DIY Sun Paintings

Materials you'll need

• Turmeric
• Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
• Small glass or cup
• Measuring spoon
• Paintbrush
• Paper towels
• Watercolor paper
• A handful of fall leaves
• Warm water
• Baking soda
• Large tray or bin
• Glass sheet (optional)

 

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric to a small glass, then pour in 3 tablespoons of isopropyl alcohol. Stir with a paintbrush until fully combined to make your turmeric paint.

Step 2: Lay a few paper towels down on your work surface to protect it from stains, then place a sheet of watercolor paper on top.

Step 3: Paint the entire sheet of watercolor paper with your turmeric mixture.

Step 4: While the paint is still wet, arrange fall leaves on top of the painted paper, pressing them flat so they lie snugly against the paper. It's option to add a glass sheet over the leaves. 

Step 5: Set the painting in direct sunlight for 1 hour to dry completely.

Step 6: Mix warm water and baking soda together in a large tray or bin. Remove the leaves from your dry painting, then dip the paper into the baking soda solution and watch the colors transform.

Learn more

This project uses turmeric's favorite trick: color that changes with both light and pH (how acidic or basic something is). Turmeric gets its bright yellow color from a pigment called curcumin, and curcumin breaks down when it soaks up UV rays from the sun. That's why the exposed parts of your painting faded in the sun, while the spots hidden under your leaves stayed protected and kept their color — leaving behind a leafy silhouette, kind of like an old-fashioned sun print. Then, when you dipped your paper into the baking soda mix, the curcumin reacted to the baking soda's alkaline (basic) chemistry and flipped from yellow to a deep orange-red, revealing your leaf print in a whole new color.