Home » Painting Ideas » Easy Marble Shaving Cream Paper Tutorial
ByErin NutterUpdated on
To Tutorial
Do you want kids to be amazed by their fabulous marbled paper? This quick and easy printing technique is perfect as a stand-alone project or as one part of an art lesson. Learn to create beautiful shaving cream art on paper in less than 5 minutes.
After years of doing this process with students, this art process tutorial was initially published in November 2022. Erin has updated it with a clearer format and new takeaways in February 2025.
Why You Will Love This Painting Idea
- KID FRIENDLY – With some adult assistance, even the youngest children can make prints with shaving cream.
- GREAT FOR COLLAGES– These marbled paintings are incredible as is, or great to add to other mixed media projects, like our Tree of Life paintings.
- CHEAP – Minimal supplies are needed, and shaving cream is the most affordable way to get marbled papers.
- QUICK – The hardest part is setting up and cleaning up this project.
Notes On Supplies You’ll Need
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- COLOR – Liquid watercolor paint, food coloring or acrylic paint will all help dye the shaving cream. These liquid watercolor paints are our favorite for vibrant colors.
- SHAVING CREAM – The cheapest will do.
- SCRAPER – This can be a squeegee, piece of cardboard or old credit/gift card.
- PAPER – You need to use heavier drawing paper or cardstock. Copy paper will be too flimsy.
You can get the complete list of supplies in the printable how-to card at the end of the post.
Note: We chose to use acrylic paint for the examples below but have had great success with food coloring or liquid watercolor in the past.
ART TEACHER TIP – If you do a lot of art projects at home or school, have a designated baking sheet to use for only art projects. Clearly label it and store it away from your kitchen.
How To Paint With Shaving Cream On Paper
Step 1: Spread Shaving Cream
Add shaving cream a tray or baking sheet that is bigger than the paper you are printing on. You need athin layer of shaving creamat the bottom before you begin. You can use a spatula or fingers to smooth it out if you want.
Step 2: Add Color
Add drops of liquid watercolor, food coloring or acrylic paint. For these particular prints, we used cheaper similar colored acrylic craft paint.
Step 3: Swirl The Colors
Use a toothpick, fork or the end of a paintbrushto swirl the shaving cream and paintaround until you like what it looks like.
Step 4: Print The Paper
After you have swirled, take your paper and press it down lightly and rub the back of the paper.
Step 5: Pull The Paper Off
Score, add water and blend a small coil onto the back of the heart near the middle where it will sit on a table.
Step 6: Scrape Off Shaving Cream and Paint Mixture
Using a scraper such as an old credit card or piece of cardboard tolightly take off excess shaving creamto reveal the awesome shaving cream art.
Tips
- PICKING COLORS – Experiment with colors, but you will want to choose colors that mix well together. Avoid using opposite colors like green and red.
- DON’T OVERMIX – The more you swirl the shaving cream and paint, the more the paint mixes and becomes one color.
- SHAVING CREAM – don’t buy shaving cream with gel in it. Basic, plain old shaving cream is what you need.
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Painting FAQs
Liquid watercolor is the best paint to use when making shaving cream art. However, acrylic and tempera paint can also work. You can see we were able to get a cool effect with craft acrylic paint.
If you have some leftover shaving cream on the paper after printing, do not worry. It will flake off once it dries completely.
For best results, you need thicker paper, such as80 lb. drawing paper, cardstock, or smooth watercolor paper. Standard white copy paper will most likely rip when the shaving cream and paint mixture is taken off.
More Kid Painting Projects
- Easy Jackson Pollock Inspired Straw Paintings
- Glue and Watercolor Resist Art Lesson
- How To Paint With Tissue Pape
- Easy Flower Painting For Beginners
Do you like this art project? Please give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.
How To Make Shaving Cream Marbling Paper With Paint
Learn how to easily create marble paper with shaving cream in this easy craft tutorial kids love.
Print Tutorial
Prep:2 minutes mins
Creating:5 minutes mins
Total Time:7 minutes mins
Equipment
Scraper this can be a squeegee, piece of cardboard or old credit/gift card
Surface to work on: baking sheet or tray
Toothpick or old fork
Spatula or cardboard to smooth out
Supplies
- Paint Food Coloring, Acrylic Paint or Liquid Watercolor: All will work to help dye the shaving cream.
- Shaving Cream (not gel) the cheapest will do
- Heavy Paper Cardstock, Watercolor Paper or at least 80 lb. Drawing Paper
Instructions
Add shaving cream to a tray or baking sheet.
Spread shaving cream out to a thin layer.
Add drops of paint or food coloring to the shaving cream.
Swirl paint and shaving cream around with a toothpick or old fork.
Lay paper on the mixture and lightly press the back of the paper.
Carefully pull up paper.
Use an old gift card or credit card to scrape away the shaving cream and paint.
Let your awesome marbled paper dry.
Notes
- Liquid watercolor paints will give you the most vibrant colors. Do not dilute them.
- You can repeat printing from the same mixture over and over.
- Experiment with colors but try to pick colors that you know will mix well together.
Author: Erin Nutter
Cost: under $5
