You can make your own watercolor paints at home with vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, and food coloring, instead of buying a store set. The fizzing reaction is part of the fun.
This is an inexpensive project that also works as a simple chemistry demonstration, since mixing vinegar and baking soda produces a real chemical reaction. Pair it with our science section, or check our crafts page for a project to use your new paints on.
What you need
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 tablespoon glycerin
- Plastic bottle caps, paint pans, or a foam egg carton
- Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
Steps
- Mix the vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl. It will fizz up.
- Once the fizzing stops, stir in the cornstarch and glycerin until well combined.
- Pour a small amount of the mixture into each bottle cap, paint pan, or egg carton cup.
- Add several drops of one food coloring to each cup and stir until evenly mixed. Use plenty of coloring, since the color lightens as the paint dries.
- Mix two primary colors together in one cup if you want a secondary color like green or purple.
- Let the paints sit out overnight to harden before using them.
Safety
This recipe uses common kitchen ingredients and is safe for kids to help make with adult supervision at the stirring and pouring steps. Food coloring can stain skin, clothing, and countertops, so cover the work surface and have kids wear old clothes. These paints are not a snack, even though the ingredients are food items.
Store the finished paint pans in a covered container so they do not dry out between uses, and try them out on a project from our crafts page.