Today we are making glow-in-the-dark cards using paint and cookie cutters as stencils. This is a simple art project for kids of all ages — even younger kids!
These cards were specifically made for Halloween, and made a great Halloween card or Halloween party invitation. But the simple painting technique could be used all year round to make spooky glowing in the dark art.
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Make Glow in the Dark Cards
Everything on the supplies list are things that you probably already have at home with the exception of the glow in the dark paint. This simple DIY project can be a good excuse to buy glow in the dark paint that can be used for other kids art ideas in the future.
Supplies to Make Glow in the Dark Art
Glow in the Dark Paint Tips for Painting with Kids
- Cover your work surface and wear paint clothes.
- The glow in the dark paints I found are acrylic and not washable.
- We chose a collection of paint colors so they were not just Halloween colors giving flexibility to any projects we might tackle in the future.
Use Cookie Cutters as Stencils
Cookie cutters make great stencils. There are few different ways you can use cookie cutters to make shapes for your cards:
1. Cookie Cutters as Stamps
- Dip the cookie cutters into paint, and press the cookie cutter to the paper to make a print.
- Paint the cookie cutter using a brush. Then, press the cookie cutter to the paper to make a print.
2. Cookie Cutters as Traditional Stencil Patterns
Use the cookie cutter like a stencil. Place the cookie cutter onto the paper. Paint around the inside of the cookie cutter.
How to Make Glow in the Dark Cards
Step 1
Use various cookie cutters or stencils to create a design for your card. You can leave the inside of your shape open, or you can fill it in with more paint.
Step 2
When you are finished, take your design into a dark room, and watch it glow. The glow fades after a little while.
To make the glow last longer, add an extra layer of paint. The longer you charge the paint in the sunlight (or overhead light), the longer the glow will last as well.
Our Experience Making Glow in the Dark Cards for Halloween
I thought the house shape would work well as an invitation to a Halloween party. You can see how I used letter stamps to stamp “YOU ARE INVITED” on the paper. I dipped the stamp into the paint. When I pressed the stamp to the paper, the paint spread around the letters on the stamp, so I ended up with a negative of the letters. I thought this looked pretty cool, so I kept it.
For the other card, I simply hand painted “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” onto the paper with a skinny paint brush.
More Halloween Activities from Kids Activities Blog
Have you ever used glow in the dark paint? What have you created?