Paintsicles

Despite the bright sunshine that suddenly has started to flood our windows this week, we still have quite a bit of winter weather ahead of us. Fighting the cold will not make it go away, so why not use the giant outdoor freezer for a creative purpose? We experimented with frozen paint this week and I think it is fair to say that this is a keeper. We froze tempera mixed with water in popsicle molds and then painted with our "paintsicles" on watercolor paper. A dish of salt and a small bowl of water with a dropper helped create beautiful textures. Wetting the paper first with a brush or droppers full of water help the frozen paint slide across the paper. Dipping the end in salt for a minute helped speed up the melting process creating thicker paint, more vibrant colors and a grainy texture.

Stamping the ends resulted in rings while sliding on dry paper made scratchy lines.

Yes, I know the next picture is sideways, it keeps uploading that way despite not being sideways in my file--just tilt your head, it is worth it! Maybe I have been sunlight deprived for too long, but that natural light and shadow makes me giddy...

When we finished we just stuck the paintsicles back outside so that we can use them again and again. The only downside to this is that the frozen paint looks very yummy. Hollin could not resist licking each one. She is almost 5 and not at all the type to eat paint. But even she could not resist--even after saying "yuck" to the first one. I think she was holding out hope that one of them really was a popsicle...just thought I would warn you!