Bubble paint is a simple yet fun craft project that kids of all ages (and yes, even adults) will love to do. Bubble paint is a homemade paint that takes only a minute to make using dish detergent and powdered tempera paint. You can use bubble paint to make interesting artwork. You can also use bubble paint to make decorative paper that can be used in many ways. Some of the ways you can use the decorative paper that you make with bubble paint are discussed further at the end of this article.
To make bubble paint, you will need clear liquid dish detergent and powdered tempera paint. As for the dish detergent, any cheap brand is fine. It just needs to be clear for your bubble paint colors to be true. If all you can find is colored dish soap, pick a light color like yellow. Then just be aware that when you add the tempera paint to the dish soap, the paint color you add will change when it mixes with the soap color.
Tempera paint can be found in the craft section of any Walmart or in the school supply section. All craft stores also carry powdered tempera paint. It’s very inexpensive and you can buy it as individual colors or in kits with multiple colors. It’s good to have a supply of powdered tempera paints on hand if you like crafts because you can use the paints in many ways.
Take a small, shallow bowl and pour in 2 teaspoons of your dish soap. Then add 3 tablespoons of water and mix it in. If you are using a concentrated dish detergent, you need to add an additional tablespoon of water. After the water is mixed in, add 1/4 cup of powdered tempera paint using the color of your choice. Make a bowl of paint for each color you want to use.
Here’s the fun part! Using a straw, gently blow into the paint until you get a bowl bull of bubbles. Then take a white piece of paper and capture the bubble prints by placing the paper on top of the bubbles. You can move the paper around to cover the entire paper with that color. Or you can opt to color just a portion of the paper with that color, leaving the rest of the paper white for other bubble colors. If your bubbles disappear, just blow in the bowl again to make more bubbles.
After you apply your first layer of bubble paint, experiment by moving along to a different color. Adding one color on top of the other creates a swirling marble-like effect. If you don’t want the colors to blend, let the first color dry on the paper before dipping it into another color. You can also play with the different types of paper you use. Glossy paper will make different patterns than a more porous paper like construction paper.
Use bubble paint to create decorative paper that can be used in many ways. You can create custom stationery that you can use yourself or you can give as a homemade gift. You can also make matching envelopes by dipping white envelopes into the bubbles. You can make pretty greeting cards by dipping card stock into the bubbles. Use the bubbles as the background then hand draw your own creative artwork over the bubble design after the paint has dried. You can also use this method of painting to make interesting gift wrap. If you need large pieces of gift wrap, try using bubble paint on sheets of newspaper. You can also make decorative lunch bags by dipping either white lunch bags or brown lunch bags into the bubble paint.
If you like crafts, please see some of my other articles. Below are just a few of my favorites!
Crafts for Kids – Wood Dough for Sculpting
Crafts for Kids – Homemade Cotton Ball Clay
Crafts for Kids – Making Rock Salt Jewels and Gems
