I pinkie swear, this works GREAT on chalk paint and latex paint. It will clean paint brushes EASILY. And if that doesn’t work or you don’t have any fabric softener, my 2nd choice for cleaning paint brushes with dried paint is APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. It too will loosen and break up the dried paint. It just doesn’t smell as nice as the. For gloss brushes fill a jamjar or any glass container with white spirit and place the brush into the container. Swirl the brush around in the jar to help dislodge the paint. Wear protective gloves to avoid white spirit contact with the skin. Apply with a roller or paint brush in a nice, even coat, then—after it dries—smooth the entire wall with a fine sandpaper and wipe away the dust with a slightly damp cloth. Flour + Water + Food Coloring Although flour did not pass the taste test it is turned out to be my FAVORITE homemade finger paint. In my opinion, it has the most paint-like consistency. If you’ve read any of my recipe posts (these muffins are always a hit), then you know I’m not very precise with my food measurements.
Making natural paintbrushes is a fun activity that produces great results! We really enjoyed this one – from making the brushes, to seeing the end product of the painting. It was all really neat! We have painted with spaghetti, pinecones, and cotton before, but this one definitely took the cake. These brushes would also work great with our homemade paint!
The materials you need to make the brushes are in the photo above – some twigs, twine or string, and some evergreen leaves.
The directions to do these are simple – Lay the string out flat on your surface. Layer the evergreen leaves around your stick until you have a good-sized brush. While still holding the twig/leaves, gently lay it down onto the string. Let go slowly – most of the leaves should still stay in place. Tie the string. I tied twice around each paintbrush so that the leaves would be secure. Tie as many times as you have to in order for your leaves to stay in place. That’s it!! You should have some great looking paintbrushes like these below:
Lorelai had a “slap” technique that, when combined with the evergreen leaves, created a splattery, dotted effect. I only gave her 3 paint colors to go with the three paintbrushes, and she went to town with the splattering.
Handmade Paint Brush
How To Make Paint Brush
Overall, I think this was a definite HIT. We will definitely be making more natural paintbrushes in the future. I hope you get a chance to make some! I bet your child will love it as much as mine did. =)
Enjoy!
Homemade Paintbrush
Homemade Paint Brush Cleaner
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