A dandelion clock in white on a blue plateColors, 1: white. Thin the paint a little more than usual so the streaks run fine.
A firework burst on a black plateColors, 3: any brights. Drop them close to the middle so the streaks fly outward on the black.
A flower head on a green paper stalkColors, 2: pink and yellow. Yellow goes in the middle and pink in a ring of drops round it.
A galaxy with white stars dotted on afterwardsColors, 3: blue, purple, white. Spin the two dark ones on a black plate; dot the white on dry.
A giant lollipop on a stickColors, 2: red and white. Tape a craft stick or a paper straw behind the dry plate.
A record with thin grooves and a paper labelColors, 2: silver and white on a black plate. Small drops only, so the streaks stay thin.
A slice of orange with pen lines between the segmentsColors, 2: orange and yellow. When it is dry, rule pen lines out from the center like spokes.
A spider web with the rings drawn on afterColors, 1: white on a black plate. The spokes are spun; pen the rings between them when dry.
A wall set of five plates in one color familyColors, 2 a plate: blues and greens. Move where the drops land so that no two plates match.
A wheel that still spins on a paper fastenerColors, 3: any. Pin the dry plate to card through its middle; a flick blurs the streaks again.
An eye with a spun iris and a glued-on pupilColors, 2: blue and green. Spin and dry, then add a black paper circle and one white glint.
An open umbrella seen from aboveColors, 3: any. Pen eight ribs out from the center and a scallop between each pair of tips.
Cut into shapes afterwards 12
A big flower with wedge petals round a buttonColors, 2: any. Cut the circle into eight wedges and glue them round a button, points inward.
A bunch of balloons on thread stringsColors, 2 a balloon. Cut ovals, glue them in a cluster and tape the threads down at one point.
A butterfly cut on the fold of a spun sheetColors, 3: any. Fold the dry sheet through its center, cut half a butterfly on the fold, open.
A kite with a tail of paper bowsColors, 3: any. Cut one diamond with the center of the spin at its middle; scraps make the bows.
A peacock with a half circle of spun tailColors, 2: blue and green. Cut the spin in half and stand a small blue paper body in front.
A shoal of fish all cut from one spinColors, 2: blue and green. Point every tail toward the edge of the circle, where the streaks fan.
A turtle whose shell is the whole spun circleColors, 2: green and yellow. Add a paper head, four legs and a tail under the edge.
Fall leaves glued on a drawn treeColors, 2: red and yellow. Cut pointed ovals so that the streaks run along each leaf like veins.
Feathers with snipped edgesColors, 3: any. Cut a long oval along the streaks and fringe both sides with small snips.
The letters of a name, each from a different spinColors, 2 a letter. Draw block letters on the back, mirrored, and cut them out.
Planets for a space scene on black paperColors, 2 a planet. Cut circles from the busiest parts of each spin and dot stars round them.
Three scoops on a paper coneColors, 2 a scoop. Cut a circle from each of three spins and stack them on a brown paper triangle.
Color pairs 12
Blue and white for a frosty wheelColors, 2. The white lightens the blue instead of changing it, so every streak is still blue.
Gold and white on dark blue cardColors, 2. Thin the gold until it drips off the brush, the same as the white.
Green and blue for sea colorsColors, 2. Add the green last, in small drops, so it streaks over the blue.
Light blue and dark blue, with nothing to go wrongColors, 2. Two strengths of one color cannot turn muddy; a first spin for a small child.
Pink and purple, close neighbors that blend softlyColors, 2. Drop the purple in the middle and the pink round it for a dark heart and a pale rim.
Red and blue, with purple wherever they crossColors, 2. Drop the red in the middle and the blue in a ring round it, so the red crosses the blue.
Red and white for candy stripes with pink betweenColors, 2. Alternate small drops in a ring so the two colors streak out side by side.
Red and yellow, with orange wherever they crossColors, 2. Drop them side by side near the middle; both are primaries, so the mix stays clean.
White alone on black cardColors, 1. With no second color to mix, the streaks stay as sharp as the spin makes them.
Yellow and blue, with green wherever they crossColors, 2. Put the yellow down first and the blue beside it, so the pale color is not buried.
Yellow and orange for a sun that cannot go brownColors, 2. Neighbors on the color wheel only shift toward each other when they mix.
Yellow, orange and red, dropped in that orderColors, 3. All three sit together on the warm side of the wheel, so every overlap stays warm.
Cards and garlands 12
A bookmark with the burst halfway downColors, 3: any. Cut a strip straight through the middle of a spin.
A card with a spun circle showing through a round windowColors, 2: any. Cut a circle in the card front and tape the spin behind it.
A hanging chain of small spun circlesColors, 2 each. Cut small circles and tape them a finger apart down a length of thread.
A heart card in red and pinkColors, 2: red and pink. Fold the spin, cut half a heart on the fold and mount it on white card.
A paper chain of spun stripsColors, 2 a sheet. Cut the dry sheets into strips, then loop and glue each one through the last.
A party crown with spun circles as jewelsColors, 2 a jewel. Glue small spun circles along a card band cut to fit the head.
A party hat rolled from a spun circleColors, 3: any. Cut from the edge to the center, overlap the two edges into a cone and tape.
A pinwheel folded from a spun squareColors, 2: any. Slit a square from each corner toward the middle and pin every other point down.
A rosette pleated from a spun stripColors, 2: any. Fan-fold a long strip, join its ends, press it flat and glue a circle on top.
A thank-you card with a spun sun in one cornerColors, 2: yellow and orange. Glue a quarter circle into the top corner and draw rays out from it.
Bunting flags folded over a stringColors, 2 a flag. Cut diamonds from the spins, fold each over the string and glue it shut.
Gift tags cut from the streakiest partsColors, 2: any. Cut tag shapes, punch a hole in each and write on the plain back.
Where the drops go 12
A cluster of drops off to one sideColors, 3. Crowd the drops near one edge and leave the rest of the card empty.
A cross in two colorsColors, 2. One stripe each way, crossing at the center, so the colors meet in four places.
A ring of dots halfway out, leaving the middle bareColors, 2. Alternate the dots; the streaks begin where each dot sat and run to the rim.
A scatter of tiny dots all overColors, 3. Small drops carry little paint, so each one leaves a short, fine streak.
A second layer over a dry first spinColors, 2 and then 1. Spin dark colors, let them dry, then spin white or gold on top.
A spiral squeezed from the middle outwardColors, 1. Paint starts at every distance from the center, so the streaks come out all lengths.
A sticker in the middle, peeled off afterColors, 2. Press a star sticker down, drop paint round it, spin, dry, and peel for a clean star.
One blob in the dead center for a single even burstColors, 1. The paint has the whole surface to cross, so thin it a little more.
One stripe across the middleColors, 1. Squeeze a line from edge to edge through the center and see which way it smears.
Paint dripped on while it turnsColors, 2. Only on a spinner with an open top; each new drop lands on paint that is moving.
Thick paint beside thinned paint on one cardColors, 2. Thin one color with water and leave the other; watch which one reaches the rim.
Two cards with the same drops, one spun twice as longColors, 2. Lay them side by side when dry and compare how far the paint traveled.
How it works
These spin art ideas start where the spinning stops: what a spun plate becomes, what to cut a spin into, and which colors to drop next time.
Read the full guide
Color pairs that stay bright
Spun paint mixes wherever two colors cross, so choose a pair whose mix you want. Red and yellow cross as orange, yellow and blue as green, red and blue as purple. Opposite pairs, such as red with green or blue with orange, mix toward gray.
Where the drops go decides the picture
One blob in the middle gives a single burst. A ring of dots leaves the center bare. A sticker pressed down first and peeled off afterwards leaves its shape in clean card.
Paint has to run to streak. Thin it with a little water until it drips off the brush.
Lift the spun card out level and dry it flat, or the streaks keep running.
Questions and answers
What is spin art?
Painting with a spinning platform. Wet paint is dripped onto card, the card is spun fast, and the force of the spin draws the paint outward into streaks. Nobody sees the picture until the spinning stops.
What can you make with spin art?
Keep a spun plate whole as a firework, an eye or a slice of orange, or cut it up into butterflies, leaves, fish, bunting and gift tags. The list has 60 ideas in five groups of 12.
Can you do spin art without a machine?
Yes, in a salad spinner. Lay a paper plate or a circle of card in the basket, drop the paint on, shut the lid and spin. Keep that spinner for crafts from then on.