This week's fun activity... CREATING NATURAL PAINTBRUSHES...AND YOUR OWN  SPECIAL ART!

Artists use paintbrushes to apply their paint... and brushes can be made from many different materials. This week we’re going to make some  unique  paint brushes  with nature's help!   These brushes will allow you to create your own interesting patterns and designs.  And have fun using your imagination!

Materials: Small sticks or twigs Rubber bands (or string) Plant parts (leaves, grasses, flowers, etc.) Paint Paper

Step 1 – Collect Every paintbrush starts with a handle. Our paintbrushes will use small sticks as handles.... Head outside and look for small sticks or twigs. Look near trees.  Find a few that are small, short, straight, sturdy and feel comfortable in your hand.

Step 2 – Collect Again Now that we have a handle, we need bristles which will hold your paint.   Many paintbrushes use hair or sponges,  but ours will use natures materials instead!   Collect clumps of grasses, leaves, flowers, even seed heads or any other soft plant parts.   Tip: Pine needles and grass make brushes very similar to a traditional brush.

Step 3 – Attach Bristles to Handle Take a bundle of leaves or other plant parts, bunch them tightly together, and attach them to a stick using a rubber band or string...as shown. Mix your plant parts  or  use only one type of material.  It's lots of fun to create designs from varied textures.

Step 4 - Repeat Try making a variety of brushes! Artists might use an array of brush shapes and styles, such as soft bristled, hard bristled, flat, pointed, and even fan shaped brushes when creating their art.

Step 5 - Paint Grab some paint, dip your paintbrushes, and enjoy your creations!  Use your different brushes to make a variety of textures and patterns, be creative!

Step 6 – Show off! Let your painting dry for a little bit and show it off!   The unique style and texture of each brush + your imagination will give your art its own special look.

Step 7 – Save The best part of using a handmade, natural paintbrush is that  it also becomes an art form! When you finish painting with your individually made brushes, let them dry and display them with your painting!

YOUR FBBG MEMBERSHIPS  We are renewing memberships remotely. You will receive a temporary card in the mail until we are able to send out membership packets. If you have any questions about memberships, please contact Dkoepsel@fbbg.org You can purchase a membership on-line by clicking here . THANK YOU!

We’d love to see your creativity! Tag us on:  Facebook ( Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens )  Twitter (@FBBG) or Instagram (friendsofbbg)  to show off your Natural Paintbrushes or any of our weekly activities!

Continue to watch for our weekly fun activities for all ages to enjoy!