Straw Painting Process Art is a fun and experimental way for kids to get creative using basic materials you probably already have at home.
You might also like Rainbow Rolling Pin Art

Our straw art example looks a bit like confetti at a party, but you can blow the paint into all sorts of shapes and squiggly lines. It’s all about having fun.
The mess with this activity is contained in an art tray (affiliate link) and it’s super easy to set up at home.
We’ve used regular washable paint mixed with water. If you have liquid watercolour paints at home, you could also use those.

Straw art is suitable for preschoolers and up, but older kids can have fun with this activity too.
There’s a ton of opportunity for kids to get creative with colour blends. I suggest sticking to colours that mix nicely, for example, use all cool colours or warm colours. More paint can be added to create more dense coverage on the paper.
Like any process art, this activity is all about the process, but the results can still look fantastic.
Older kids could work back into their art once it’s dry using black fine-line markers and turn it into bugs, monsters or anything they like.
Let’s make it …
How to Make Straw Painting Process Art
You will need
- Washable Paint – we used this one (affiliate link)
- Containers or disposable cups
- Pipettes – like these (affiliate link)
- Straw
- Art Tray (affiliate link)
- Decent quality art paper (so it doesn’t go soggy and tear)
How to:
Fill cups ¼ of the way with equal parts washable paint and water. You may need to use more or less water depending on the consistency of your paint. The liquid version needs to be runny enough to be blown with a straw.

Place a dropper into each cup and the paper into the activity tray.

Use a dropper to place 10-15 drops of each color onto the paper.



Use the straw to blow the paint around.




Add more paint if desired and repeat until satisfied with the coverage.
Leave your artwork flat to dry so the colours don’t run.

Have fun!

More process art ideas for kids
- Make colourful rainbow art using a rolling pin
- Here are 3 easy ways to do craft stick scrape painting
