Creating a paintbrush out of an unusual material, such as pasta, brings an element of fun to this process art activity. Spaghetti paintbrushes and some food coloring paint make for a super fun art project straight out of the pantry.
Making spaghetti paintbrushes…..
Start with straight pasta; spaghetti, fettuccine, something along those lines. Try more than one variety for fun. Gather small bunches of pasta approximately 1/2-1 inch in diameter. Secure with rubber bands or tie tightly with yarn.
If you use rubber bands you do need to be careful that they do not touch the pot as a the water boils in the nest step. Using a smaller pot so more pasta sticks out of the water will ensure your rubber bands stay in place.
Boil it up….
Adults this step is for you. Bring a small-ish pot of water to a full boil. Lay spaghetti paintbrushes in making sure that the rubber band portion stays above the pot. Let them boil till they are al dente. You want noodles that are flexible enough to move paint around but not so soft they get mushy when paint is added. Really only the bottom few inches of the pasta needs to be cooked!
Add some color…
To prepare for painted you will need some shallow bowls or paper plates, food coloring, and water. Drop 5-6 drops off one color of food coloring in a container and add a small dash of water (maybe a TBSP or two) to dilute the color a bit and make it easier to move around.
Spaghetti paintbrushes can be dipped into food coloring mix and then straight on to the paper to paint. We used big paper like this 12 x 18 drawing paper.
You could even try this method of painting on newsprint, tissue paper, or a recycled cardboard box. Try whatever large surface you have available! These materials aren’t too precious so you could even try it more than once!
So what puts the process in this art….
The colors in this process are brilliant and beautiful. The spaghetti paintbrushes make awesome lines and textures. I love the way the finished products look!
But the point of any process art isn’t the way the finished product looks; the point is the actual making of the art work. Process art has no preconceived notion of what the end product should look like. There’s no right or wrong or rigid step one or step two.
Process art is joyful, it’s fun, it get’s kids hooked on using their creativity.
Create art experiences that encourage your young artist’s creative spirit!
Did you make your own spaghetti paintbrush? If you did I’d love to see your results and I’d love it if you could share this post on your favorite social media channel.
Every single share helps me to bring you more fun projects and free printables!
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