Bubble Painting Recipe

Would you like to introduce your child or students to bubble painting? Yes? Awesome — I’ve got just the recipe for you.

This is fun for preschoolers and older, and fun for adults as an art journaling or experimental art process.

The bubble recipe I used to make Bubble Painting Process Art (click here or the image above) was great, but didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It was a little flat and I thought we could create something a little more spectacular.

So I went back to the paint and soap lab, and came up with a recipe that creates big, rewarding bubbles that are easy to create prints from. I loved it and think you will too.

While this worked for me, feel free to experiment with your own unique ratio or ingredients. That is, after all, how I landed on this recipe. You might land on something even better.

And if you come up with something good, please share it here. I love getting helpful feedback 🙂

Bubble Painting Recipe

• 2 tablespoons tempera paint (liquid, not powdered)
• 2 tablespoons dish soap. Palmolive, Dawn, and Joy all work well. You could also try all-natural dish soap, although my results with these soaps have been less than stellar.
• 1 tablespoon water (just a little water!)
• Small bowls or plastic cups: If you want different colors, use one for each color
• Spoon
• Straw/s

What is the ratio for Bubble Painting?

The ratio is 2:2:1

or…

2 parts tempera paint + 2 parts dish soap + 1 part water

Is Bubble Painting Messy?

It really can be! Before you begin, here are some ways to stay clean:

1. Cover your space. If you’re working on the floor, use drop cloths, shower curtains, or old sheets. If you’re at a table, use a washable surface as we did or cover your table
2. Take it outside on a sunny day
3. Wear old clothes or aprons because the soap bubble can splatter on your shirt (and face!)
4. Clean-up: Have a cup of water and a rag nearby to clean hands or spills

How do you do Bubble Painting?

• Pour ingredients into a small bowl. (If you decide you want more bubbles, stick to the same 2:2:1 ratio and size up.)
• Mix with the spoon
• Insert the straw into the soap/paint bowl and blow to create colored bubbles.
• Next, you’ll place your paper on top of the bubbles
• Pull the paper away, and you have a print!

Other Bubble Painting Crafts and Ideas

1. Make Larger Bubbles with a Bubble Blower: Making this straw bundle is a fun variation. Tape or rubber band three or more straws together to create a massive bubble blower. Dip the bubble blower in a 2:2:1 ratio or liquid watercolors, soap, and water. Blow! Very fun!
2. Use Bubble Wands or Toys. Dip a bubble-making toy directly into the liquid watercolor mixture (See Straw Bundles, above) and blow it onto the page.
3. Make Cards. Make bubbles on thick paper or watercolor paper. Once dry, cut up your colorful painting creations to make gift tags, greeting cards, or bookmarks.
4. Make Multiple Colors. Overlap colors to create depth and layering in your work.

Why is my bubble solution not working?

The biggest issue we had was getting flat bubbles, and this came from using a natural dish soap. I’m a fan of all-natural dish soaps, but for this project, you need Dawn, Joy, or a similar brand.

Another issue we encountered was sucking up paint. You think it might not happen to you, but we’re intuitively wired to inhale when there’s a straw in our mouths, rather than exhale. It could happen! One way to avoid this is to pierce a hole near the top of the straw. This can help keep kiddos from sucking paint into their mouths.

Homemade Art Recipes

If you like homemade art recipes like this one, don’t miss our famous homemade playdough, easy contact solution glitter slime, 4-ingredient fluffy slime, and how to make your egg tempera paint.