I love it when art materials can come from my pantry. That usually means they’re inexpensive, non-toxic, and that I can have an idea and act on it in ten minutes or less. One of my favorite art supplies that comes from my pantry is corn syrup. I almost think I use it more frequently for art projects than for cooking. (Though I do love a good batch of caramel corn!)
To make a great syrup paint, simply mix coloring into a small container of corn syrup. I use liquid watercolor for vibrant colors, but food coloring works as well. You can mix it in muffin tins or small bowls, though I’ve found these small Gerber containers work great! They’re the perfect size and the lids snap right on to reduce your mess and preserve your left overs. Whatever your container, just pour in the syrup, add a few drops of color, and mix with a fork or toothpick. Ta-da! You’re ready to go!
I like having the children use eyedroppers to drizzle and drop the paint (a great way to incorporate fine motor strength and control as well as eye-hand coordination), though I’ve also used brushes, and have seen a few bold children dive right in with their fingers. The flatter the paint, the faster it dries of course, making this paint a perfect candidate for fold art like these butterflies. It’s also an ideal extension for Laura Numeroff’s book, If You Give a Pig a Pancake 
Syrup paint takes a longer time to dry, but when it does, it has a wonderfully unique sheen to it. (Makes me wonder about letting the kiddos add a little iridescent glitter as they paint with it next time.)
Have you used syrup paint before? What’s your favorite way to turn your pantry staples into art media?
I have found that this is a great first paint for infants. However, if it gets really humid, (even after it is dry) the paint starts to run again! We have often laminated these paintings (either by machine or with clear contact paper) to preserve them. I’ve also been told that they do attract ants. Did you know that you can add just a little bit of syrup to your tempera paints to give it a glossy sheen too? Using a base of mostly paint provides and opaque paint where using mostly corn syrup provides a translucent option. Our favorite pantry item to paint with is Kool-Aid. “Scratch and Sniff” paintings! My 8 year old son asked me a few months ago if I ever thought that we could make Kool-Aid to drink because he would like to know what it tastes like! We use it so often in art, that we never really make it to drink ;). I love the dropper idea with this paint. I bet is takes longer to drip and more muscle to use the pipettes.
What great ideas, Amy! Thanks for sharing — particularly about the humidity. We live in a desert climate here, so that’s something I hadn’t experienced. Good to know!
What a fun idea! My kids will love this!
that sounds like a sticky mess! is it?
It certainly can be! I’ve never had much of a problem with it. Everything cleans up with a warm washcloth, especially if you don’t leave the messes to sit for a long time (as in days). As with any project, you’d want to keep things within boundaries (use a drop cloth, “Paint stays on your paper/at the table/etc”.). And it is better to leave it flat to dry rather than hang on a drying rack or you’ll end up with gradually growing puddles! It really is quite fun, and not much more of a mess than most other art projects (and even less than some I’ve done).
I used to do this all the time when I was a teacher in California and then tried it when I moved to Wisconsin. Sure enough, during the summer, my daughter’s painting started dripping down the wall! I have heard that using a drop of dish soap helps with it.
Good to know about the climate difference! I’ve really only used it out here in the high desert region. On the flip-side, I think a lot of the fun with this project is the process, so I think you could just enjoy that aspect, or do as Amy suggested and seal it up in Contact paper once it sets. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I absolutely love using these materials for art projects. I’ve used it for years and it’s been truly successful. One of the things we have noted however is that sometimes if the weather is just right it will begin to run; and as we know parents don’t like their children’s art to migrate to their walls. To solve this we use a spray on sealant and which has seemed to keep this from happening. Last month we used it to paint on canvas for our centers art auction. If you would like to see pictures please let me know!
Sealant – great idea! I would love to see your canvas samples! You can find my email info in the contact tab, or send me a link.
Hi Dan,
I have used cornsyrup to piant with toddler age children and they LOVE it!!! I was also thinking of painting on canvas and would love to hear your how you did it. Does it take longer to dry than using regular paper? Does it seep through the canvas? Whay did you used to paint on the canvas? I also would love to see pics… Thanks, Maureen
I would love to see your corn syrup paint on canvas.
What age did you do it with and can you explain how you do your art auction?
thanks
To help control the mess you can use art trays for the children to work on. A large cookie sheet, large plastic serving plates from the picnic section at wal-mart would work great too.
Absolutely! I am a BIG fan of art trays. It does make a big difference for defining space and speeding up clean-up!
Syrup paint is beautiful and a great material for exploration, but whatever you do…don’t hang-up projects with syrup paint! My class made some beautiful pictures one day, so I let them dry for several days, then hung them up in our hallway for the parents to enjoy. I found out that syrup paint never REALLY dries; it dripped down the wall and stuck. When I tried to remove it, wall came with it. It also attracted ants. It’s funny, now that I look back on it, because it really was everywhere. But I don’t think the director was too happy with me.
We did this with our homeschooling gr0up, but with a bit of a twist. We used small canvas squares (dollar store), and simply drizzled the syrup onto the canvas and dropped a few drops of food colouring onto the canvas and used toothpicks and popsicle sticks to mix it around until the canvas was covered. they could create all sorts of patterns and swirls with the colours!. Some spray sealant works to solve the humidity issue! The results are really impressive.
What a great idea! I’m so glad you shared that, Kathleen!