I am so excited to share orizomegami dip-and-dye art with you! While the name sounds fancy, the materials and steps are perfectly easy for children (and the only thing hard about this is trying to stop from making 1,000,000 pieces). You’re going to love this.
What is orizomegami dip-and-dye art?
As someone who loves learning about any tie-dyeing method, I was beside myself when I first learned about orizomegami.
Orizomegami is a Japanese art technique of dipping folded papers into dyes to create stunning pieces of art.
Because the steps are as simple as folding, dipping, and dyeing, this famous method is perfect for kids and adults of all ages to explore.
Each piece is colorful, symmetrical (we love connecting art with math), and no two pieces are the same.
✨ Check out our ultimate collection of the best process art projects for kids!
You can make Orizomegami dip-and-dye art with an Easter twist
The technique of orizomegami always stays the same, but depending on the time of the year, I switch up what we use for dyes.
During most times of the year, we use liquid watercolors or food coloring in regular bowls for the dyes.
However, we grab inexpensive Easter egg dyeing kits for a fun, festive twist at Easter time.
🐇 We love Easter art! Check out some of our other favorite Easter activities:
- Air-Dry Clay Easter Eggs
- Painting with Peeps
- Bleeding Tissue Paper Easter Bunnies
- Potato Stamped Easter Eggs
Materials
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- Paper towels
- Coloring – ex: liquid watercolors, food dye, or Easter egg dyeing kit
- Bowls of water
- Shallow trays – optional
How to make Orizomegami dip-and-dye art
First, prep your bowls of coloring.
- Add your coloring (liquid watercolors or food dye) to your bowls of water.
- If using an Easter egg dyeing kit, follow the directions on the package for the amount of water to use (skip adding vinegar if it’s one of the steps – that’s only for eggs).
Next, fold your paper towel
There’s no right or wrong way to folding.
Sometimes, we fold our paper towels into squares and other times into rectangles or triangles. Have fun experimenting!
Last, dip & dye your paper towels
- Dip one corner of your folded paper towel at a time into a color. When you lift it, hold it over the correct bowl and use your fingers to press out excess liquid.
- Repeat on the other corners, observing the colors mixing as they touch on the paper towel.
Let your paper towels dry completely.
What do you do with the finished pieces?
We do all kinds of things with the final pieces!
Sometimes, we leave the paper towels as is and hang them on a wall or window.
Other times, we cut the paper towel into shapes related to the current holiday or season.
How cute would these be cut into bunny or egg shapes? I love this idea.
Extra layers of learning in Orizomegami dip-and-dye art
When doing this art project, kids are also exploring:
- Math as their finished paper towels are symmetrical
- Literacy through naming the colors and materials they’re using
- Science when two colors mix to create new colors
- Fine motor by holding, pressing, opening, and manipulating paper towels
- Process art because no two pieces will ever be the same
We love a cross-curricular art project…
…and we hope you love this one, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Any that can safely use the materials.
Yes! The colorants we mentioned in this post aren’t permanent to withstand washing, but you can use fabric dyes for gorgeous orizomegami art on fabric.
No. We use these kits at Easter time for fun, but during the rest of the year we use liquid watercolors.
awesome
This blog is very helpful for liquid dyes.