Anyone who has kids who love to craft knows that there are a few downsides. One of these is crusty old paintbrushes whose painting days ran out long ago. Here's an idea to bring new life into old paintbrushes by making some paintbrush puppets.
I've used a brand-new paint brush for this tutorial, but it's recommended that you use an old paintbrush with colourful 'hair' to give the puppets a bit more character. You can obviously colour the hair of a new paintbrush, but why not grab an old one and embrace recycling.
Time: 10 minutes
Age: Under 5s, 5-10s
Level: Easy
Materials
Other items to decorate with
First step is to stick on your eyes. We just used PVA glue. Add a small dab to the back of the eyes, and then press on to the metal part of the paintbrush just below the hair. We're using a skinny paintbrush, but you can have a bit more fun decorating if you use a big fat one.
To give your paintbrush puppet some arms grab a pipe-cleaner and centre your paintbrush in the middle. Wrap the pipe-cleaner around a few times, to help fix it in place, and then shape the arms.
Technically your paintbrush puppets are finished. The great thing about these guys is that they're completely customisable. Short on time? Keep them simple. Don't have googly eyes? Use buttons instead. You can use things like scraps of fabric, old buttons, and other pipe cleaners to help give each paintbrush puppet their own personality.
Once you've finally finished you just need to plan your puppet show. Because most paintbrushes have a nice long handle they make perfect puppets.
Have you tried making your own paintbrush puppets? Share your pictures in the comments!
Categories
#Under 5s
#5 to 10s
#Paintbrushes
#Puppets
#Upcycling
#Pipe Cleaners
#Easy
