Snowy Day Collage
Make snowy patterns on paper by painting the paper with marbles. Cut and assemble the pieces of marble-painted paper into a snowy winter scene picture.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- Construction paper in various colors
- White tempera or poster paint
- Marbles or jingle bells
- Container with lid (e.g. ice cream tub, potato chips canister, box with lid, paper cup with lid)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Paint brush
STEPS
1Prepare a container.
Find a container with a lid like an ice cream tub, a potato chips canister, a box with a lid, or a large paper cup with a lid. Clean the container and wipe it dry.
2Cut the paper.
Choose different colors of construction paper to use for your paper collage. Cut the paper so that it can be rolled inside the canister.
When using a box, cut the paper to fit the bottom of the box.
3Prepare the paint.
Add some water to white tempera or poster paint. The paint should not be too runny nor too thick. Mix well.
4Dip a marble or jingle bell.
Dip a marble or a jingle bell into the white paint. Roll it around so that it is entirely coated with paint.
Jingle bells are great to use during the Christmas season for an extra holiday cheer. Their jingling sound also make this activity more fun for young kids.
5Place the marble in the container.
Drop the marble or jingle bell inside the container. If your container is large, put in more marbles or bells dipped in white paint.
6Shake the container.
Secure the lid in place and start shaking the container.
7Remove the marbles and paper.
After about a minute of shaking, open the container and check on the paper. If you want to add more snowy streaks on your paper, remove the marbles and dip once more in white paint. Put them back in the container and shake.
Once you're happy with the patterns on the paper, take the marbles or jingle bells out of the container. Spread the paper out to dry.
8Repeat with other colors of paper.
Repeat the process (Steps 4 to 7) using other colors of construction paper.
9Prepare the background.
Prepare a sheet of construction paper for your picture's background. A 12" x 18" sheet is a good size for a collage but you can always cut construction paper into your preferred size.
10Cut the marble-painted paper.
Think of a snowy day scene that you'd like to do. Cut out the marble-painted sheets of paper into the pieces for your collage.
11Make a collage.
Make a collage of a snowy scene using the pieces of marble-painted paper. Move the pieces around until you're happy with how your picture looks. Glue the pieces in place onto the background paper.
12Add some falling snow.
Create some falling snow by lightly dipping the tip of your paint brush onto undiluted white paint and then gently dabbing onto your picture.
Make bigger bits of falling snow by applying round dabs of paint using your finger tip, a cotton bud, or the top of a paint brush.
13Let the paint dry.
Your snowy day picture will look great on a frame or you can make it into a Christmas greeting card.
Pine trees, a snowman or Christmas pictures are popular winter themes but you can turn any picture into a snowy day scene—cars, children playing, houses, pets, a hibernating bear, you name it!
More Ideas
Another way to make a snowy day collage without marble painting is to use a toothbrush and some white paint. The steps are described below.
1Make a picture collage.
Start out by cutting out pieces of colored paper and gluing them together into a picture collage. Make sure to glue a long strip of white paper at the bottom of your picture for a snowy foreground.
2Dip a toothbrush in white paint.
Cover your entire work area with a mat or with newspapers. Mix some water with white tempera or poster paint.
Dip a toothbrush in paint. Gently shake off any excess paint from the toothbrush.
3Flick the bristles.
This step is going to be messy so make sure to cover your work area with a mat or with newspapers.
Hold the toothbrush above the picture. Run your thumb across the bristles of the toothbrush to create a fine spray of white paint onto the picture.
4Cover the picture with snow.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the entire picture is covered with a spray of snowy white paint. Let the picture dry completely.
