I love popsicle stick art. Among all the crafting supplies, I feel like popsicle sticks are under utilized, which is why this decorative popsicle stick art project is so awesome! Kids of all ages will love making this camping themed stick art using paints, popsicle sticks, and twine. You can make this camping themed wall decoration at home or in the classroom.

Stick Art- Two popsicle stick canvases painted with trees and a campsite on blue background with purple text- kids activities blog
Let’s make some fun wall art!

Camping Themed Popsicle Stick Art

This craft can be done by both younger children and older children, however, the results will very depending on the child’s skill level. Either way this popsicle art is fun to make and great fine motor skills practice.

The cool thing is, once you’re finished making this super fun popsicle art you can easily add string or twine and make a super cool wall hanger!

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Related: We have even more popsicle stick craft for you to try.

Supplies Needed To Make This Lovely Popsicle Stick Art

Step 1

Stick Art- Step 1- Popsicle stick on blue background- kids activities blog
Put a popsicle stick vertical and add some glue at the bottom.

Grab your popsicle stick and add a dab of glue.

Stick Art- Step 1.5- Add 2 more popsicle sticks to the first- Kids Activities Blog
Add popsicle sticks alternating them to the side.

Add one of your popsicle sticks, but do not line it up. Do this for a second.

Stick Art- Step 1.75- Do this until the stick is filled up-Kids Activities Blog
Do this until your popsicle stick is fully covered. Let the glue dry.

You’ll continue until your vertical popsicle stick is covered with off centered alternating popsicle sticks. Let it dry.

Step 2

Stick Art- Step 2- Add 2 more vertical popsicle sticks to the back- kids activities blog
Glue two more popsicle sticks vertically to the back.

Flip your “canvas” over and glue two more popsicle sticks to the top.

Step 3

Stick Art- Step 3- Paint dark blue at the top- Kids Activities Blog
First, paint the top dark blue.

Paint dark blue paint at the top.

Stick Art- Step 3.5- Paint a light blue underneath the dark and blend- Kids Activities Blog
Let’s paint a lighter blue underneath the darker blue and blend.

Moving fast paint regular blue beneath it, making sure you blend.

Step 4

Stick Art- Step 4- Paint purple under blue and blend- Kids Activities Blog
Take your purple paint and paint it underneath the blue, blend it well.

Now using purple paint, blend the blue and purple paint and add more purple paint further down.

Stick Art- Step 4.5 - Paint under the purple with pink paint and blend- Kids Activities Blog
Lastly, paint under the purple with pink and blend.

Do the same with the pink paint. You should have 3 blank popsicle sticks when you’re done.

Step 5

Stick Art- Step 5- Paint the last 3 popsicle sticks black- Kids Activities Blog
Using your black paint, paint the last 3 popsicle sticks.

Paint the remaining 3 popsicle sticks black.

Step 6

Stick Art- Step 6- Paint a line with black paint on the left side of your canvas- Kids Activities Blog
Paint a black line on the left.

Now time to add background trees. Paint a line.

Stick Art- Step 6.5-Dab paint in a cone shape to make a tree on the line- Kids Activities Blog
Dab black paint in a cone shape on the line to make a tree.

Dab paint at the top and move down just dabbing black paint to form your tree. You’ll be making a cone shape.

Step 7

Stick Art- Step 7- Trees painted black from left to right- Kids Activities Blog
Paint trees across the entire horizon.

Do this from left to right of your canvas covering the entire horizon in small trees. Allow the black paint to dry.

Step 8

Stick Art- Step 8- Paint 4 vertical lines- 1 right 3 left- Kids Activities Blog
Paint 4 vertical lines onto your canvas.

Now draw 4 long vertical lines from the top to bottom using black paint. You can do 3 on the left side and 1 of the left side or vice versa, it’s your painting.

Step 9

Stick Art- Step 9-Dab black paint on for leaves for the right tree- Kids Activities Blog
Now start dabbing some black paint on your tree for leaves.

Start adding some leaves by dabbing the black paint.

Stick Art- Step 9.5-Paint some twigs- Kids Activities Blog
Don’t forget to add branches.

Draw some branches.

Stick Art- Step 9.75- Add more leaves- Kids Activities Blog
Now keep adding leaves until you’re happy with your tree.

Add more leaves until your trees look good to you.

Stick Art- Step 9.99- Leaves and branches painted on left trees- Kids Activities Blog
Don’t forget to add leaves and branches onto your left side tree too.

Do this for the other side as well.

Step 10

Stick Art- Step 10- Draw a triangle with light gray- Kids Activities Blog
Use a lighter gray to paint a triangle.

Let’s draw the tent. Using a lighter gray make a triangle.

Stick Art- Step 10.5- Paint two lines and a diagonal off the triangle- Kids Activities Blog
Paint 2 lines and a diagonal line off your triangle to make your tent with a darker gray.

Now add two lines and a diagonal using a darker gray.

Stick Art- Step 10.75- Paint in your tent and add a flap- Kids Activities Blog
Paint the backside of your tent with dark gray, the triangle with light gray, and add a line down the triangle.

Paint in the majority of the tent with a darker gray and the the triangle with a lighter gray. Make a black line down the triangle.

Step 11

Stick Art- Step 11- Dab red paint for flames- Kids Activities Blog
Let’s make a fire by dabbing red paint to make flames.

Fire time! Dab red paint onto your popsicle stick canvas.

Stick Art- Step 11.5- Dab orange paint over the red- Kids Activities Blog
Dab orange paint over the red.

Now dab orange over the red.

Stick Art- Step 11.75- Dab yellow paint over the orange- Kids Activities Blog
Now dab yellow paint over the orange. Repeat until you can see all colors coming through and you’re happy with your fire.

Use yellow to dab over the orange.

Repeat 1 more time.

Step 12

Let’s add some highlights. Using orange and a little yellow, paint down each side of the large trees facing the fire. Drag your fingers down to smudge it and make it less opaque.

It’s time to add highlights around the fire and tent now. Paint a little orange all around the fire. Smudge with your finger to make it less opaque. Now do it for the horizon around the fire. Make sure you smudge! Add some streaks on the front of the tent and smudge those as well.

Step 13

Stick Art- Step 12- Add highlights around the fire, tent, and trees-Kids Activities Blog
Add highlights around the tent, fire, and trees by using a light layer or yellow and orange paint and smudging it with your finger.

Add a very light layer of white paint to a paint brush. Flick the white paint onto the sky. Once the paint brush is almost dry, gently dab the tips of the bristles onto areas between the trees.

Craft Notes:

If you get white specs on areas you don’t want, you can easily cover it up with a little paint.

Step 14

While your painting is drying, cut about 10-12 inches of twine.

Step 15

Flip your painting over when dry and hot glue about 1/2-1 inch of twine to the popsicle stick on the sides.

Step 16

Finished Popsticle stick art hanging on a wall with a nail- kids activities blog
Hang up your beautiful art!

Hang on your wall and admire your art!

Make This Camping Themed Popsicle Stick Craft Your Own

Stick art- background changed to dark blue, light blue, and purple with shooting star and campground- kids activities blog
Make this popsicle stick art your own. Change the background, add a shooting star!

This is your craft, as such make it your own. You can make so many changes to make this popsicle stick painting your own like:

  • Changing the background colors. You can use blacks and blues. Oranges, yellows, and reds.
  • Add more trees.
  • Add less trees.
  • Make more camping gear around the camp site.
  • Add people around your campsite.
  • You can add a moon.
  • Use glitter for stars.
  • Add glitter to your fire.
  • Instead of using jumbo popsicle sticks for this fun craft project you can use regular ice cream sticks.

There are so many cute ideas and many fun ways to make simple popsicle stick crafts.

Our Experience Making This Super Neat Popsicle Stick Art

Completed popsicle stick wall art with blue and pink background- kids activities blog
We had so much fun making our own wall art.

Again, the inspiration for this piece of art was camping. But I wanted us to be able to make something more permanent. A decoration or a keepsake to give to a grandparent. So I thought wall art would be great. And it’s a great craft that my older kids and young kids can both do. Though the end result will look different for bigger kids then say preschoolers. But it’s all amazing artwork in the end.

We loved exploring the different colors and exploring highlights and shadows. I was just looking for easy popsicle stick crafts and in the end we got to explore different aspects of art.

I love when fun activities and easy ideas end up with more lessons then one. And as I said before, I feel like craft sticks get slept on. They’re so versatile and you can get them at the dollar store. We hope you enjoy these fun popsicle stick crafts as much as we did. We had so much fun!

Camping Themed Wall Art For Kids

Completed popsicle stick wall art with blue and pink background- kids activities blog

Kids of all ages will have a blast making this popsicle stick art that doubles as wall art. All you need is twine, glue, popsicle sticks, and paint to make this beautiful art.

Materials

  • Acrylic Paint (We used pink, purple, blue, black, orange, red, yellow)
  • Paintbrushes
  • Popsicle Sticks
  • Elmer’s Glue
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Twine
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Grab your popsicle stick and add a dab of glue.
  2. Add one of your popsicle sticks, but do not line it up. Do this for a second.
  3. You’ll continue until your vertical popsicle stick is covered with off centered alternating popsicle sticks. Let it dry.
  4. Flip your “canvas” over and glue two more popsicle sticks to the top.
  5. Paint dark blue paint at the top.
  6. Moving fast paint regular blue beneath it, making sure you blend.
  7. Now using purple paint, blend the blue and purple paint and add more purple paint further down.
  8. Do the same with the pink paint. You should have 3 blank popsicle sticks when you’re done.
  9. Paint the remaining 3 popsicle sticks black.
  10. Now time to add background trees. Paint a line.
  11. Dab paint at the top and move down just dabbing black paint to form your tree. You’ll be making a cone shape.
  12. Do this from left to right of your canvas covering the entire horizon in small trees. Allow the black paint to dry.
  13. Now draw 4 long vertical lines from the top to bottom using black paint. You can do 3 on the left side and 1 of the left side or vice versa, it’s your painting.
  14. Start adding some leaves by dabbing the black paint.
  15. Draw some branches.
  16. Add more leaves until your trees look good to you.
  17. Do this for the other side as well.
  18. Let’s draw the tent. Using a lighter gray make a triangle.
  19. Now add two lines and a diagonal using a darker gray.
  20. Paint in the majority of the tent with a darker gray and the the triangle with a lighter gray. Make a black line down the triangle.
  21. Fire time! Dab red paint onto your popsicle stick canvas.
  22. Now dab orange over the red.
  23. Use yellow to dab over the orange. Repeat 1 more time for all colors.
  24. Let’s add some highlights. Using orange and a little yellow, paint down each side of the large trees facing the fire.
  25. Drag your fingers down to smudge it and make it less opaque.
  26. It’s time to add highlights around the fire and tent now.
  27. Paint a little orange all around the fire. Smudge with your finger to make it less opaque. Now do it for the horizon around the fire. Make sure you smudge!
  28. Add some streaks on the front of the tent and smudge those as well.
  29. Add a very light layer of white paint to a paint brush. Flick the white paint onto the sky. Once the paint brush is almost dry, gently dab the tips of the bristles onto areas between the trees.
  30. While your painting is drying, cut about 10-12 inches of twine.
  31. Flip your painting over when dry and hot glue about 1/2-1 inch of twine to the popsicle stick on the sides.
  32. Hang on your wall and admire your art!

More Camping Fun From Kids Activities Blog

How did your camping themed popsicle stick art turn out?



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