My mom and I have been crafting together for as long as I can remember. Our craft endeavors have covered a lot of ground over the years: dyeing Easter eggs, marbling paper with plastic straws, making tissue paper stained glass windows, sculpting beeswax figurines, baking bread in the shape of bears, knitting socks, quilting, bookbinding prep for craft fairs, and the list goes on. Making things with my mom, who still insists that she is not an artist or a quilter or any such title, is a fun and formative part of my life. I suspect that other mothers and their progeny relish this sort of creative time together too. I invite you to share in a creative project with a classy lady this Mother’s Day, and see where it leads you! Nika Knight, a fellow Etsy staffer, and her mother, Salley Knight, have compiled this sunny day fiber arts project, perfect to answer this call.
While my younger siblings and I were growing up, I remember my mother, a fabric artist, as someone who was always brimming with projects to keep us creating alongside her. One of her most successful ideas was “sun painting.” Painting rough canvas in the bright July sun; carefully setting leaves, flower petals, and oddly-shaped branches across the wet paint; waiting for the hot sun to sear their shapes into the sharply-colored cloth — this is one of my favorite childhood memories. Sun painting uses a special paint that grows darker and more vivid when exposed to UV rays. Blocking the sunlight by laying two-dimensional shapes on top of the painted canvas leaves a lighter imprint of those shapes in the midst of the swaths of color. The process of sun painting is intriguing whether you’re 5 or 50, and a fun project with beautiful results that you can create with kids of any age.
As the days grow brighter and warmer, the season of sun painting is upon us. I asked my mom to show me how to sun paint again, and we worked together to create a new sun painting to show all of you. While our day was a bit colder and grayer than we’d planned, I thought our results were still beautiful — and relying on something as fickle as the weather (especially in New England!) makes waiting for the results all the more unknowable and exciting.
Supplies you’ll need:
- Cloth (untreated or at least 50% natural fabric, pre-washed to remove any sizing)
- Anything you love the shape of: natural materials such as leaves or flowers, or paper shapes you cut out yourself.
- Setacolor transparent paint by Pebeo
- Brushes
- A flat board
- Clear, strong tape
- Iron
- A flat outdoor surface in a sunlit area
- A hot and sunny day
- If it’s windy, some small rocks or other small heavy objects to hold your sun-blocking shapes in place.
Directions:
1. Lay your cloth down on the flat board, and tape the corners of the cloth to the board. You’ll want to stretch out the cloth a bit, and hold it in place.
2. Either:
- Dilute the paint 2:1 with water,
OR:
- Wet the entire cloth before you begin painting, to work “wet on wet” — similar to how you might paint with watercolors.
3. Paint the colors onto the fabric any way you’d like. Like watercolors, the different colors will mix and bleed where they touch or overlap.
4. Arrange your shapes (leaves, flowers, branches, paper cut-outs…) on top of the painted cloth to create the design you want.
5. Use rocks or any small weights that aren’t larger than a shape’s borders to hold down fly-away items in windy conditions. (It was a very windy day when we sun painted— we had a lot of rocks holding everything down!)
6. Carry the whole arrangement to the brightest warmest light you can find.
7. Once dry, retrieve your piece of canvas and remove the sun-blocking shapes. The areas of cloth that were blocked from the sun should be lighter than the surrounding color.
8. Iron the cloth for 3-5 minutes to set the color. All done!
If you try out sun painting, please share a photo in our How-Tuesday Flickr group. What is your favorite craft to do with your mom? Share your story in the comments below!
91 comments
Sign in to add your ownEllaBands says:
You sound like my mom and me! Ha! I am going to try this... I'm a camp counselor during the summer and I'd like to try this with my campers. Thanks for sharing! :) Melissa
1 year ago
dabsh01 says:
I can't wait to try this... seems like a intersting activity...
1 year ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Fascinating technique! I really do think crafting can bring people together, its often more about those experiences and time we spend together in life thats really valuable.
1 year ago
windrosie says:
Beautiful technique...Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
vKnit says:
fab ideas and beautiful photos! xox
1 year ago
StudioZen says:
What a fun project!! I hope to see the sun again one day...
1 year ago
baltica says:
I've always wanted to try this technique but never quite knew how to go about it. Thanks for the great tutorial! Now, if when will the sun come out in Seattle :-)
1 year ago
LakesEdge says:
I can't wait to try this out, thanks for the how-to. It reminds me of a place called "Hazel Green Academy" in Eastern Kentucky that I went to as a kid, it had basket weaving, mandolin lessons, & paper marbling. Sorry, reminiscing, lol, thanks :)
1 year ago
needleyou says:
i'm gonna give this a try w/ my kids. thanks : )
1 year ago
JasmineLund says:
Wow, that's so awesome!
1 year ago
theroyal says:
i have heard about this stuff. we used to have something similar but in paper. real fun. thanks how tuesday
1 year ago
callmemimi says:
Wonderful idea and technique ! Many thanks for sharing !
1 year ago
diamonddixie says:
A beautiful way to hit the "sun-time" road! Can't wait to try this project, thank you..:)
1 year ago
bhangtiez says:
Great idea, something I have not heard of. Thank u for sharing & I can't wait to try it!
1 year ago
iWALLS says:
This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
cjbcollectibles says:
Looks like a fun project to do on a sunny day. Thanks for sharing. cjbcollectibles.etsy.com
1 year ago
rebourne says:
This will be my second mother's day without my mama. She taught me all I know! Perhaps I will start a craft tradition with my littles on mother's day!
1 year ago
WereRabbit2006 says:
Very Wonderful idea, a lot of sunshine here ;)
1 year ago
overthemeadow says:
Wow. What a great idea! I can't wait to try this. Great project to mix with found objects from nature! :-)
1 year ago
VidGirlsandDolls says:
Very nice ! So much we learn from our mom.
1 year ago
NaturalPetProducts says:
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! would love to try it ....=^^=
1 year ago
tennyoceres says:
I remember doing this in kindergarten. Young minds were blown away when we did this for art class.
1 year ago
KathyGDesigns says:
Brings back a good memory! I did this as a brownie scout with my mom quite a few years ago.
1 year ago
BumbleBeesGiftBox says:
I have never heard of sun painting before. I love the finished look of it.
1 year ago
BooPatch says:
so doing this with my kids... :-) what a fun mom!
1 year ago
keepthesugar says:
I can't believe that i've never heard of sun painting! I am trying this on my very next sunny day! Thanks so much for the step by step!
1 year ago
scarywhitegirl says:
There was a paper available in the 80s that did the same thing, though it started white and turned blue where exposed to sun. I used to love playing with that stuff! Awesome to know there's still a way to do it! :)
1 year ago
rainbeauxcraft says:
Fun technique and I love the outdoors, so win-win! Hey, I remember the sun paper too. I've got some around here somewhere I think... *rummages* Thanks for the article and beautiful outdoor pics!
1 year ago
SimpleJoysPaperie says:
I always loved craft time at home with my Mom. Thank you for this article! :)
1 year ago
TCaponePhoto says:
Fun idea :) If it ever stops raining in Chicago I might have to try this. Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
Krystyna81 says:
my kids and I just did this recently with the "sun paper" - beautiful and delicate (and fun!) art was created
1 year ago
RedorGrayArt says:
what a wonderful relationship with mom and art!!
1 year ago
SacredSymbolStudios says:
Neat idea and story, thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
ChrissiesRibbons says:
So pretty! Lovely story too. Will definitely be trying this
1 year ago
JudiPaintedit says:
Love the paintings
1 year ago
Jaclynscollections says:
It's so nice to hear about other artists spending time with their moms! Gorgeous work!
1 year ago
gilstrapdesigns says:
Thanks for sharing I'll have to try this with my grand kids.
1 year ago
FiberContent says:
Love that, Julie! We should do that together someday! I think I will try that with my class.
1 year ago
VitalVintage says:
That sounds like fun. I think I'll make a tablecloth for my patio table with leaves from the backyard.
1 year ago
jewelrybyjackie says:
This looks awesome! I will definitely be trying this out!
1 year ago
FranceGallery says:
Looks like a fun painting project to try!
1 year ago
exclusivelyhannah says:
looks like fun!!! I love being crafty with my mom!
1 year ago
CoolWaterGems says:
Great idea - we will have to try it! :)
1 year ago
APOCALIPSTICKART says:
Neat...I've never seen this done with watercolors! I have only used light sensitive cyanotype solution that is hard to come by! I think that cyanotype is what most of you guys are referring to with the light-sensitive paper from the 80's. It is actually a very early form of photography. You can use large film negatives or x-rays too...I am excited to try them with this technique!
1 year ago
CreationsByDanielle says:
My Mom, Dad & Grandma all shaped me into the crafty person I am today :) Thanks for this! Makes me want to try this!
1 year ago
nightbuffalo says:
This is such a wonderful idea! Can't wait to try it with my daughter! Many thanks!
1 year ago
coffeedripsart says:
that's awesome! lovely pictures. pretty darn good idea:)
1 year ago
wisdomacres says:
How cool! I did sun painting as a little girl with some kind of kit. This looks like a lot of fun, and we'd like to try our hand at it! Thanks! Your post was so informative!
1 year ago
PinwheelStudio says:
What a neat feature! Love hearing about fun moms and daughters :)
1 year ago
Iammie says:
Inspiring.
1 year ago
oldworldapothecary says:
LOVE IT!!!
1 year ago
MadeWithFaithAndLove says:
These are really neat, I myself have always done crafts with my children and I have never heard about or seen these.
1 year ago
dragonflymystdesigns says:
I need to try this again. I have the paints in my stash of craft things. I have done just about everything that you have mentioned by myself. My mother did a few crafts and my daughter had no interest in doing them, but I love to try a lot of new different crafts.
1 year ago
LiveLoveCapture says:
What a great idea! I bet my little girls would love to do this! I think we'll have to try it this summer!
1 year ago
BanglewoodSupplies says:
My mother and I craft together as well. Love this story.
1 year ago
kristygreathouse says:
Can't wait to try this!! Thanks for sharing!!
1 year ago
girliepains says:
Pretty cool!
1 year ago
urbandon says:
What a great technique. Wonderful results!
1 year ago
joyinmystudio says:
I loved reading about this! Have been curious about sun painting for quite some time. I will need to give it a try with my silk dyes, I wonder if they will have the same reaction? :) Take care!
1 year ago
onewintrynight says:
Oh, how cool . . . I'm gonna try it!
1 year ago
RoyalFelt says:
This is beautiful!
1 year ago
beadsofaquarius says:
beautiful!
1 year ago
sykin says:
beautiful! I wish Washington got more sun - I may have to try this in a sunny window, rather than outside (the risk of scattered showers is just far too great).
1 year ago
joyscottglass says:
Sounds like fun
1 year ago
joyscottglass says:
Sounds like fun
1 year ago
julessabjewelry says:
This looks like so much fun! I'm gonna try it.
1 year ago
JoviesJewels says:
wonderful, I want to try thay with my daughter, she will love it!
1 year ago
GiftCreation says:
Interesting idea!:)
1 year ago
stepbackink says:
Great idea to try on a sunny day or may be not so sunny :)
1 year ago
GinnArt says:
Wow...I remember doing this when I was a kid! Great memories!
1 year ago
loretta9243 says:
Can't wait to try it with my daughter and son. Sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks so much!
1 year ago
loretta9243 says:
Can't wait to try it with my daughter and son. Sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks so much!
1 year ago
CreationsdeFlorence says:
This is so cool. I knew rain painting but not sun painting. Thank you for sharing!
1 year ago
BeadazzledBySharon says:
Looks exciting!
1 year ago
marykerran says:
At my age, if I haven't done it, I need to. Sounds like a great project when our sun comes out.
1 year ago
ApplewoodHandwovens says:
This is a wonderful project especially being able to do it with 'Mom', having more great moments to remember.
1 year ago
nfractal says:
This sounds like a great project...I teach young kids and I know they would love it....so would my little boy:)....Some one else mentioned rain painting...that sounds cool also. I live on Maui so we often get rain/sun/rainbows so we could try all and see which one works best:) nathalie
1 year ago
nerina52 says:
I see this article just now ... I have a little time to wander around in etsy ... thanks for the "tapestry handmade embroidery SUN"! very interesting technique, new to me ... it seems perfect to stimulate creativity! I learned a lot -everything!- very young, 4-5 years, watching my mom embroider the clothes he was doing to my brother and me, the beautiful tablecloths ... Thanks mom!
1 year ago
eknobbe says:
would this work on clothing?? I'd love to try it out for some t-shirts :)
1 year ago
JoJosArtisticDesign says:
Dear Julie, When I read your intro to the Sun Painting tutorial it was so heart warming to hear a young person speak with such admiration for their mother. The relationship you have with your Mother is unique and I can say that I have the same sort of relationship with my daughter. When she was young we had a daily craft project or worked on one that sometimes took days. We were unique in that we loved creating things we needed rather than going to our local store. I wish we had lived in a neighborhood with a other crafters because in our small mountain community people often turned their noses up at us. Crafting with my daughter provided more than interesting artifacts, but gave a little girl and a woman the best friendship for which a mother could hope. Bless you for mentioning your mother and perhaps showing this next generation of mothers the beautiful relationship they can have with their children through crafting, JoJo
1 year ago
MsMaddie says:
woah very cool
1 year ago
zJayne says:
Love this, the sentiment, the technique and sharing it! Thank you~
1 year ago
PoetryofObjects says:
My daughter and I have a relationship like this. She's 23 now. I wished we had lived near you in your mountains! We both love making things. I really like the riot of colors on your fabric. We love making banners for celebrations at our homeplace...this will be a great technique to try. Thanks for sharing a peek into your life and your loves....
1 year ago
christymades says:
My daughter and I have a relationship that has been close since she is deaf and we are always needing each other. Creative juice must run in family veins because we both love working on making pretty, funny and useful things. The first thing she ever made was a boiled egg at two years of age because trying learn to talk was to hard. Her eye for porportion, and color is just great. While I have been a floral designer, sales and have always known the sewing and needleart skills since I learned them from my Mom . It just seemed natural to turn to this form of expersion after retiring but marketing them on the internet is new and we are having great fun trying. We also got our daddy(husband) into the fun since he retired from sheet metal working. Hope we get to be as good as you and others at the internet marketing and wish for your continued success.
1 year ago
flippingout says:
How is it unique that you like to make things instead of buying them?
1 year ago
dfnilsson says:
Wonderful idea. For those living in less sunny places, would placing the art under a light bulb for a couple of hours create the same effect the sun does? It might be worth a try. I might suggest this to some Scout troups or even Seniors with much time in their lives.
1 year ago
TashaJudithDESIGNS says:
Thank you for sharing this:)
1 year ago
HomemadeByMrsB says:
Like so many other Etsy members, I was fortunate enough to have a crafting Mom. We did all kinds of crafts together. It is such a great way to share time together. Now I am a mom of 2 girls and I see I've turned into my mom! My younger daughter "flakes out" and never finishes any craft, its just not her thing. My older daughter is more interested and is asking to learn to crochet, I think its time to get started on that! Oh, just yesterday I came home to find my Mom at the kitchen table doing a craft :) Thanks for sharing your story.
1 year ago
lulouandada says:
This is sweet. I can't wait to try it out.
1 year ago
ArtworkzByCheri says:
WOW...how beautiful..never heard of this before and it sounds very exciting! thank you for sharing this .I intend to put it on my to do list May God bless!
1 year ago
queenducky says:
Hot California sun should do the trick. I'm so trying this.
345 days ago