Ever pressed a balloon into wet paint? That is the whole technique behind this flower garden painting, and it prints a cluster of petals in one press. The balloon gets a marble pushed into the bottom of it and held there with a rubber band, then it is blown up and tied, which gives the end a rounded shape that stamps as petals when it meets the canvas. Magenta for the flowers, green brushed in for stems and leaves, a dot of yellow in the middle of each bloom, and that is it. This one is by Designer Gemma77 on YouTube, and it is a good summer afternoon project to hand a kid who has been on a phone for too long.
To paint flowers with a balloon, pull a balloon inside out, push a marble ball to the bottom of it, bind it tightly with a rubber band, then turn it right side out, blow it up and tie it. Dip the marble end in paint and press it gently onto the canvas for the petals. Three steps, three colors, and the brush only does the stems.
Materials:
- canvas
- balloon
- rubber band
- paint (3 different colors, one color should be green for the stems)
- marble ball
- paint brush
- dotting tool/ toothpick/ stick
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Directions:
Step 1:
Get your balloon, then pull the inside out. Insert the small marble until it is in the bottom of the balloon. Then using the rubber band, secure the marble tightly. Now reverse it back again. Blow some air into the balloon and tie it. This is what you’ll use to make the petals of the flowers.
Step 2:
Now it’s time to paint! Drop some magenta paint or your preferred color on your painting palette. If you don’t have one, just put it on a surface a few inches away from your painting so you won’t damage your art. Dip the end of the balloon into the magenta color and press it gently into the canvas to create the petals of the flowers. Make a few flowers. Next, using your brush and the green paint, create the stems and leaves of the flowers.
Step 3:
Finishing touches. Using your dotting tool and yellow paint, create the center of the flower. Let it dry.
Now you have your flower garden painting!
How to Paint Flowers With a Balloon
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of balloon do you use?
An ordinary balloon, but it is not used as a balloon. Pull it inside out, insert a small marble until it reaches the bottom, secure the marble tightly with a rubber band, then reverse it back, blow some air in and tie it. The marble under the rubber is what shapes the end into something that prints petals.
What paint works best for balloon printing?
The materials list calls for paint in three different colors, one of which should be green for the stems, and the project is done on canvas. The tutorial itself uses magenta for the petals and yellow for the flower centers. Any paint you would normally use on a canvas will do, since the balloon is only stamping it on rather than doing anything unusual to it.
How do you stop the paint from wrecking the painting?
Keep the paint away from the canvas until the moment it lands. Put it on a palette, or if you do not have one, on a surface a few inches clear of the painting so nothing gets knocked into the art. Press the balloon gently rather than mashing it down, and let the petals dry before you add the yellow centers with the dotting tool.
Is balloon painting good for kids?
Very. It is a fun activity for kids in the summer, a decent pastime that gets them off their phones, and it builds a little creative confidence because you do not have to be able to paint to get a good result. The stamping does the hard part. Hand them the balloon and let them make as many flowers as the canvas will hold.
