Blow Painting Techniques
Question
What do you get when you tell a group of children they can spend an hour or two blow painting with a straw?
Answer
Lots of happy children and fabulous colourful pictures of course!
In case you have not tried it yourself, blow painting with a straw is a really enjoyable activity and one that we’re sure children will ask to do again and again.
What is blow painting?
Blow painting itself is a painting technique where children create abstract artwork using both watercolour paint and their breath by means of a straw. Ok so we admit it can get a tad messy but it’s such a fun art activity and one that can be done repeatedly with no two pictures ever looking the same.
This particular type of painting is believed to have originated in China many years ago and was pioneered by Xu Huang who set up his studio at the entrance to the famous Ludi Cave in Guilin.
How to do blow art painting?
Anyone can enjoy this simple art activity but we’ve made a list of helpful ideas below to get you started:
• Place your paper on a flat surface. A metal baking sheet with sides works well to contain any paint that travels a bit too far!
• Mix a selection of watercolour paint with water in individual pots.
• Use a dropper, a paint brush or even the straw itself to place blobs of liquid watercolour paint.
• Take a straw and point the lower end towards each paint blob and carefully blow through the top end.
• Repeat to build your design and add more colours as you go.
What is the best paint to use for blow painting with a straw?
Watercolour paint is definitely the best one to use as other types of paint tend to be too dense to achieve the desired effect. You could try experimenting with inks or even food colouring diluted with water. Whatever medium you go with you want a runny, but not too watery consistency to achieve bright colourful artwork.
We would love to see some of your blow painting so don’t forget to share your photos on our social platforms or follow us @bakerrossltd for some daily inspiration.
Blow painting is such a fun and creative experience for children. There’s so much joy to be had with a straw and some paint that we think you’ll want to put your paintbrushes away. Check out these fabulous ideas over at our Creative Station
