Valentine's Day Craft: Hearts with Black Glue

Looking for Valentine's Day activities for kids? These Hearts With Black Glue and watercolors that we made when my kids were little are the perfect activity! The combination of black glue and watercolor mimics a stained-glass effect, creating beautiful, eye-catching designs!

This Valentine's activity is simple to set up as it uses materials you probably already have. Whether you're a crafty parent, homeschooler, or teacher, you will love this simple craft. If you haven't made black glue before, you'll be thrilled with the eye-popping results.

A child is painting a heart design, complete with black glue outlines on a white sheet. Various vibrant paints bring the artwork to life. The text Hearts with Black Glue is prominently displayed, alongside the website name MESSFORLESS.NET.

We have experimented with black glue in the past when we made Fall Leaves using Black Glue and Black Glue and Salt Watercolor Rainbow.

Heart-Themed Crafts and Activities

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to get creative and make something special! These hearts made with black glue and watercolors are a fun and unique way to celebrate the season of love. If you’re loving these heart designs and want even more heart-themed crafts to try, check these out:

Materials For Black Glue Hearts

White glue: Used for making black glue and adding texture to your art.
Black paint: When mixed with the glue, it creates black glue.
Watercolor paints: Add vibrant colors to the hearts.
Thick white paper: Sturdy paper holds up well to paint and glue.
Paintbrushes: To use with the watercolor paint.
Scissors: For cutting out the hearts.
Construction paper - This is optional for mounting the finished hearts. It adds a colorful background to the art.

bottle on white glue and bottle of black tempera paint

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How To Make Hearts With Black Glue

You will want to start by preparing your black glue. Empty your glue bottle so it's only half full. Then add some squirts of black paint. Use enough black paint to fill up an additional quarter of the glue bottle. Shake the mixture until it is totally combined.

Use the black glue to draw your heart design on a thick piece of white paper. You will be adding watercolors later, and I always find that they work best on thicker paper. This requires a while to dry. I just did it the day before we wanted to paint,t and it worked out fine.

When the designs are dry, you will notice that the glue has a hard raised texture that will really stand out when you add paint.

Once the glue is dry, use watercolor paints to fill inside and around your shapes. The black glue acts as a border, keeping the colors from blending and creating a stained-glass effect.

Experiment with different color combinations to make your design unique.

child painting a heart with Black glue using Watercolor paint

After the painting has dried, you can decide how to display your art.

You can cut out the heart and put it in the window to get this pretty sun catcher or stained glass effect.

Hearts with Black Glue taped to a window

Or you can cut them out and glue them on colorful construction paper for a decoration or a card.

hearts with black glue on red construction paper

Skills Learned While Painting

Painting with black glue and watercolors isn’t just fun - it’s also a great learning opportunity for kids! While making these black glue hearts, kids practice fine motor skills as they paint and outline the hearts with the glue bottle.

Kids will also learn color theory by picking their color palettes and experimenting with designs. Working with dried black glue, which is raised, is perfect for sensory engagement.

Tips For Valentine's Day Craft

Tip 1: Be patient while the black glue dries. It can take several hours, so consider doing this as a two-day project.

Tip 2: Test your glue and paint mixture on a scrap piece of paper first to get the consistency right.

Tip 3: Encourage kids to use plenty of paint as bold colors bring out the stained-glass effect.

Hearts with Black Glue - Black glue is easy to make and can be used with watercolors to create this eye catching hearts.

FAQs For Hearts With Black Glue

Can I use other types of paint besides watercolors?

Yes, other types of paint, such as tempera or acrylic, can paint the inside of the hearts. However, those paints are thicker, and they might not have the same blending effect as watercolors.

What age group is this Valentine's day craft for?

This craft is great for children ages four and up with some adult supervision. Younger children will enjoy painting but may need help making the glue and designing the hearts. Older kids can do the entire project and experiment with more intricate designs. You know your child best.

Best Supplies For Black Glue Hearts

You don't need fancy materials to make these, so you might already have everything you need at home. A set of watercolors is important, as is a bottle of white glue and some black tempera paint. Stock up on anything you need at Amazon and have them sent straight to your door.

Watercolor Paint, 48 Colors Washable Watercolor Paint Set with a Brush a Refillable Water Brush Pen and Palette, Non-toxic Water Color Paints Sets for Kids Adults Artists Children Students Beginner Prang Oval Pan Watercolor Paint Set, 8 Assorted Colors, 1 Count Elmers Liquid School Glue, Slime Glue & Craft Glue | Washable, 4 Ounces Each, Great for Making Slime, 12 Count School Smart Washable Tempera Paint, Black, 1 Quart Bottle Crayola Construction Paper, 120 Sheets Fiskars 5

Making these Valentine’s Day black glue heart designs is a fun and easy way to get in the Valentine's spirit. You can use them as decorations around the house as you get ready for the season of love!