Watercolor Spin Art

The amazing Tammy from Housing a Forest and I are taking part in a blog swap today! I’m over at Housing a Forest sharing how to make simple weaving looms to use outdoors for nature weaving. Please head on over to read about this fun activity you can do with kids of almost any age! 

Tammy is here today sharing one of her amazing art projects~ watercolor spin art. Housing a Forest is one of the first places I go to find things to do with my kids, everything from gorgeous artwork to inspire my children’s creativity to scientific explorations that will peak their curiosity.  I’m so thrilled to be able to share one her of creative art projects right here on Buggy and Buddy! 

Hi everyone! My name is Tammy and I blog at Housing A Forest. I am so excited to be guest posting on Buggy and Buddy. I can’t wait to share one of my kids favorite activities, Watercolor Spin Art. Being a busy mom, I love finding art project that is easy to set up and requires very little supervision. For our family, spin art is one of our go-to activities.

My kids love our spin art machine. We picked it up at our local thrift store for just a couple of dollars and it was so worth it! It is so easy to use and as the kids get older, they can do it one their own. Love that!

To get started creating your own spinning art, you will need:

• A Spin Art Machine ~ a salad spinner or our DIY power drill spinner would work great too.
• Liquid Water Colors ~ I love the vibrant colors that you get from liquid water colors, but you can also use a mixture of water and food coloring with great results.
• Eye Dropper ~ being a frugal mom, I save the droppers from infant medicine bottles.
• White Crayons ~ a cheap way to create a simple resist.
• Heavy weight paper ~ we use watercolor paper, but a heavy card stock would work great too.

I encouraged the kiddos to draw an “invisible” picture on their paper with a white crayon. It can be a little hard for younger kids to understand why they would want to draw with a crayon that they can’t see. However, once they try it and see how the white crayon creates a simple resist, they will be hooked. The magic of the simple white crayon possesses:)

To create a spin art masterpiece…color the paper with white crayon; turn on the machine; add lots of different colors with the eye dropper and then stop the spinning to reveal the art work. Its really that simple.

I love watching as the machine as it slows down. No two papers ever turn out the same, each one is unique and wonderful. It is so fun seeing how the color mixed and the effects that gravity/force had on the art work.

Spin Art Tips:

• Prepare a stack of pre-trimmed paper that fits your machine. This will make it easy to create art when ever the mood strikes. I store ours inside the machine so it is ready to go.
• A little loop of tape on the back of the paper helps to keep the paper in place and keep from flying around as it spins.
• Depending on the quantity of pieces that you are creating, you may need to give the machine a quick wipe to collect the excess paint.
• Most mediums work with the machine, no need to stick just to paint and watercolors. Try glitter glue, sharpies, markers, q-tips or brushes dipped in paint…the list could just keep going:)
• Play around and have fun.

The beautiful spirals of color are wonderful on their own. They make a beautiful statement on a card or check out these adorable book marks like my kids created. I hope I inspired you to go searching garage sales and thrift stores in pursuit of your own spin art machine.

If you are looking for more spin art inspiration, check out our Home made spin art machine (it uses power tools) and fun art mediums to try the next time you are spinning.

Tammy is a stay at home mom to 3 wonderful kids, runs and in home daycare and is a part time art teacher.  She loves spending time being creative and encouraging kids to be creative as well.  She started Housing A Forest to be a resource for moms, teachers and caregivers.  Her blog is packed full of fun and engaging ideas that encourage kids to get excited about learning, creating and experimenting.

Please be sure to stop by Housing a Forest and see more of her amazing activities for children. Once you get there, you will never want to leave! And be sure to check out these posts, they are not to be missed!  Dancing Oobleck, How to Blow Bubbles with Your Hands, and Exploding Art.

Don’t forget to join the Buggy and Buddy community on Facebook where there’s even more ideas for creating and learning!