15 Easy Ways To Make Your Own Paint

If your art supplies are quickly diminishing with all this crafting during lockdown then there's no better time to try making your own paint.

Making homemade paint is easy to do and best of all, most of these paints are made using store cupboard ingredients or items you'll find around your house. Who knew there were so many imaginative ways that you can make your own paint?! We're sharing with you some of our favourites, from edible paint to ice lolly paints we have it all! So, round up your mini Picassos and let's get painting!
 

This is a super simple way to make paint using just food colouring and water.

You'll need: ice lolly moulds, water and food colouring

How to make your frozen paint pops: simply fill your ice lolly moulds with water then a few drops of food colouring.  Freeze overnight and then your frozen paint pops are ready.

Kidadl's top tip: if you don't have ice lolly moulds you can use ice cube trays with toothpicks or craft sticks as the handles!

Whip up some paint in just a few minutes with this super simple homemade paint recipe! Made using only flour and food colouring this is a great paint recipe if you have younger children who may have the tendency to explore with their mouths!

You'll need: 3/4 cup of flour, 1 cup of warm water, food colouring, a selection of small containers

How to make them: in a large bowl add the flour and water and mix until you have a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into your containers. Add in your food colouring until you've got your desired colour. Give them a good mix and they are ready to go.

We all know that babies explore everything by putting in their mouths so this edible paint made from fruits is perfect for introducing paint to babies. This is a great hands-on sensory activity, it will help them to develop fine motor skills by using the paintbrush but don't be surprised if it goes straight in their mouths! Painting and snack time all rolled into one!

You'll need: a handful of different coloured fruit; try blueberries, kiwi, banana, food colouring (optional)

How to make your edible paints: whizz up your fruit separately, add a few drops of food colouring to enhance the colours, pop your paints into little pots and voila! You can see the original recipe here!

Paint your pictures, pop them in the microwave and watch how they magically puff up to create wonderful pieces of art! Children of all ages will love this one!

You'll need: 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, card or thin cardboard & paintbrushes

How to make your magic puffy paint: in a bowl mix together to flour, baking powder and salt then add a little water until you have a smooth paste. Add your food colouring and give it a good mix. Get the kids to paint their masterpieces then just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. The paint will puff up and dry straight away!

It doesn’t get much simpler than this 3-ingredient homemade paint recipe.

You'll need: 2 cup flour, 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of water and food colouring

How to make your paint: add the flour, salt and water to a bowl and mix them well until its all combined and has a smooth consistency. Transfer to little tubs and add a few drops of your chosen food colouring.  Mix them well and you're ready to go!

You’ll need: shaving foam and food colouring

How to make your shaving foam paints: use a little bowl for each colour, squirt out a little shaving foam into each bowl then simply add a few drops of food colouring and give it a good mix! If you want more vivid colours just add a little more food colouring. Your shaving foam paints are ready!

Next time your out on a walk or in the garden go on a hunt for brightly coloured colours which you can use to make your very own homemade watercolour paints.

You'll need: zip-lock bags, water and petals from brightly coloured flowers

How to make your flower watercolour paints: separate your flowers into colours, then put the petals only into zip-lock bags with a little warm water. Close the bags and use a rolling pin to gently roll the petals to extract the colour. Leave the flower petals in their bags for a few hours until you can see the water has changed colour. Pour out your paints into little pots and they are ready to use!

Bath time will be their new favourite time of the day with these bath paints. Kids of all ages will love getting their fix of hands-on messy play with these!

You'll need: 1/2 cup of kids shampoo/hand wash or body wash, 1/4 cup of cornflour, 1-2 tbsp water and 3-4 drops of food colouring

How to make your bath paints: in a large bowl mix the cornflour, shampoo and food colouring together. Add the water a little bit at a time. You want the mixture to be thick enough to stick to the paintbrush without being too runny. If it’s too runny add a little more cornflour.  Your bath paints are ready!

A fun and easy way to make homemade glitter paints using hair gel!

You'll need: clear hair gel, food colouring and glitter

How to make your glitter paints: simply add a little hair gel into separate bowls or tubs, add a few drops of your chosen food colouring and a sprinkle of glitter and your glitter paints are ready!

This is a great homemade paint recipe for younger children who like to taste test everything!

You'll need: yoghurt and food colouring

How to make your yoghurt paints: just add some yoghurt into little pots and mix in some food colouring and your yoghurt paints are ready!

This is another easy and imaginative way to make homemade paint. These paints are great for hand and finger painting and are so easy to make!

You'll need: 1/2 cup of flour, 1 cup of water, a pinch of salt and food colouring

How to make your gloopy paint: pour your flour and water into a pan and heat over medium heat until it all comes together in a smooth, thick paste. Once the mixture starts to come away from the pan, remove it from the heat and add a pinch of salt. Add a little water until you have the right consistency- you may need to add about 1/4 cup of water. Then simply divide the mixture into seperate pots and add a little food colouring to each until you have your desired colour. Make sure the mixture has cooled then your gloopy paints are ready! You can check out the original recipe here.

It doesn't get much easier than this paint recipe! Simply add food colouring to PVA glue to make the perfect paints.

You'll need: egg yolks, small bowls and food colouring

How to make your tempera paint: seperate your eggs as you will only need the yolks to make the paint. Add 1 yolk to each bowl- use a bowl for each colour. Add some food colouring to your bowls and give it a good mix until its all combined. Your tempera paints are ready!

A great use for old broken crayons! We would recommend this activity for older children.

You'll need: old crayons with any labels peeled off and a muffin pan

How to make your crayon paints: start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees.  Then sort your crayons into colours and break them into small pieces. Pop them into your muffin tray and pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are completely melted. Your melted crayons are ready to be painted with right away, the crayon paint will be workable for about 10-15 minutes after which they will start to cool and harden.  

Kidadl's top tip: get kids to wear long-sleeved tops to prevent hot wax getting on their arms.

DIY face paint is perfect for any kids who love

You'll need: 1 cup water, 1 cup cornstarch, 1 cup flour, 1 cup lotion, 1/4 tsp vegetable oil, food colouring

How to make your face paint: combine water, cornstarch, flour and lotion in a mixing bowl until it's the consistency you want - add water to thin it out and add cornstarch to thicken. Separate the mixture into airtight containers and add your chosen food colouring to each one. Now it's ready

Kidadl's top tip: add a drop or two of food colouring at a time so that you can get the perfect shade - try not to make the colours too dark as there's a chance they may temporarily stain the skin a bit. This is also the perfect opportunity to get kids to learn about how different colours are made!