess. Just an FYI. :) And the finished art:

The picture doesn't really do it justice. It's pretty in real life. I like it, but next time we'll go for brighter, bolder colors.
Have a beautiful day! :)

4 comments:

  1. Very cool...we might be making this today!!!

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  2. It looks rather nice and the whole setup is not too complicated. I might be motivated to try it on one of the weekends. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing! We'll definitely have to try this out :) My kids love things that hang from the window.

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  4. Ohhhhh, I'm inspired!! I love this and can't wait to do it with Maddie. Thank you so much!!

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