Kid Territory: Crafts: Plant Paints
Plants get their colors from chemicals called pigments, which reflect light in certain ways that our eyes and brains interpret as color. Plant pigments have been used for centuries as paint for clothes and art. Make some plant paint yourself and see what you can create!
What
you need
• Plants
• Onion skins for brown
• Dandelion flowers for yellow
• Beets for red
• Carrots for orange
• Beet greens, carrot greens, or artichokes for green
• Cranberries for pink
• Blueberries or blackberries for blue
Other items
• Water
• Sauce pans
• Paintbrushes
• White paper
• Paper towels or newspaper
• Muffin tin, small glass jars, or clean margarine containers
Most importantly...
An adult to help you with the cooking!
What you do
1. Boil each of the
plants in a separate pan of water until the water turns the color you
want. Cool the pans of water.
2. Take out the plants, then pour the cooled, colored waters into separate
compartments in the muffin tin, or into separate jars or margarine containers.
3. Cover your work surface with paper towels or newspaper, then use
paintbrushes to dip into the colored waters and paint pictures or designs
on the white paper. Construction paper works well because it absorbs
the water more.
