Sharpie Tie-Dye for Kids

This was by far my favorite art project this summer. We spent an entire afternoon tie dyeing... playing... and tie dyeing some more. This project was a big hit with the kids.

Supplies you will need:
  • Sharpie markers (I bought the 25 pack of 80s sharpies from Target that had some really great colors in it)
  • Rubbing Alcohol 
  • Eye dropper
  • Cups in various sizes
  • rubber bands
  • T-shirts or sweatshirts, new or old

 The How to:
  1. Place a cup under area to be tie dyed and secure with a rubber band. A plastic tray underneath worked for larger areas too. Just something so the markers don't bleed through.
  2. Draw design. Anything works, lets the kids experiment.  Designs closer together bleed together better, but don't get hung up on those details. Just let the kids have fun with the markers.
  3. Once the drawing is complete, add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the center of the design and watch the colors spread. We had to use quite a bit of rubbing alcohol with the larger designs, just keep the dropper and rubbing alcohol handy and dribble as you like. Just don't get the fabric too wet, or it takes a long time to dry. 
  4. Allow alcohol to evaporate, fabric should be dry to the touch.
  5. Remove the rubber band, and move your cup, or try a different size cup to a new area of the shirt.
  6. Take a little break and come back to it later after some playing ;)