If you're all out of paint and your child wants to do an art project, you can make your own watercolors at home with the following pantry staples: baking soda, vinegar, corn syrup, cornstarch, and food coloring!
My daughter and I tried this and were pleasantly surprised! The paints work well, and making our own was easy peasy and saved me from a last-minute run to Michael’s! Furthermore, I was able to use up some ingredients from my pantry that I hardly ever use. For example, I tend to buy corn syrup once a year for some uncommon recipe, and then it sits in the pantry, begging for attention!
You literally need only a couple of minutes to make your own watercolor paints, and right after you’re done, your child can use the paints to create his/her own masterpieces! I like to think of this as a science and art project in one. Here’s how to pull it off:
- STEP ONE: Combine 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Mix until the fizzing stops.
- STEP TWO: Add 1/2 teaspoon corn syrup and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix well until consistency is uniform.
- STEP THREE: Pour the mixture into 4 small containers. We used aluminum muffin liners, but egg carton cups, small round lids from bottles of water, or plastic paint palettes work well too! Whatever you decide to use, just pour an equal amount into the 4 containers / divisions.
- STEP FOUR: Add 5 to 10 drops of food coloring to each cup, mixing thoroughly (use skewer or popsicle sticks), to reach desired colors. Combine colors to make new colors, should you desire. Color mixing is a great way to reinforce to your child how primary colors can make secondary colors.
- STEP FIVE: Use paints immediately, while wet, or allow paints to dry overnight.
- Use paints on watercolor paper with a wet paintbrush. Keep a jar of water on hand to rinse your brush each time you change colors. Happy painting!
