Orizomegami Dip-and-Dye Art Project

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.

Kristian smiles holding a piece of orizomegami art (paper towel folded and dipped into colorful dyes) over a tray with five egg-shaped containers.

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.

Related: Looking for more stunning art for kids? Try one of our giant 10-foot coloring page banners. They’re larger-than-life art fun for everyone.

Four pieces of orizomegami dip-and-dye art ((paper towel folded and dipped into colorful dyes)

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 – Friends Art Lab
Painting with Peeps – Friends Art Lab
Bleeding Tissue Paper Easter Bunnies – Friends Art Lab
Potato Stamped Easter Eggs – The Best Ideas for Kids

Materials

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Paper towels
Coloring – ex: liquid watercolors, food dye, or Easter egg dyeing kit
Bowls of water

Three photos of Kristian modeling the steps of orizomegami dip-and-dye art: (1) Kristian dips a folded paper towel into a blue egg-shape bowl with blue dye, (2) the paper towel is lifted and Kristian squeezes the excess blue dye back into the blue bowl, (3) Kristian smiles at the camera while showing off the blue dye spot on the folded paper towel.

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.

Three photos: (1) a hand holds an egg dyeing kit that says " Dudley's coloring cups: contents 5 coloring cips, 5 coloring tablets, 1 egg dipper, (2) the five colorful egg-shape cups are spread around in a yellow tray with the small bag of dye tablets resting in the middle, (3) water is poured into the pink cup.

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.

A finished piece of colorful orizomegami dip-and-dye art (aper towel folded and dipped into colorful dyes)

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!

An outstretched hand has five small dye tablets sitting in the palm. Behind the hand are the materials for the project (water, paper towels, and five colorful egg-shaped cups).

FAQ

What age is this activity recommended for?

Any that can safely use the materials.

Can you do this on fabric?

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.

Do you have to use Easter egg dye kits?

No. We use these kits at Easter time for fun, but during the rest of the year we use liquid watercolors.