School-aged kids will learn to create art within a coffee spill in this fun project. Our basic techniques can easily be used at home or in the classroom.
Creating Spill Art
Spill Art can be created in a variety of ways with many mediums. Today, we are using coffee for the base of our spill art but artists also use watercolor, dyes, or anything else that will leave a stain on paper. It’s important to keep color in mind when creating spill art. The darker your coffee (or other liquid) is, the darker and more bold the spill design will be.
Related: Review Shading Techniques before drawing your coffee spill art design.
Supplies Needed to Make this Coffee Spill Art Project
- Dark Coffee – cooled to room temperature
- Cardstock – or other heavy body paper
- Pencil
- Permanent Marker
- Paper Towels
- Protected Surface
Directions to Make Coffee Spill Art
Step 1
Begin by pouring some room temperature dark coffee into the center of the cardstock. If desired, kids can use their hands to lightly pat the coffee spill to create more splatter.
Step 2
Next, use paper towels to remove excess coffee from cardstock.
To create a darker spill: Lightly touch the top of any coffee puddles with the edge of a folded paper towel. This will soak up excess liquid without removing too much of the coffee.
To create lighter spill designs: Place paper towels over the entire spill and soak up any remaining coffee on the surface of the paper.
Set paper aside to dry.
Step 3
When coffee spill is dry, use a permanent marker to trace around the edges of the spill.
Step 4
Then, use a pencil to lightly sketch a design within the coffee spill. Be careful not to extend the design past the borders of the spill.
Step 5
Lastly, trace sketch with a permanent marker and carefully erase any unwanted pencil lines.
Finished Coffee Spill Art Project
I love how the coffee spill shapes the artwork in these creations! Since these projects are made on paper, they can easily be framed, clipped, or displayed in your preferred style.
Our Experience Making this Coffee Spill Art Project
This project was fun from the beginning! We enjoyed exploring different spill and splatter techniques with the coffee. We also made many extra coffee spill backgrounds that we can use for future projects. I love that this project still allows artists to express their own individual creativity through their drawings within the spill.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Difficulty
Medium
Estimated Cost
$1
Materials
- Dark Coffee – cooled to room temperature
- Cardstock – or other heavy body paper
Tools
- Pencil
- Permanent Marker
- Paper Towels
- Protected Surface
Instructions
- Pour room temperature dark coffee into the center of the cardstock. If desired, use hands to lightly pat the coffee spill to create more splatter.
- Use paper towels to remove excess coffee from cardstock.
To create a darker spill: Lightly touch the top of any coffee puddles with the edge of a folded paper towel. This will soak up excess liquid without removing too much of the coffee.
To create lighter spill designs: Place paper towels over the entire spill and soak up any remaining coffee on the surface of the paper.
Set paper aside to dry. - When coffee spill is dry, use a permanent marker to trace around the edges of the spill.
- Use a pencil to lightly sketch a design within the coffee spill. Be careful not to extend the design past the borders of the spill.
- Trace sketch with a permanent marker and carefully erase any unwanted pencil lines.
Notes
Coffee Spill Art Variations
- Use other mediums to create spills such as teas, watercolors, or dyes.
- Quicken dry time with a hair dryer or heat gun.
- Explore adding other mediums to your project such as colored pencils or paints.
Coffee Spill Art Variations
- Use other mediums to create spills such as teas, watercolors, or dyes.
- Quicken dry time with a hair dryer or heat gun.
- Explore adding other mediums to your project such as colored pencils or paints.
Other Fun Art Projects from Kids Activities Blog
Did your kids have fun creating art with spilled coffee? What designs did they draw within their spill?
