Homemade Puff Paint

Homemade Puff Paint

When I was a little girl I used puff paint all the time and drew designs on anything I could find – especially T-shirts and shoes. The only problem was, they came in the smallest bottles and were quite expensive so I didn’t get to use it as much as I would have liked.

Now you can make your own puff paint using pantry ingredients. It is a little messier than squeezing it straight from the store bought bottles but we love mess here at Be A Fun Mum – and I am sure your kids do too!

It is lots of fun and you can design some really cool patterns. Painting with it is a little tricky but whether you are young or old, puff paining can entertain you for hours.

For my little ones, I painted a picture of a rainbow first and they tried to copy it. We also did drip pictures which is great if your child can’t handle a brush very well. I also tried it on black cardboard and the colours were nice and vibrant.

Things you will need:

• ½ cup self-raising flour
• ½ cup salt (cooking or table salt). Table salt works better because it is finer.
• 200ml water (approx. 10 Tbspns)
• Food colouring
• Bowls and spoon
• Thick paper or cardboard
• Paint brushes
• Zip lock bag (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, add flour and salt. Add water gradually, stirring until you get a smooth thin paste. If it is too thick, the kids will have trouble painting with it.

2. Separate the white paste into small bowls. Then add a few drops of food colouring to each bowl. Use as many colours as you like. I used 5 colours.

3. Time to get creative. Paint the colours onto your paper or cardboard. Be sure to paint it on fairly thick so it puffs up well. Pictures that are easy for small children and effective are colourful things such as rainbows, flowers, stripes, drips etc. You can also try putting a little paint into a zip lock bag and snipping off a small corner and pipe it out like you would a cake.

4. When your design is finished, take your paper and place it in the microwave. Microwave on high for approx. 25 – 30 seconds. AND WALA!! You picture should be puffed and hard.

 WARNING: The pictures are great to put on display but in my personal experience, they only last a few weeks before the puff paint starts to soften. So I would advise against framing them or placing them somewhere where the paint might rub off onto other things. It is wonderful creative play so it might be best to take some photos of their artwork to remember it down the track.