Here’s one of our favourite simple art ideas – painting on foil, which is lots of fun, great for sensory play, and creates gorgeous collaborative art.
Simple art ideas :: painting on foil
Sometimes you need a quick rescue remedy – something that’s easy to set up, will engage a group of children, and hopefully perk up a gloomy day or grumpy kiddos. This simple set up of painting on foil is one of those activities. All you need is a roll of kitchen foil, some paint, and either brushes or hands to create some art.
I laid out our roll of foil on the table, fastening it in place with a little sticky tape at the corners. The children used paint brushes today, so I set out a palette with their pick of colours, but you might like to squirt some paint straight onto the foil and swoosh it around with your hands – super sensory play.
Then it’s all-join-in time. The foil is an interesting surface to paint on – quite different to paper, which is most likely what your children are used to. The foil is very smooth, so the paint glides, and sits on the surface rather than being absorbed a with paper. The shiny surface adds an extra sensory element, and it makes a noise as you paint on it too.
And you can make all sorts of gorgeous patterns, from waves…
to follow-the-leader dots…
and mandala shapes.
Laid out on the table, the foil can be a canvas for a big collaborative piece, with everyone painting their own section, or overlapping across the foil, layering the paint and colours as you go.
How does the paint dry on foil?
Hi Melissa, a few people over in our Facebook community have asked that too. It dries fine, taking a bit longer than on paper. It’s best to keep the art work flat (you can display it on the wall) as the paint can flake a little if you bend the foil.
Are you using acrylics?
No Carol, we used water-based paint here, but I think acrylics would be great too.
If you mix a little PVA glue with the water based paint the finished picture wont flake so much.
Great tip Teresa!
You could also take a paper ‘print’ from the painting or part of the painting I would think? Going to try this at my next group I think 🙂 Will be doing Winter theme so white on foil and then black or blue paper prints I think. Thanks for the ideas 🙂
Rosie
I did it and it was just perfect!!!!
We love painting on foil too. I usually scrunch up one piece and then flatten it again, then tape it to the table. Then tape a smooth piece to the table too. I then just set out paint in small squeezy bottles and sometimes give them tissue paper off-cuts too. The kids love seeing the difference the texture makes to the look and feel of the artwork.
I love the idea of mixing textures!
Me encantei com as inúmeras possibilidades onde as crianças podem descobrir e se decobrirem 🥰
Obrigado!