If there’s one thing we have lots of these days in Texas, it’s bright, hot, sunlight. It’s the perfect time for making sun prints! Today we tried out a small kit that came with everything we needed to make our very own sun photos.
The kit came with 12 sheets of light sensitive paper, some images to clip, and a great book with lots of interesting info. The kit box serves as the platform and the clear lid as a cover for your arrangement.
After you arrange your objects on the paper, you simply place it out in direct sunlight. The book said it would take a few minutes, but with the intensity of the August sunlight here, it only took about 30 seconds. If your young artists like instant gratification, this activity is sure to please!
After you expose your arrangement, the paper needs to be submerged in water with a few drops of lemon juice for a minute.
Then, you let it dry on a paper towel and the print develops in a few more minutes. The image turns white and the background turns darker blue. We tried some more nature objects, glass rocks, handwriting on a transparency, and even a photo printed on a transparency. It’s a lot of fun for kids to experiment with this! But you run out of your 12 sheets of sun print paper fast!
Ok, so the photo idea didn’t turn out like I had hoped. I probably should’ve changed it to black and white before I printed it. We loved the nature prints, though. I put the best ones together in a clip-frame and hung it up in the play room. I LOVE using the kid’s art in our home!
Off to try to make something for the Somerset Life newspaper challenge. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Love the indigo color that results. We got a kit years ago and never did it. Wonder if it’s still in the craft room somewhere?
Scarlett, what a beautiful piece of art. I love the handwriting with the images…so pretty! I love the unity of this piece and I bet everyone enJOYed making this work of together art! I had this type of paper once. It didn’t work…I don’t know if it was lack of sun or the paper was old. These are brilliant and so blue! Good luck with the newspaper challenge; I’m working on the tart tin one now. I only had a few… Good Luck! xXx
OH I remember doing this in Highschool!
SO Fun, but your are so beautiful and effective!
You have such a knack and eye for these things, its great!
Love the artwork for the room, perfect!
Hi Scarlett .. that’s such fun – and I can see how you’d run out of sun-sheets quite so quickly ..
The photos, description etc show us how easy it is to do .. and wonderful you’ve used the resultant pictures to hang on the wall .. fantastic ..
I hope you had inspiration for the Somerset Life project .. enjoy your Sunday .. Hilary
@floyfreestyle –I love the dark blue at the end, too,it’s really pretty. And you need to find that kit! J. would love it!1 🙂
@Ella –Seems like we tried it years ago, too, with less than satisfying results, but I think it was a kit intended for pre-school kids now that I think about it. This kit was a little nicer and fairly new. I didn’t come up with anything with my newspapers yesterday (that didn’t look like garbage!haha!) Can’t wait to see your tins! 🙂
@Annmaree –You are so sweet, thanks so much! They kind of looked stamped don’t they? 🙂 I’ll be over to visit you soon! 🙂
@Hilary –I apprecate it, Hilary. Thanks for visiting and leaving your encouraging commments! Making art with my kiddos is one of my special joys, love it every time. Love it even more when the results turn out well! 🙂 Have a blessed Sunday. ~Scarlett
Thank you for all this good information!