Creative Paintbrushes

So this isn’t exactly a craft, per se, but we’ve been having fun experimenting and playing around with making our own paintbrushes. It all started when my mom visited. She did a bunch of projects with Alex, and for all of them, she used a cotton ball clipped into a clothespin as a paintbrush. Alex liked it because it was easy for him to use and hold, and it covered large areas quickly. Also he could make clouds by dabbing it.

But it started me thinking – what other things would make good paintbrushes? We’ve tried a fair few out, and the six pictured here are our favorites:

Alex favors the fun foam and the cotton ball, and I love the texture you get from the grass. All of them make different patterns, and since you’re just clipping them into clothespins for a handle, you can theoretically mix and match these to make all kinds of neat art.

I should also mention a runner-up. I liked the way the pine needles looked, but Alex threw a fit because they were poky. If you have a more tolerant artist at home, you might give those a try!