One Stroke Painting Art Project for Kids • Kids Activities Blog

School-aged kids will practice one stroke painting in this fun project. This basic technique can easily be used at home or in the classroom.

What is One Stroke Painting?

One stroke painting is a technique that artists use when they fill the bristles of their paintbrush with more that one color at a time. This method allows artists to easily add shadows and highlights to their design by making only one brushstroke. In this project we will be using two paint colors at once, but many artists use more depending on the size of their brush and the desired outcome of their project.

Related: Use items other than a paintbrush like in this Q-Tip Post-Impressionism painting project!

Supplies Needed to Make This One Stroke Painting Art Project

• Black Cardstock
• Acrylic Paint – Various Colors
• Paint Palette
• Flat Paintbrushes – Multiple Sizes
• Paper Towel
• Water

Directions to Make a One Stroke Painting

Step 1

First, load your paintbrush with two different colors of paint by dipping one side in white, and the other in your choice of color.

Step 2

Next, begin painting flower petals in a teardrop shaped brushstroke. To create more consistent designs, be careful not to rotate the brush in your hand. This will better showcase the two colors in your painting.

Step 3

Reload brush as needed, being mindful to keep the colors on their chosen sides of the brush. When switching color combinations, clean paintbrush on a paper towel, and then rinse in water, before loading bristles with a new paint combination.

Step 4

Then, continue to add flowers, grass, and details to your painting through various brushstroke techniques. This example shows grass being painted by using a simple upstroke method where the artist lifts the brush off the paper as the brushstroke is being made.

Step 5

Finally, dip the handle end of the brush into paint to easily dot the center of each flower.

Finished One Stroke Painting Art Project

I love the variety of flowers we were able to create! Since these projects are made on paper, they can easily be framed, clipped, or displayed in your preferred style. 

Our Experience Making this One Stroke Painting Art Project

We enjoyed practicing this one stroke painting method. We found it was a great way to quickly add shadows, highlights, and various colors into a painting. As always, the colors pop against the black paper in such a fun and bold way.

We were also challenged a bit by this method, though. It is not my usual style of teaching where we focus on layering paints and adding details. Also, this project shows each artist just how often they tend to move and rotate a brush while painting.

One Stroke Painting Art Variations

• Explore painting on different papers or surfaces.
• Use this technique with a variety of brush styles to get different effects.
• You can even use watercolor paper and paints for this method.

Other Fun Acrylic Painting Art Projects from Kids Activities Blog

Did your kids enjoy painting with this one stroke technique? What color combinations did they like best?