Whether or not you go outside to play on a rainy day, this art project lets you capture the energy of the spring rain (or the wet weather during any season). You will draw a picture and then set it outside to allow nature to finish the project by turning it into a sort of painting.
Rainy Day Craft Materials
This project works best during drizzle or a light rain. You will need watercolor paper (although poster board will do). If the rain is a misting drizzle, you can use regular copy/printer paper, although it will warp when it gets wet. You also need markers labeled “washable”.
Have your raincoat handy and the permission of your parents or babysitter to run outside.
How to Make a Rainy Day Craft
Draw any sort of picture you like, although you want to avoid something with too much detail. Landscapes work well. Random squares, circles, and squiggles of colors create excellent results. Pictures of people and animals tend to blur. When you are done, set the pictures outdoors where the rain can fall onto the paper.
How hard it is raining will depend on how long you will leave your picture outside. The first time you do this, you may be running outside a few times. Check your picture after one minute, three minutes, and then five minutes. You will learn how long it takes to get the results you want. Once you like what nature has done to your project, bring your art inside. If you leave the paper outside for too long it will tear when you try to handle it.
The Results
Because you are using markers made with ink meant to wash off your hands and clothing, the rain will soften the marks you made by blending them into something resembling watercolor paints. If you let your picture get too wet, the ink can wash away. Each time you do the project, the final product will be different. How warm or cold the water and how hard it is raining will change your results.
When you go outside to pick up your picture, try to do so by holding the paper as flat as possible so the colors don’t streak down the page. Inside your house, use paper towel to blot away extra water. Set your drawing - now a painting - where it can dry flat.
A Sunny Day Option
What if it isn’t raining when you want to do this project? Ask for a spray bottle and set the nozzle to a fine mist. Place the drawing outdoors or in the bathtub (or wherever you’re parents agree you can do this) and mist your pictures until you get the result you want.
Have your watercolor paper and washable markers ready for the next rainy day. Remember to color large areas instead of trying to draw detailed images. Experiment to see the different results you and nature can accomplish.
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