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The 2023 Summer Sketchbook Un-Slump kicked off with "play" as our first prompt! I wanted to start with something fun, no pressure, and something I think we should all do more of!
The first thing I thought of was bubbles—sticking my little fingers into the soapy liquid to get the wand and blowing bubbles at the park! Also blowing bubbles in my drink—I can’t remember the last time I did that!
I decided to paint with bubbles on my sketchbook page to see what kind of shapes and colors it would create. This is such an easy and fun art project for kids and adults alike so I wanted to share the process! Watch a short process here.
MATERIALS
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Watercolor or multimedia paper (I'm using an Arteza Mixed Media Sketchbook)
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Acrylic Paint (I'm using Craft Smart brand for this, it's more liquid-y and mixes with the water well and it's affordable--you don't need anything super fancy for this!)
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Liquid Dish Soap
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Water
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Cups for each paint color (Use a container you don't mind staining, just in case! I have some small plastic cups that I wash and re-use for craft projects.)
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Straw (I was able to use one and rinsed it off between colors)
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Paper towels
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Spoon/Spatula (Optional, but it can make transferring the bubbles to the paper easier)
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Cup of Water (Optional, if you need to clean your straw between colors)
PROCESS
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Add paint, dish soap, and water into your cup and mix well. I used a ratio of about 2 parts paint, 1 part dish soap, and 2 parts water (you'll want enough to submerge the tip of the straw and blow bubbles, it can't be too shallow).
If bubbles aren't forming or popping easily, add more dish soap.
If the color is too light, add more paint and be sure to mix well! -
Start blowing some bubbles with your straw! Rinse straw between colors or leave it and see how the colors mix.
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Using your straw, spoon, or spatula, scoop the bubbles at the top of the cup and place them on your paper.
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Continue to blow bubbles and place them on your paper until you fill it up or when you feel finished.
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Let the paper dry. If there are a ton of bubbles on your page, you can pop them to help with the drying process.
Your masterpiece is done! :) Did it turn out how you expected it to? What parts of the process did you enjoy and what do you like most about your final piece? I love how there are larger areas of paint but also these delicate and detailed imprints of the bubbles. I also like the way the colors mixed and layered.
You can use this as a background and add more elements to your page (I added a paper cut out to mine), save it to use in a collage or project later, fold it into a greeting card, or cut into bookmark or notecards (my paint dried light enough to be able to write directly over it or write on the back of it).
I hope you enjoy this project and have a ton of fun painting with bubbles!
