Ever since I was a kid I have loved using sun print paper. If you’ve never tried it you really should. There’s a chemical reaction that takes place on the paper after it’s exposed to sunlight. Running the exposed sun print paper under cool water causes another reaction that gives you a beautiful end result that’s worth framing. The best part is this is a craft project kids can make and give to adults. Wonderful wall art that looks stunning.
Sun Print Wall Art
You can use items from nature such as plants, leaves, flowers or in my case, lavender. You will definitely need a sunny day, but only a couple minutes in the sun are needed. Kids will be amazed by the sun print paper’s transformation once it hits the water. The whole process, from start to finish takes less than ten minutes, not counting drying time of course.
The results are stunning and absolutely gift worthy. Kids will be so proud to see their sun print creations displayed on the wall or shelf!
You can use any objects you like: starfish, coins, keys, cookie cutters, sticks, anything you can think of. I used different sized starfish and a few clippings from my flower box to make the coastal framed sun prints. The shadow that was cast from the starfish also shows in the final result.
So if you’re looking for a unique gift that the kids can make, or just a unique project to keep and display, sun print wall art is a great option! I bought the white frames from WalMart for $6.00 each and simply used a glue stick to attach the sun prints to plain white paper instead of buying expensive mattes.
If you want a quick stocking stuffer, print off these adorable little cards to use with those round lip balms.
Sun print paper is really easy to use. The most important thing is having a sunny day. Clouds won’t allow the same results as full sun. Windy days can make it tough too, which is why I used a piece of glass over my designs. The package will tell you to pin your paper to cardboard, but if there’s a slight breeze your lightweight objects will be easily blown off.
There are affiliate links in this post. That means if you buy something from that link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you anything additional.
Supplies for Sun Print Wall Art
- 5″x7″ sun print paper*
- Objects of your choice (in this tutorial: lavender, starfish
, plants)
- 13″x9″ or larger pan
with an inch or so of cool tap water
- Foam core
or a piece of cardboard
- Paper towels
- Clear plastic or glass (use one from a frame)**
- White frames
- White paper
- Glue stick
*Sun print paper comes in different sizes and contains multiple sheets. I used the 5″x7″ size for this project. The paper is stored inside a black packet to keep it from being exposed to light. Only remove it from the packet when you are ready to start.
**Check the edges of the glass to make sure they aren’t sharp. Cover edges with painter’s tape if children will be handling directly. Painter’s tape can easily be removed when project is finished.
- Place a piece of sun print paper, blue side up, onto your foam core or cardboard.
- Arrange objects on top of paper.
- Cover objects with glass and press down to hold everything in place, especially if it’s breezy out!
- Expose to direct sunlight for two minutes.
- Remove glass and objects from paper. You will see that the paper has lightened in color and the areas under your objects will be the original blue.
- Submerge exposed paper in pan of water.
- Be sure it’s completely covered and leave in water for about one minute. The blue areas will turn white, and the light areas will turn light blue.
- Remove paper from water and place on paper towels to dry. The blue areas will darken as the paper dries.
You can even add tiny elements to the paper like I did here. You can see that along with the lavender I sprinkled on some of the crushed petals and leaves.
- With the starfish pictured at the top, the shadow cast created the look of motion. I love it!
- Some objects, such as my starfish, are too bulky to cover with glass. You can cover them with plastic wrap if you have smaller bulky items that may blow away. My starfish weighed enough that I did not need to worry about them. If an object does not sit flush with the paper due to variations in its shape, such as the larger, skinnier starfish, sunlight may get underneath and expose areas of the paper you didn’t want exposed. It can still create a cool effect!
- The line that appears above the plants with the small starfish was from me placing the glass over the plants but not the rest of the paper.
If using flowers, place the flowers face down on the paper. Because flower petals are thinner that the center of the flower, the petal areas will produce a different result that the rest. Just experiment and play around with different objects and their placement.
The pack of paper that I linked above in the supplies contains 30 sheets. Plenty of paper for multiple projects! It’s on sale at S&S Worldwide, the same company that sells my Crafts by Amanda Craft Kits!
This would also be a wonderful project for seniors going through rehabilitation, or those in a nursing home. It’s fun and relaxing and the finished product is truly a work of art. Enjoy!
Looking for more wall art ideas? Here are more than 30 canvas ideas to choose from!
- 5"x7" sun print paper*
- Objects of your choice (this tutorial: lavender, starfish, plants)
- 13"x9" or larger pan with an inch or so of cool tap water
- Foam core or a piece of cardboard
- Paper towels
- Clear plastic or glass (use one from a frame)**
- White frames
- White paper
- Glue stick
- Place a piece of sun print paper, blue side up, onto your foam core or cardboard.
- Arrange objects on top of paper.
- Cover objects with glass and press down to hold everything in place, especially if it's breezy out!
- Expose to direct sunlight for two minutes.
- Remove glass and objects from paper. You will see that the paper has lightened in color and the areas under your objects will be the original blue.
- Submerge exposed paper in pan of water.
- Be sure it's completely covered and leave in water for about one minute. The blue areas will turn white, and the light areas will turn light blue.
- Remove paper from water and place on paper towels to dry. The blue areas will darken as the paper dries.
**Check the edges of the glass to make sure they aren't sharp. Cover edges with painter's tape if children will be handling directly. Painter's tape can easily be removed when project is finished.
Amanda Formaro
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