Painting with Feathers Art Activity

I am so excited to introduce you to painting with feathers. Whether you have small, large, fluffy, smooth, natural, or faux feathers, this sensory-meets-art project is nothing but fun.

A large orange feather that has been dipped in orange paint is moving across a white piece of paper making unique orange lines. Maroon and yellow paint have already been added to the white paper and two paper plates with paint and feathers sit above the painting.

Ditch the paintbrushes because today we’re painting with feathers

We’re painting with…feathers?!

We absolutely are!

Here at Friends Art Lab Land, we love to paint (can you tell? 😂), and we often like to switch it up by removing paintbrushes and trading them for unconventional materials, like feathers.

Imagine your child’s delight when they reach for a paintbrush only to find something as silly as a feather.

And just like that, they’re hooked.

✨ Check out our ultimate collection of the best process art projects for kids!

Materials

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Feathers – you can use slightly smaller feathers or even short craft feathers
Paint
Paper
Plates

An adult hand is painting with feathers by moving a maroon feather dipped in maroon paint across a white piece of paper.

How to paint with feathers

Step 1: Add a shallow amount of paint to a plate and add one feather.

Step 2: Paint! As your child paints with the feather on their paper, they’ll be amazed at the incredible effects they can make.

I love making long, slow lines with the feather across the paper and seeing the unique textures and patterns made.

💡 Teacher Tip: Matching paint and feathers by color (ex: orange feather with orange paint, yellow feather with yellow paint, etc.) helps young artists know where to put feathers when done.

A finished piece covered in yellow, orange, and maroon paint.

How to clean up when you’re done painting with feathers

You can rinse most feathers when done, let them dry, and save for more fun art.

We love that the feathers don’t go to waste when done, just like real paintbrushes.

An up-close look at the texture made by a maroon feather dipped in maroon paint moving across a piece of paper (the paper has orange and yellow paint already on it, too).

Is painting with feathers process art?

It absolutely is!

Process art is the “good stuff” of art with kids (well, and adults, too).

When you’re doing process art, there’s no intended outcome.

There’s no specific example kids are trying to reproduce and no rigid steps to follow.

Instead, process art is about freely exploring materials where each final piece is unique and one-of-a-kind.

And guess what? There are SO many other fabulous process art projects for you to try:

An up-close look at the texture made by an orange feather dipped in orange paint moving across a piece of paper (the paper has maroon and yellow paint already on it, too).

You can do so other many things with feathers, too

If you’re grabbing the giant feathers, you can use them for more than just painting.

We love pairing them with play dough and inviting kids to make turkeys. When it’s not Fall, we call it “making birds” and the kids have the time of their lives.

You can also toss your feathers in a rice or bean sensory bin, and kids can make them stand up (which is really fun for making walls).

We also love setting them on a table with pony beads and providing a very cool, very unique lacing activity (just pull them off when done).

Let us know if you have another favorite way of using feathers!

A white paper plate has a shallow swirl of yellow paint on it with a large yellow feather sitting on top, ready for painting with feathers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this recommended for?

Any that can safely enjoy the materials. As long as your child isn’t sticking materials in their mouth anymore, this can be done with just about any age 2+.

What feathers are you using here?

10-12″ turkey feathers.

Do you have to throw away the feathers when done?

No. When done, rinse your feathers, let them dry, and use them for even more art, fun, and play.