Celebrate the 4th with Fun Fireworks Art Project

Fireworks create a great splash of color against a dark sky. These colorful displays can be a fun inspiration for artwork too.

Two different techniques can mimic the sparkle and contrast of the night sky on the 4th of July.

For the first, use light and bright colors of crayons or oil pastels.  Draw shapes and lines that remind you of fireworks.  Maybe two bursts of color over-lap or there could be smaller bursts or drops of color that rain down from a larger center.  

Have fun with the drawing and explore different shapes, lines and colors.  White and metallic crayons work well for this drawings.  The magic comes when you add a watercolor wash over your drawings.

With a very wet brush, apply a dark color watercolor over the entire design.  A dark blue, black or purple will really make the lighter and brighter lines and colors stand out like fireworks against a night sky.

A second technique begins with a dark black or blue paper for the night sky.  Use a glue bottle to draw lines of glue to represent the bursts of color and light created by fireworks.  Sprinkle glitter or colored sand over the glue then shake off the excess to reveal beautiful firework designs.  

With loose glitter, there is an element of surprise as the excess falls away and the sparkling design is revealed along the glue lines.  Glitter glue or colored glue will also work, allowing artists to draw sparkling lines directly and experiment with different colors.

Have fun with you sparkly art and don't feel limited to just fireworks, you may want to include a patriotic message, flag or other July 4th themes.  After watching the fireworks in the night sky, this is a great way to record and celebrate favorite elements of the show.