Unique and Easy Snowflake Canvas Painting For Kids

This fun snowflake canvas is fun for all ages and even our 4-year-old could do it with a little help. Have fun making your own snowflake painting in a unique way this afternoon.

Why You Will Love This Art Idea

KID FRIENDLY – With a little adult assistance, even the youngest of children can make their own snowflake art.
EASILY CHANGE SUBJECT MATTER– If your child doesn’t want to make a snowflake, you can easily tape out a different design.
CAN MODIFY SUPPLIES – If you don’t have canvases at home, you can use heavier paper or watercolor paint.

We completed this snowflake painting easily in 20-30 minutes (with a 4-year-old). The hardest part was letting the tissue paper dry a little on the canvas before removing it to see the awesome designs.

Supplies You’ll Need

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8 x 10″ Canvas*
Bleeding Tissue Paper
Thin Painter’s Tape
Water
Large Paint Brush

canvas, painter's tape, large paintbrush, scissors and squares of tissue paper.

*Notes About Supplies

You may need to add a base coat of gesso or white acrylic paint and let it dry. Our canvases were pre-primed.
You can also create bleeding tissue art on heavy watercolor paper or canvas boards.

How To Make Your Snowflake Painting

Before You Begin

Cover your work area. Using bleeding tissue paper can get messy.
If you do not want dyed hands, consider wearing gloves.
Precut bleeding tissue paper before you begin.

Step 1: Tape Out Your Design

You can see different ways to draw simple snowflakes. We like using extra thin painter’s tape because you can get a detailed and fun design.

painters tape's on canvas in snowflake design.

Step 2: Pre-Wet Canvas

Add a water on top of the canvas.

Step 3: Add Bleeding Tissue Paper

Keep the tissue paper flat and place it on top of the wet canvas. Use your paintbrush to carefully paint another layer of water.

children hands adding tissue paper to canvas with snowflake design on it.

Step 4: Overlap Tissue Paper Squares

Continue working to cover the whole canvas with tissue paper. We used light blue, purple and some dark green bleeding tissue paper. This is our favorite pack with vibrant colors.

bleeding tissue paper on canvas over a taped snowflake.

Step 5: Let Dry For About An Hour

You may want to check your project. We found that unlike paper, you don’t want to let the tissue dry completely on the canvas. We removed our tissue paper after about an hour while it was still damp.

watercolor looking painted in background of a snowflake.

Step 6: Remove Tape

Do not rush this part. You want your snowflake painting to be completely dry before removing the tape.

child's hand removing painter's tape from a snowflake painting.

Tips

You may want to pull the tissue paper off while damp.
If you are unhappy with the vibrance of the colors, you can always do two layers.
You need more water than you think. Having a child use a larger brush can help.
You can also use thicker tape or repeat this same tape idea using acrylic paint instead of bleeding tissue paper.

Art Project FAQs

Bleeding tissue paper can be used in a variety of art projects. When wet the dye is released creating a watercolor effect no surfaces it comes into contact with.

You can get light colors using bleeding tissue on canvas. We found that pulling the tissue paper off while damp left the most color on the canvas. Your paintbrush can also help move colors from the tissue paper into white areas.

If you are creating a collage on your canvas, using Mod Podge or another watered-down glue can give you an awesome effect. We had to remove the tissue paper due to having a taped-out snowflake design underneath.

More Bleeding Tissue Art Ideas

Now is your time to get creative with your next easy painting idea. Your family will love making memories together.