Level of difficulty: Easy peasy

Age range: 3+

Some set-up help is required, but it’s otherwise easy for little hands.

Safety first: No cutting or glueing, just avoid leaving paint on hands?wash on contact.

The takeaway: This is the perfect project to learn about sun printing. The best part is, it doesn’t require any special or expensive photo transfer paint. You can practise with paper first and start imagining all the possibilities.

You’ll Need

plain canvas tote

acrylic paints + brush (washable paints won’t work for this project)

painters’ tape

spray bottle with water

1 sheet of card stock

maples leaves (or any plant you can forage in the park)
Step 1

Insert your card stock into the bag so water and paint don’t bleed through to the other side.  Section off the part of the bag you want to paint with painters’ tape and spray it liberally with water. A wet painting surface is key for the sun to do it’s magic, dry paint won’t transform in the same way.

Step 2

Paint your working area?you can paint it solid or try an ombré effect with two tones like we did above. Tip: Use darker, more saturated colours for the best results (light colours won’t give you enough contrast). Since you’re working with a wet surface and wet paint, it will bleed through the tape, so just embrace it as part of the design. If you want a neater look, paint over the edges once it’s dry ...