Lilac: prints stacked in a cone at the tip of a stemCup print, purple. Start wide at the stem and narrow to a point. Heart-shaped paper leaves finish it.
A seabed: green prints for weed over a blue printed sheetTray print, blue; cup print, green. Print the blue sheet first. When dry, add green clumps along the base.
A honeycomb with paper beesCup print, yellow. The rings stand in for cells. Glue on small paper bees and dot in their flight paths.
A frame of prints round a blank middleCup print, any two colors. Cover the middle with a sheet of scrap paper and print round the edges only.
A print with one initial left blank in the middleCup print, two colors. Stick a paper letter down with a loop of tape, print over it and peel it off dry.
A rainbow arc of prints, one cup for each bandCup print, six colors. Pencil the arc lightly first and print along it, red on the outside.
A strip of prints from pale to dark, with paint added between eachCup print, one color. Print, stir in more paint, print beside it, five times over.
A three-color sheet, each cup printed on a patch of its ownCup print, red, yellow, blue. Print one corner in each color and let the edges of the patches meet.
A whole sheet printed at once from a tray of foamTray print, two colors side by side. Blow until foam covers the tray, lay the sheet on and lift.
Dark rings over pale ones, printed in two roundsCup print, pale blue, then navy. Let the first layer dry before the second so both sets of rings show.
One color printed over and over until the rings overlap like laceCup print, blue. Blow, lower the paper, move along, repeat. The faint early prints make the best layer.
Rings inked in once dry: every cell outlined with a fine penCup print, one pale color. Trace each ring in black pen. Slow, quiet work for after the mess.
Single rings from bubbles blown off a wand and left to popWand, any bright color. Lay the paper flat outdoors and blow over it. Each bubble leaves one ring.
White rings on black paperCup print, white, mixed strong. Thin white vanishes on black, so try it on a scrap first.
Yellow rings crossed by blue onesCup print, yellow, then blue. Print the blue half over the yellow half and look for green in the overlap.
Bubble flowers and trees 12
A blossom tree: a drawn trunk with a crown of pink printsCup print, pink. Draw the trunk and branches in brown first, then print over the branch tips.
A bunch of grapes with one leaf and a curl of vineCup print, purple. Print in a triangle, point down. Circle a few rings in pen so single grapes stand out.
A cherry blossom branch running across the pageCup print, pale pink. Paint one dark branch from corner to corner, then print small clusters along it.
A dandelion clock: one pale print on a long stemCup print, thin grey. One round print, a pen stem, and a few seeds drawn drifting off to one side.
A forest seen from above, with a river of blank paperTray print, two greens. Lay a wavy strip of scrap paper across the sheet before printing, then lift it.
A hydrangea head: purple and blue prints in one round clumpCup print, purple, blue. Overlap four or five prints into a ball and add two big paper leaves below.
A vase of bubble flowers: one print for each bloomCup print, three colors. Print five heads near the top, draw stems down and a vase round them.
A winter tree: white prints as snow on bare branchesCup print, white, on blue paper. Draw the black branches first and print along their upper sides.
A wreath: green prints in a ring with a red paper bowCup print, green. Trace a plate lightly and print round the line. Leave the middle of the page blank.
Alliums: round purple heads on bare straight stemsCup print, purple. One neat print for each head, at different heights. Rule the stems in green pen.
An autumn tree with a few rings fallingCup print, red, orange, yellow. Crowd the crown with all three, then set three single prints below.
Lilac: prints stacked in a cone at the tip of a stemCup print, purple. Start wide at the stem and narrow to a point. Heart-shaped paper leaves finish it.
Sea and sky 12
A coral reef rising from the bottom edge of the pageCup print, orange, pink. Print in tall clumps, then add paper fish and a strip of sand.
A fish blowing a trail of bubblesWand, pale blue. Draw the fish low on the page, then blow single rings to rise from its mouth.
A jellyfish: a dome cut from a print, trailing ribbonCup print, pink, purple. Cut a dome from the print and tape lengths of ribbon behind its flat edge.
A seabed: green prints for weed over a blue printed sheetTray print, blue; cup print, green. Print the blue sheet first. When dry, add green clumps along the base.
A snowman built from three white prints on blue paperCup print, white. Three prints, the biggest at the bottom. Paper hat, pen arms, orange paper nose.
A thunderstorm: dark prints with a paper lightning boltCup print, navy, grey. Crowd the top of the page with dark prints and glue a yellow zigzag below.
A whale with one print for its spoutCup print, pale blue. Draw the whale first in pen, then print once straight above its blowhole.
An octopus: one print for the head and eight drawn armsCup print, orange. Draw the arms curling out from under the print, with small pen circles as suckers.
Clouds cut from pale prints, with rain drawn belowCup print, grey and blue. Print a sheet, cut cloud shapes round the clusters and glue them along the top.
The moon: a grey print cut into a circleCup print, grey. The rings already look like craters. Cut a circle and glue it on black paper.
Planets cut from prints of different colorsCup print, one color for each planet. Cut circles from the densest patches and line them up on black.
Sea foam along a painted shorelineCup print, white, on a page painted half blue, half sand. One wavy line of prints where the two meet.
Cards and wrapping 12
A bath-time card: a tub heaped with bubbles, a duck on topCup print, pale blue. Draw the tub, print a heap above its rim and glue on a yellow paper duck.
A birthday card: three prints as balloons on drawn stringsCup print, red, yellow, blue. One print each, side by side. Draw the strings down to a single bow.
A card with one pink print as a bubble-gum bubbleCup print, pink. Draw a face in profile at the edge of the card and print once at its mouth.
A Christmas card: prints as baubles on ruled threadsCup print, red, green, gold. Three prints at different heights, each with a ruled line to the top edge.
A gift bag made from one bubble-printed sheetTray print, any color. Wrap the sheet round a cereal box as a mold, glue the seam and base, slide it off.
A Mother's Day card: five prints tied as a bouquetCup print, pink, purple. Print five heads, draw the stems to one point and glue a paper bow over it.
A notebook covered in a bubble-printed sheetTray print, one color. Wrap the cover like a parcel and glue the flaps inside the front and back.
Bookmarks cut in strips from one bubble printCup print, two colors. Cut strips as wide as two fingers, round the corners and add a ribbon.
Envelopes folded from bubble-printed paperTray print, pale. Open a spare envelope flat, trace it on the plain side of the print, cut, fold, glue.
Gift tags cut from the brightest patches of a printCup print, any color. Cut tag shapes round the best clusters, punch a hole and thread string through.
Party invitations with a border of printsCup print, the colors of the party. Cover the middle with scrap paper, print the edges, write in the gap.
Wrapping paper printed a sheet at a timeTray print, two colors. Plain brown or white paper, laid on the foam and lifted. Dry flat before folding.
Scales, shells and fleece 12
A caterpillar: five prints in a rowCup print, green, yellow. Alternate the colors, then draw feet under each print and two feelers.
A coiled snake cut from one long printCup print, green, yellow. Print a strip, cut a long S and glue it down in a coil. Fork the tongue.
A crocodile with a bumpy printed backCup print, green. Cut the back from the print and the belly and jaw from plain green paper.
A fish covered by one print, the rings as its scalesCup print, teal. Print a patch, draw a fish outline over it and cut it out. Add an eye.
A giraffe cut from yellow paper printed in brownCup print, brown, on yellow paper. The rings dry as a net of patches. Draw the giraffe on the back and cut.
A honeycomb with paper beesCup print, yellow. The rings stand in for cells. Glue on small paper bees and dot in their flight paths.
A lion: an orange print for the mane round a paper faceCup print, orange. Print once, then glue a yellow paper circle in the middle and draw the face on it.
A poodle: prints for the head, chest and pawsCup print, grey or pink. Place five small prints first and join them afterwards with a pen body and legs.
A sheep with one white print for its fleeceCup print, white, on green paper. Add a black paper face and four legs in pen.
A turtle with a bubble print for its shellCup print, green. Cut an oval from the print and glue on a head, four feet and a tail.
An owl with one print for its chest feathersCup print, brown. One print in the middle; draw the owl round it and cut two big paper eyes.
Frogspawn in a pond: a dot drawn in every ringCup print, pale grey, on blue paper. When dry, put one black pen dot in the middle of each ring.
How it works
A bubble print is a cluster of paint rings left where colored soap bubbles touched the paper. These bubble art ideas start from what that cluster already looks like: a hydrangea, a reef of coral, a cloud, a fleece.
Read the full guide
How to make a bubble print
Half fill a cup with water, add a squirt of dish soap and a dollop of washable paint, and stir. Hold a straw near the bottom and blow out until bubbles rise above the rim. Lower the paper onto them and lift. Print again to build up overlapping rings.
Bubble art project ideas for a class
A project needs a second step after the print. Blow the prints one day. When they are dry, cut the clusters out and build with them: a coral reef along the wall, a flock with one sheep each, a tree that everyone adds blossom to.
Blow out, never in. A pinhole near the top of the straw helps keep paint from being sucked up. Try plain water first.
Lower the paper straight down and lift it straight up. Sliding it smears the rings.
Card stock or watercolor paper stands up to wet bubbles better than printer paper.
Questions and answers
What is bubble art?
Painting with soap bubbles instead of a brush. A bubble is a thin film of soapy water round a pocket of air; color the water and each bubble leaves a ring of paint where it touches the paper or pops on it.
What paint do you use for bubble art?
Washable, non-toxic paint such as tempera, which gives bright rings. Food coloring also works and prints paler. If a print is faint, stir in more paint and blow a fresh head of bubbles.
Why is my bubble painting not working?
Flat bubbles that will not climb out of the cup want more dish soap, or a different one: some foam poorly. Rings too pale to see want more paint. Stir before each print, because the paint sinks to the bottom.
Can you do bubble art without a straw?
Yes. Dip a bubble wand in the colored mix and blow so the bubbles land on the paper and pop: each leaves a single ring. For a child too young to blow through a straw, an adult blows and the child prints.