I have seen a lot of posts about making DIY scratch art paper, and it has been on my to do list for a long time. But I never got around to it, probably because it involves pulling out my paints, which always make a mess and involve a lot of clean up.
But then I discovered I could use Kwikstix Thin Stix solid tempera paints to make DIY scratch art paper without any of the mess normally involved in painting. And let me tell you, I was THRILLED with this discovery!
I made several sheets of scratch art paper and my kids and I used them to create some beautiful snowflake scratch art for winter.
Note: For more fun and educational winter activities, see my Winter Activities for Kids page.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by The Pencil Grip, maker of Kwik Stix and Thin Stix. I was compensated for writing this post. All opinions and ideas are my own.
About Thin Stix paints
Kwikstix Thin Stix are solid tempera paints. This means they go on like a thick crayon but give the look of tempera paint. Given that they also dry super fast – in about 90 seconds – Kwikstix Thin Stix paints are virtually mess free. I never have to think twice about pulling out our Thin Stix (which is definitely not the case with our regular tempera paints).
As an added bonus for kids with allergies, Thin Stix are egg, peanut, gluten, dairy, and soy free.
How to make Snowflake Scratch Art
To make snowflake scratch art, you will need the following materials:
- Thin Stix – a variety of colors plus black
- Cardstock – the thicker the better
- Paper clip, coin, or other sharp point for scratching
- Optional: Scissors to cut your cardstock into smaller sizes
The first step is to use a variety of Thin Stix colors to fill your entire piece of cardstock with paint. Be sure to cover every inch; it is important not to leave any blank spots.
You can add color in any design you wish. For example, you can make stripes.
You can also do colored splotches.
Let the paint dry. Fortunately, with Thin Stix this will only take about 90 seconds.
Once the paint is dry, use your black Thin Stix to completely paint over the colored layer you just applied.
Once the entire piece of cardstock has been painted over with black, gather objects your kids can use to scratch off the paint. Paperclips and coins are good options. A pin puncher could also work for children old enough to use it safely.
Then use your chosen material to draw lines in the black layer, revealing the colors underneath.
We used a 30-60-90 triangle to get perfect angles on our six-sided snowflake (making this a math lesson as well as an art project).
This blue and silver snowflake reminds me of a cold winter day.
But this colorful snowflake is beautiful as well.
There’s no limit to the beautiful snowflakes you can create with this snowflake scratch art project. And with Thin Stix, making your own scratch art paper is both simple and mess-free.
Thin Stix are available in stores such as Michaels, Walgreens, and BJs Wholesale, as well as online at Amazon.
What else you can do with Thin Stix? See more on Instagram by following @KwikStixPaints.
Kwikstix Thin Stix Giveaway
The makers of Kwikstix Thin Stix solid tempera paints have offered to send *THREE* lucky Gift of Curiosity readers a set of Kwik Stix paints. The Rafflecopter widget will ask you to “sign in” but that is only so we have a way to contact you if you should win.
Who is eligible?
- This giveaway is open to anyone 18 and older living in the US. Must provide mailing address to receive prize.
Other details:
- The giveaway is open until 11:59 pm Pacific Time on November 28, 2017.
- Winners will be notified within 48 hours after the close of the giveaway and will have 48 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.
- Gift of Curiosity is not responsible for prize delivery. Prize will be delivered by The Pencil Grip.
More winter learning resources
More posts about snowflakes from Gift of Curiosity:
- Crystallized snowflakes
- Open ended snowflake craft
- Learning about snowflakes
- Puffy paint snowman
- Plastic bottle snowman
- Winter printables pack
- Winter gross motor movement game
For more winter crafts your kids will love, see my Winter Activities for Kids page and my Winter Activities Pinterest Board.
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Winter Activities on Pinterest.
Michel says
November 16, 2017 at 6:30 amMy kids would love this!
Tiffany Banks says
November 16, 2017 at 5:19 pmMy oldest daughter would LOVE THIS!!
Angela Hendricks says
November 19, 2017 at 9:34 pmI would love to win this because my kids love doing art projects. I have never seen these before but I can tell my 8 year old would love them and we would have a blast making the snowflakes. Thank you for the chance!
Donna Pheneger says
November 21, 2017 at 3:29 amI help homeschool my grandkids and they would love to try these – and I would love the no mess factor!
Sally DePasquale says
November 21, 2017 at 3:33 amI would love a set of these paints to use with my preschool classes as well as my weekend sleepovers with my grandchildren! Thank you for all of your inspiring ideas!
Liz says
November 21, 2017 at 3:44 amI was just looking at how to make scratch off cards but with some other (messier) options. I’m glad I found this post, thank you!
Jill says
November 21, 2017 at 3:51 amThe kids in my class would LOVE to make their own scratch art paper and pictures!
pAttie says
November 21, 2017 at 3:59 amGrand kids coming for a month. We would love these pens.
Jodie says
November 21, 2017 at 4:06 amWe’d love to win this set to use in our homeschool!
Lynn says
November 21, 2017 at 4:07 amMy kiddos would love these! I would love to use these during pickle and ketchup time!
Kathleen says
November 21, 2017 at 4:09 amI’m a Literacy Specialist and I work with first graders; this would be a great way to get them motivated to practice the correct pencil grip!
Janice says
November 21, 2017 at 4:12 amThese would be so much! So accessible for painting without the hassle.
Sara Peters says
November 21, 2017 at 4:40 amI can’t wait to do this with my Pre-K kids! And if it can be mess free, that’s even better
Sara says
November 21, 2017 at 4:48 amSounds like fun! 🙂
Molli Glowacki says
November 21, 2017 at 5:02 amMy son loves scratch art, I Inknow he would
Love to make his own. Thanks for the post showing how-to, and for the giveaway!
Jessi Feltmann says
November 21, 2017 at 5:10 amI love these! I have never thought of using them as scratch art. Brilliant!!
Courtney M says
November 21, 2017 at 5:11 amThese Kwik Stix look amazing! I’d love to try your snowflake scratch art with them, and see what else my 4 year old daughter and 8 year old son come up with!
Julie Chavez says
November 21, 2017 at 5:13 amI love this! I have never heard of these.
Ariana says
November 21, 2017 at 5:29 amI have a newborn which makes it harder to supervise my 2 and 5 year olds during messy activities. These solid paints seem like a great way to make things a little easier for me.
Amy J Lindner says
November 21, 2017 at 6:06 amThis is such a cool idea. I love that you don’t have to use messy paint. I think the holiday break is going to be more fun with this craft.
Tiffany Richins says
November 21, 2017 at 6:26 amMy Daughter would love this she loves doing art projects with her friends. Thanks for the opportunity and showing me a craft medium I did not know about.
Naomi says
November 21, 2017 at 6:34 amI love this website! So much info, and brilliant ideas!
Renee says
November 21, 2017 at 6:40 amThis would be a great addition to my 1st Grade class.
Natanya says
November 21, 2017 at 7:33 amThese would be great in my preschool homeschool classroom!
Martha says
November 21, 2017 at 8:38 amThis will be perfect to do with my Pre-K class during our winter u it! Kwik Stix sound like the perfect paint to use with my little ones!
Julie says
November 21, 2017 at 9:34 amI have never heard of these. I love the “no mess” aspect.
S Inskeep says
November 21, 2017 at 9:43 amWhat a neat and easy way to add art to your day. I sometimes dread pulling paints out because of the mess that comes with it. The Kwik Stix look like a great solution. Love new finds!
Melissa D Durbin says
November 21, 2017 at 9:44 amFun! My son would love this! Thank you.
Anna Pry says
November 21, 2017 at 10:46 amless mess artsy fun for when i don’t feel up to cleaning a big paint mess
katie says
November 21, 2017 at 10:59 amMy girls would love this!
Jennifer Mathesz says
November 21, 2017 at 11:41 amWe’ve never tried these and would love to
Rebekah Gienapp says
November 21, 2017 at 2:55 pmWe love color! This looks so fun.
Meghan johnsen says
November 21, 2017 at 3:11 pmScratch art has always fascinated me as a child and I too enjoy being able to create this for my kids! The tempura paint sticks are a great idea!!
Victoria R. says
November 21, 2017 at 5:42 pmThis would be amazing for my 1st grader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Debbie Bartsch says
November 21, 2017 at 7:28 pmKwik Stix solid tempera paints sound like they would be perfect to use with my grandsons and preschool class. I’m sure they would have fun making and designing snowflakes.
Mahdiya says
November 21, 2017 at 8:28 pmWe will be starting homeschooling in 2 months time and this will be a lovely addition to our classroom!
Renee says
November 21, 2017 at 9:49 pmLooks like a great project to do with my littles
Mariann Brown says
November 21, 2017 at 10:38 pmKwik Stix solid tempera paints would be wonderful for my class to make snowflake gifts for their parents for Christmas!
Mariann Brown says
November 21, 2017 at 10:40 pmMy class would love these amazing paint pens! What a great product to use for Christmas gifts! Thank you for offering these. I hope my class wins them.
Katherine says
November 22, 2017 at 6:57 amWe want to do the scratch art snowflake project.
Heather says
November 22, 2017 at 7:02 amI would love to use these with my preschoolers!
kortney says
November 22, 2017 at 5:43 pmMy daughter would love these!
Melissa Bowyer says
November 23, 2017 at 6:46 pmMy kids would love these!
Jen D says
November 24, 2017 at 2:59 pmThese look amazing for art projects with my class!!!
Kathy says
November 25, 2017 at 11:38 amThese look like so much fun! I would love to use these with my kids! They love painting, and they aren’t usually too messy, but these look like easier cleanup.
Abigail Sullivan says
November 26, 2017 at 5:45 pmMy three year old will love these! Her preschool teacher told me that she does every craft option available each day. So cute! I’m excited to fill her stocking with “big kid” art supplies.
Michelle Myers says
November 27, 2017 at 8:55 amWhat a great mess free addition these would be to my work bag! These little gems would give me plenty of opportunities to pull language out of my students. Asking questions, answering questions, making predictions, describing…the possibilities are endless!!!
Jen Beaver says
November 28, 2017 at 3:31 amThese would be a wonderful addition to my preschool art center!
Michelle T says
November 28, 2017 at 5:11 amWe have been looking at the kwikstix and would love to try them!
Sara L says
November 28, 2017 at 7:01 amI really want to try Kwik Stix! And I love this scratch art idea!
Grandma Debbie says
November 28, 2017 at 7:19 amWhat genius! I LOVE to do art with my 9 grandkids but the moms aren’t always thrilled with the messes! These would be a wonderful solution to making many generations very, very happy! Thanks for the opportunity
Becky says
November 28, 2017 at 11:31 amThese would be an awesome addition to my library programs. I can see kids and teens…and even adults loving them!
Amy says
November 28, 2017 at 11:42 amNo mess paint, a preschool teacher’s dream!!
Rachelle says
November 28, 2017 at 11:29 pmI’d love to do more painting in my Pre-K classroom, but it isn’t always practical. These Kwik Stix would be perfect for an independent art activity or to add to our art center! My class would be thrilled to try out a new art tool! 😀