• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Tissue Paper Art Ideas

Three tissue paper makes per press, with the sheets or squares each takes and the first fold, tear or brush.

Tissue Paper Art Ideas

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  1. A daffodil whose trumpet is a strip rolled around a pencilTissue paper, 2 yellows. Glue six petals in a ring, roll a darker strip into a tube and stand it in the middle.
  2. A poppy of four red circles around a scrunched black centerTissue circles, 4, and 1 black scrap. Pinch each circle at one edge, glue the pinches together and add the center.
  3. A jar lantern papered in tissue patches for a battery candleTissue squares, 3 colors, and a glass jar. Brush glue on the glass, overlap the squares and brush more on top.

Next step Flowers to drawPaint on the window itself

All 60 ideas

Flowers 12

  • A bouquet of twisted tissue buds with their tails gathered in a cone Tissue squares, 9. Twist each square at its middle into a bud with a tail and gather the tails inside the cone.
  • A carnation with zigzag edges snipped before the layers are opened Tissue sheets, 6. Pleat and tie the stack, cut both ends into a point and separate the layers gently.
  • A daffodil whose trumpet is a strip rolled around a pencil Tissue paper, 2 yellows. Glue six petals in a ring, roll a darker strip into a tube and stand it in the middle.
  • A giant wall flower made from full sheets and taped up Tissue sheets, 10, uncut. Pleat the whole stack the long way, tie it with string and fluff it against the wall.
  • A peony fluffed up from eight fan-folded sheets tied in the middle Tissue sheets, 8. Stack them, pleat the stack like a fan, tie the center and lift one layer at a time.
  • A poppy of four red circles around a scrunched black center Tissue circles, 4, and 1 black scrap. Pinch each circle at one edge, glue the pinches together and add the center.
  • A rose rolled from one long strip, twisted every few turns Tissue strip, 1 long one. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, roll it loosely and give it a half twist as you go.
  • A string of small blossoms threaded through their centers Tissue squares, 20. Stack four at a time, cut a petal shape and thread each stack onto yarn with a blunt needle.
  • A sunflower with pointed yellow petals and a scrunched brown middle Tissue paper, 2 colors. Glue two rings of petals to a card circle, the second ring between the first.
  • A tulip on a straw: a square draped over a tissue ball and twisted Tissue squares, 2. Scrunch one into a ball on the straw's end, cover it with the other and tape the twist.
  • A water lily that sits on a table: three layers of points, middle twisted Tissue squares, 3 sizes. Fold each in quarters, cut the open edge into a point, unfold and stack them.
  • Cherry blossom on a real twig: pink squares pinched and glued along it Tissue squares, 15 pink. Pinch the middle of each square into a point, dab it in glue and press it to the twig.

Stained-glass windows 12

  • A black card frame cut like a leaded window, tissue behind each opening Tissue paper, 5 colors. Cut the openings first, turn the frame over and glue one color across each from the back.
  • A butterfly window with wings of overlapping squares on clear sticky film Tissue squares, 4 colors. Peel the film, lay the squares on the sticky side and seal with a second sheet.
  • A dragonfly with long see-through wings on a card body Tissue paper, 2 colors. Cut four narrow wings from doubled tissue and trap their ends under the body.
  • A fish whose see-through scales mix color where they overlap Tissue circles, 3 colors. Lay the scales in rows on sticky film, each row half over the last.
  • A jar lantern papered in tissue patches for a battery candle Tissue squares, 3 colors, and a glass jar. Brush glue on the glass, overlap the squares and brush more on top.
  • A night-light tube: a tissue panel rolled around a battery candle Tissue paper, 3 colors. Glue torn pieces onto tracing paper, let it dry and tape the short edges together.
  • A pumpkin lantern face with orange tissue glowing behind the cut-outs Tissue paper, 1 orange sheet. Cut eyes and a grin from black card and glue the orange across the back.
  • A rose window: a folded black circle snipped like a snowflake, color behind Tissue paper, 6 colors. Fold the circle in eighths, cut shapes from the folds, open it and back every hole.
  • A window quilt: a grid of squares in two colors, like a checkerboard Tissue squares, 2 colors. Stick them edge to edge on clear film and trim the outside straight.
  • Fall leaves for a window, each one filled with warm colors Tissue paper, 4 colors. Cut leaf-shaped holes in black paper and back each with torn red, orange and yellow.
  • Shapes sealed between two glue-brushed sheets of wax paper Tissue shapes, 12. Brush thinned glue on one sheet, arrange the shapes, lay the second sheet on and press flat.
  • Three panes that overlap to show yellow and blue making green Tissue paper, 3 colors. Tape a yellow pane and a blue pane to the window so they cross, then add red.

Color that bleeds 12

  • A butterfly printed by folding the page while the tissue is still wet Bleeding tissue, 3 colors. Wet pieces on one half only, fold the paper over, press and open it.
  • A galaxy bled from blue, purple and black, with flicked white stars Bleeding tissue, 3 colors. Overlap wet torn pieces, peel when dry and flick white paint from a toothbrush.
  • A hidden drawing: white crayon first, bleeding tissue over the top Bleeding tissue, 2 colors. Press hard with the crayon. The wax keeps the dye off and the lines stay white.
  • A rainy window: wet tissue on a tilted page, the color running down Bleeding tissue, 2 blues. Prop the page on a slant, spray the tissue with water and let the drips find their way.
  • A sunset sky bled from wet strips of yellow, orange and red Bleeding tissue, 3 colors. Lay the strips on thick paper, brush water over them, let them dry and peel them off.
  • An ocean bled from torn blue strips, palest at the top Bleeding tissue, 3 blues. Tear the strips so the edges are rough, layer them wet and leave a white gap as foam.
  • Blossom prints from wet scrunched balls, with stalks drawn in afterward Bleeding tissue, 4 colors. Dip each ball in water, press it on the page, lift it and move along.
  • Color pushed out of tissue scraps by an ice cube Bleeding tissue, 3 colors. Scatter scraps on the paper and slide the ice cube over them until the color runs.
  • Egg shapes of card dyed in stripes of bled color Bleeding tissue strips, 3 colors. Lay strips across each card egg, wet them and peel them once dry.
  • Leaves cut out of a page that was first bled in reds and oranges Bleeding tissue, 3 colors. Cover the page in wet overlapping squares, peel them when dry, then cut out leaves.
  • Northern lights: green and purple strips dragged while wet Bleeding tissue, 2 colors. Wet the strips on dark blue paper and pull each one sideways before it dries.
  • Planets printed from wet tissue circles that overlap Bleeding tissue circles, 4 colors. Wet each circle where it lies and lift it straight up once it has dried.

Collage and layered pictures 12

  • A bird whose feathers are three overlapping rows of torn tissue Tissue paper, 3 colors. Start at the tail and let each row cover the tops of the pieces behind it.
  • A bowl of fruit where the overlaps make the shadows Tissue paper, 4 colors. Cut each fruit once in a pale color and add a second piece over its shaded side.
  • A canvas covered in wrinkled tissue, dry-brushed across the ridges Tissue sheet, 1 white. Glue it down in deliberate creases, let it dry and drag a nearly dry brush over the top.
  • A fall tree with warm leaves layered over cool ones Tissue paper, 5 colors. Draw the trunk, glue green and blue pieces first and let red and orange overlap them.
  • A jellyfish with twisted tentacles that hang free of the page Tissue paper, 2 colors. Glue a dome flat, then twist long strips and glue only their top ends under it.
  • A mixing chart: three colors overlapped in every pair Tissue circles, 3 colors. Glue the three circles so each overlaps the other two, and name each new color.
  • A rain cloud whose strips of rain hang loose off the bottom of the page Tissue paper, 2 colors. Glue a scrunched gray cloud at the top and attach blue strips by one end only.
  • A side-view head filled with patches of your favorite colors Tissue paper, 5 colors. Trace a shadow of the head in profile, fill the outline and trim along the line.
  • A storage tin papered in torn tissue patches and sealed with glue Tissue paper, 3 colors, and a clean tin. Overlap torn patches all around and seal with thinned glue.
  • An aquarium with twisted-strip plants and layered fish Tissue paper, 4 colors. Twist green strips, glue them at the base only, and overlap two shapes for each fish.
  • An ocean of overlapping blue strips, darker where two cross Tissue strips, 2 blues. Brush thinned glue on the card, lay a strip, brush over it and overlap the next.
  • Pale tissue glued over a waterproof pen drawing so the lines show through Tissue paper, 3 colors. Draw in waterproof pen, then glue pale pieces over the drawing so the lines show through.

Scrunched mosaics 12

  • A blossom tree: a painted trunk with pink balls along every branch Tissue squares, 2 pinks. Paint the bare tree first and glue the balls in clusters at the branch ends.
  • A box of popcorn overflowing with scrunched white and yellow balls Tissue squares, 2 colors. Scrunch each square between finger and thumb and glue the balls above a striped box.
  • A coral reef of tufts and balls in bright colors on blue card Tissue squares, 4 colors. Use pencil-end tufts for the branching coral and balls for the round kind.
  • A head of broccoli: green balls bunched on a pale card stalk Tissue squares, 2 greens. Glue the darker balls at the outside of each bunch and the lighter ones inside.
  • A pineapple of yellow balls with a crown of green tissue spikes Tissue squares, 2 colors. Set the balls in slanting rows and cut the crown as a fringe of long points.
  • A raspberry made of red balls packed into a cone shape Tissue squares, 1 color. Draw a rounded cone, start at the tip and pack the balls so no paper shows.
  • A sheep with a fleece of white balls and a black card face Tissue squares, 1 color. Fill an oval with the balls and glue the face and four legs over the edges.
  • A wreath of tufts made by wrapping squares over a pencil end Tissue squares, 2 greens. Wrap a square over the blunt end, dip it in glue and press it down. The tuft stands up.
  • An ear of corn: yellow balls in rows inside a green tissue husk Tissue squares, 2 colors. Glue the balls in straight rows on a long oval and wrap two green leaves around it.
  • Bubble bath: a card tub heaped with white and pale blue balls Tissue squares, 2 colors. Glue the balls in a mound that spills over the rim and add a card duck on top.
  • Ice cream scoops of scrunched tissue on a card cone Tissue squares, 3 colors. Fill three circles, one color each, stacked above a cone with drawn criss-cross lines.
  • Scrunched-ball rainbow: six arcs, each packed with balls of one color Tissue squares, 6 colors. Pencil the bands, glue one band at a time and keep the balls all one size.

How it works

Tissue paper is thin enough to see through, so it does four things card cannot: fluff into petals, glow in a window, mix color where pieces overlap and scrunch. These art ideas with tissue paper use all four.

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Art and craft ideas with tissue paper, by what the paper does

Pleated and tied, a stack of sheets opens into a flower. Held to the light, it is stained glass, and two colors that overlap make a third. Brushed with thinned white glue, it lies flat as collage. Scrunched, a small square becomes one dot of a mosaic.

The kind that bleeds

Color that bleeds needs tissue whose dye runs when wet. Lay it on thick paper, brush on water, let it dry and peel it away: the color stays behind. Test a scrap first, because ordinary gift tissue often does not run.

  • Brush glue onto the card, not onto the tissue. Wet tissue tears as it is lifted.
  • Cut squares through a folded stack, eight layers at a time.

Questions and answers

What are tissue paper art ideas for kids?

The scrunched ones need no scissors once the squares are cut: a box of popcorn, a raspberry packed with red balls, a rainbow of six arcs. A butterfly window on clear sticky film needs no glue at all.

How do you make tissue paper flowers?

Stack six to ten sheets, pleat the stack like a fan, tie the middle and lift the layers apart one at a time. Rounded ends give a peony and zigzag ends a carnation. Flowers holds twelve, down to a tulip on a straw.

What is bleeding tissue paper?

Tissue whose dye runs when it gets wet. Laid on thick paper and brushed with water, it leaves its color behind when peeled off dry. Twelve ideas use it, from a sunset sky to a hidden white-crayon drawing.

How do you make a tissue paper stained-glass window?

Cut openings in black card and glue tissue across the back, or lay pieces on clear sticky film and seal with a second sheet. Taped to a window, the light comes through and overlapping colors mix.

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