Get Creative with Outdoor Painting
By Dianely Luis, Arlington Parks & Recreation
Posted on July 16, 2020, July 16, 2020

Make a colorful splash this summer with splash art! This activity is an excellent way to get the little ones excited about playing outside. Best of all, you can use washable paint for easy clean-up after all the messy fun!

Materials:

  • Paint (Tempura or Acrylic, but Tempura is washable)
  • Water
  • Squirt Guns or Poke a Hole in the Top of the Water Bottles
  • Water Color Paper or Poster Board
  • Empty Water Bottles
  • String
  • Clothespins or Binder Clips
  • Scissors
  • Tape (optional)

Steps:

  1. Pour the paint into an empty bottle for easy mixing and pouring. Mix the paint with water using a 1:1 ratio.
  2. Shake the bottle until the paint and water are well incorporated.
  3. Slowly pour the paint mixture into the water gun’s spout. If the spout is too small, use a syringe to insert the paint mixture. If you don't have water guns, you can always just poke a hole in the lid of the water bottle cap.
  4. Tie the string up outside to hang your paper. Tie the string between two trees. (If an easel is available, set up the easel outside to use or pin your canvas to a tree.)
  5. Hang the paper up on the string using clothes pins or binder clips.
  6. To create a design with negative space, use duck tape or painters tape to make the desired design on the canvas. (Shapes, letters, numbers etc.)
  7. Squirt away! (To avoid stains, use tempura paint).

If making a design, let the paint to dry before peeling the tape off. The squirt gun painting is beautiful on its own, but it also makes for a great base for simple drawings! Draw cool shapes or words using a black permanent marker to add more depth to your painting. With endless possibilities, this project is a wonderful opportunity for little artists to get their creative juices flowing!

We’d love to see your masterpieces, so share your squirt gun paintings with us by tagging us and using #NaturallyFun

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