Try Snow Painting This Winter

This winter, try something new that’s fun for the whole family! Next time it snows, try out snow painting, which is easy, fun, and creates the perfect “Instagram worthy” moment amidst a winter wonderland. This activity presents the perfect opportunity to express your artistic side while you get some fresh air, which can be a tough goal to accomplish in the winter.

Step 1 - Get Your Materials Ready

Before you venture outside, you’ll need to gather all the necessary materials. These include an assortment of food coloring colors - red, yellow, and blue are a good start - and spray bottles. If you’re planning to mix colors to have a wider range of hues, also get plastic bowls and brushes together.

Step 2 - Prepare the Paint

Fill your spray bottles with cold water. This is important, as warm water will melt the snow as you paint, so that should be avoided. Add several drops of food coloring to each bottle so that you have one of each primary color. You should add enough food coloring to make the colors bold and vibrant against the snow.

If you’re looking for alternate colors, use the primary colors to mix new colors in the plastic bowls you got ready. Pour these new colors into their own spray bottles for use. You can also mix the colors once you spray them. It’s all about experimentation!

Step 3 - Go Out and Paint

Once your paint is ready in the individual spray bottles, head out and put it to good use. Point your spray bottles towards the snow and get spraying. You’ll see the colors along the snow bank and you can easily create vibrant pictures. It’s easiest to create large, abstract works of art. If desired, you can also use brushes with bowls full of mixed colors to create pictures in the snow. This is not the best method for little kids, as it can get kind of messy! However, it’s a good method for creating more detailed pictures as it’s easier to control a brush rather than a spray bottle when it comes to concise pictures. Keep in mind that it may be easier to keep your hands warm by wearing gloves while using spray bottles rather than brushes, though.

Step 4 - Document Your Work

The painting is the fun part, but the other component of this project is how you can document your work to show off to the world! Use your smartphone or a real camera to take artsy photos of your masterpieces. This could be a great time to do something creative enough to incorporate into a family holiday photo. You could even write a holiday greeting in the snow with your paint, making for a unique photo.

Another way to create an “Instagrammable” moment with snow paint is to adorn a snowman with paint for a detailed and endearing face. Whatever art you opt to make during the project, you can definitely get some great photos of it or even make a short film out of the process.

More Food Coloring Options

You can keep this project pretty low cost by using the cheapest food coloring you can find in basic colors at the grocery store. That option works great. However, if you’re looking for a wider range of colors, go to a craft store or store that sells more specialty baking items. Invest in gel food coloring, which comes in a wider range of hues. These colors tend to be more vibrant, too.

Bring the Snow Inside

Bringing the snow inside may be a great way to keep kids busy on a snow day. Get a wide storage container and fill it with fresh snow from the great outdoors. Line towels underneath the container. Give kids the paint in cups and brushes or the spray bottles (if you trust them to spray them inside without making a mess). Let them paint their hearts out all without being exposed to the cold temperatures. That will be a snow day they’ll always remember!

Our site features so many projects you can do on a snow day, but this has to be one of the most fun and memorable, and it’s certainly something worth documenting!