How to make Nature Paintbrushes: An Art Kit

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Nature Paintbrushes and stamps are easy and fun to create. This nature activity and craft will challenge your child’s imagination, drive inspiration, and promote decision-making. You can make a complete art kit from just natural elements! Nature paintbrushes and stamps can be made from sticks, leaves, and petals. Let’s build a nature art kit.

Scroll down to get started!

First, Explore. Then, Collect.

Firstly, we need to go outdoors to gather our supplies. Go for a hike or a scavenger hunt in your backyard or nearby park. Be on the lookout for good sticks. The wider the stick the better for little hands. To make the bristles for the nature paintbrush, hunt for pine needles, evergreen twigs, grass, leaves, or flower petals. We made a funny-looking paint roller using a pine cone. Also, collect interesting rocks, acorn cups, and other fun objects that would make good nature stamps. Acorn cups quickly became our favorite nature stamp and made the best little dots. Polka dots are a big deal in our household right now.

Truly, the best part is the process of building the tools for your nature art kit. I cannot guarantee that you are going to make an efficient artistic tool. But, this activity challenges the imagination, drives inspiration, and promotes decision-making.

What are paintbrush bristles made of?

So, the history of the paintbrush is quite extensive but also vague because humans have been communicating through the written word and pictures since the beginning of Creation. The bristles of paintbrushes are made from natural or synthetic hair. Hog hair was one of the first types of hair utilized for paintbrush production because of its durable and resistant qualities. Other types of animal hair have been used too such as squirrels, badgers, horses, oxen, and goats. The highest quality bristles are still made from the tail of a sable. Today, more and more brushes are being made from synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester.

What can I use instead of a paintbrush?

Nature is a great alternative to a paintbrush. And, it provides so many chances for unique strokes. But, if for some reason you cannot get outside to collect nature treasures. Don’t be discouraged. Many household items make excellent paintbrushes such as:

• Plants
• Fingers
• Cottonballs
• Q-tips
• Sponges
• Old gift cards

Helping your child paint with nature

This is the perfect opportunity for kids to practice making brushstrokes and loading their paintbrushes with paint. Encourage them to make sweeping motions, dashes, waves, dots, strokes, and dabs. Strokes that are long and strokes that are short. Painting helps kids become aware of motor control and grading. Pushing down makes thicker marks. Light and gentle strokes create thinner marks.

With this activity, kids are improving their decision-making skills by finding and developing tools, fine motor skills by manipulating those tools, and even gross motor skills by stabilizing their core and shoulder girdle. Building and painting with nature paintbrushes encourage sensory exploration. Playing is learning. And, kids learn best with hands-on activities.

Disclaimer: All activities on mudpieswithsprinkles.com require adult supervision. Some materials used in crafts or play-based activities pose a choking hazard. Nobody knows your child better than you. Please modify all activities appropriate for your child. 

DIY Nature Paintbrushes and stamps made from natural elements

Materials for DIY Nature Paintbrushes and Stamps

• 1 sturdy stick per paintbrush (approximately 6 inches in length)
• Nature finds such as evergreen twigs, pine needles, grass, etc.
• Tape (string or rubber bands)
• For stamps you only need the nature element to dip into the paint
• Non-toxic paints
• Paint Palette or recycled cardboard to hold paint
• Canvas (paper, recycled cardboard, newspaper, pages from old books, etc.)
• Scissors to trim nature finds to desired lengths

Step by Step Instructions for DIY Nature Paintbrushes and Stamps

1. First, gather all the nature materials. Search for elements that resemble bristles (pine needles, leaves, petals, etc). For each nature element that you find, you need a sturdy stick to build the nature paintbrushes. Collect interesting objects to make stamps like rocks, acorn cups, etc.
2. Next with your supplies spread out on a work surface, match the sticks with the nature bristles. Trim materials if needed. Use a binding method either with tape, string, or a rubber band, bundle the material and attach the nature bristles to the end of the stick.
3. Now, your nature paintbrushes and stamps are ready. Simply dip the bristles into the paint and experiment with the unique strokes of nature. Also, dip your nature stamp materials into the paint and press the material onto your canvas, leaving a unique mark.

Tips for using and making nature paintbrushes

• Use wider sticks for kids with immature grips. The wider diameter makes it easier to grip and manipulate.
• Painting outdoors helps limit the stress and mess!
• Some nature materials will require more paint to make a mark. I added water to my paints to make the paint stretch further. This does make the paint more in a liquid state.
• When using tape or a rubber band to bind the bristles to the stick, remember to remove the tape or band if you plan to add the nature paintbrushes to your compost. The tape and rubber bands are best if not returned to the outdoors but rather recycled.

Pin it for Later!

Finally, I want to thank you for stopping by! Please say Hi in the comment section and tell me about the natural elements you want to use to make a nature paintbrush. I’m excited to try this activity each season to see the different kinds of nature paintbrushes my kids choose to create.

– With Great JOY, Katie

More Fun and Simple crafts using elements from Nature:

Easy Pine Cone Snowy Owl

Simple Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Easy and Cute Pine Cone Gnome

Sensory Bin with Birdseed