Fluid art is a VERY fun way to create abstract art mixed with science!
We used TEMPERA paint that was watered down and mixed with different household items!
We mixed the yellow with water, dawn dish soap, and we also tried liquid starch which worked well
The magenta was just mixed with water
The blue was mixed with water and rubbing alcohol
The white was mixed with hydrogen peroxide and water
-I went to each students and poured a generous amount paint on their paper. I used 80# white sulphite paper. Any multi media paper would be great! I even did a batch on white index tag board and it worked great!!
-students scraped very gently across the paper ONE TIME only ONCE!! You can see the paint separate into "cells" as the chemicals resist each other and the difference in density makes colors rise/sink like colored spots
-then I came around and flicked some rubbing alcohol on top to show the colors beneath!!
-students let the paint drip while they turn slowly in every direction to spread it over the paper. It begins to make tons of new colors and makes lines similar to sedimentary rock
We let these dry for 2-3 days. They dry very matte and a tiny bit faded, so we paint a layer of tempera varnish over them to bring out the vibrancy of color and make them SHINE!!
Students could also choose to outline shapes and animals that they see in the artwork!! (you can see some of those at the bottom of the post)
