We haven’t had our painting easel out for a long time. It takes up a lot of space, and we don’t have much of that at the moment. But Morgan was keen to do ‘something special’… ‘not just boring old painting’ so I dragged the easel in and surprised him by setting up something really special!
Ok, so it’s not that special, just some regular old aluminium foil to paint on instead of paper. But it’s shiny and shimmery and you can see a very hazy reflection of yourself in the foil while you paint which feels rather magical.
The foil is a little delicate and can rip and tear easily which can be frustrating. It is also light and moves around a lot if laid loosely on a flat surface which is also frustrating. So if you don’t have easel to attach your foil to, try taping it to a table or large piece of cardboard for some support.
It also helps to add a small amount of dish washing liquid to your paint mix. Not only will that make cleaning up easier but it also helps the paint to stick to the foil better and not flake off when it dries.
I think I managed to meet his request of something ‘special’!
I love doing art with my kids but I don’t believe that doing art at home needs to be complicated. Check out some more of our easy painting ideas…
Water Colour Painting, Magic Painting, Cotton Bud Painting.
Joining the It’s Play Time link up with Quirky Momma this week.
What kind of paint do you used por this project? Acrylic? Because I would love to try it with my kids
We just use regular kids liquid tempera paint… just add a dash of dish washing detergent and it will help the paint stick to the foil.
Great idea. I thought that wrapping the foil over cardboard squares before they paint would maker a nice presentation of the artwork. Also, it might keep it secure while they are painting. I will try this next week.
NICE!