How to Make Bubble Print Pictures

Bubble prints are like fingerprints, except made with bubbles. You can make bubble prints and learn about how bubbles are shaped and how pigments combine to make different colors.

Bubble Print Materials

Bubble prints are made by coloring bubble solution, blowing bubbles, and pressing paper onto the bubbles. You need brightly-colored bubbles in order to get a good picture. Tempera paint powder works really well, but you can substitute other water-soluble paints if you like.

• Bubble solution (buy it or make your own)
• Tempera paint powder
• Paper
• Straws
• Small plates

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How To Make Colorful Soap Bubbles

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Make Colored Bubble Solution

1. Pour a little bubble solution onto the bottom of a plate.
2. Stir in paint powder until you have thick paint. You want the thickest paint you can get, yet still be able to make bubbles using it.

If you get the three primary colors of tempera paint then you can mix them in order to make other colors. You can add black or white paint, too.

Primary Colors

• Blue
  
• Red
  
• Yellow

Secondary Colors - Made by mixing two primary colors together.

• Green = Blue + Yellow
  
• Orange = Yellow + Red
  
• Purple = Red + Blue

Make Bubble Prints

1. Put the straw into the paint and blow bubbles. It may help to tilt the dish slightly. You can experiment with a few large bubbles versus many small bubbles.
2. Touch the bubbles with a sheet of paper. Don't press the paper down into the paint - just catch the impressions of the bubbles.
3. You can switch between colors. For multicolored bubbles, add two colors together but don't mix them. Blow bubbles into the un-mixed paints.