Bubble Printing on Paper with Acrylic Paint

July 28, 2025

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If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m a little obsessed with making collage papers from the most unexpected materials and soap bubbles are right at the top of that list.

This week’s Tune In Tuesday is Part 3 in my bubble paper adventure, and I’m sharing two new techniques that make this magical process even more fun, unpredictable, and absolutely delicious. Whether you’re new to the bubble paper game or you’ve tried my earlier demos, these fresh approaches will bring a whole new twist to your collage stash.

Why Bubble Papers?

There’s something wildly satisfying about working with a process you can’t entirely control. Bubble papers are light, airy, playful, and often look like they were made by alchemy. Some results are soft and subtle, others bold and dramatic. And when layered into a collage, they add depth and playfulness you can’t get any other way.

The Two Techniques

Bubble Machine Magic
I used a battery-powered bubble blower (yes, the kind you’d find at a toy store) filled with bubble solution and a few drops of acrylic paint. With just a push of a button, bubbles floated down, leaving the most beautiful, dense layers of color and splatter as they landed and popped. The more paint I added, the more vibrant the bubble color became!
Classic Wand Method
For this one, I mixed regular kids’ bubble solution with dish soap (to make the bubbles stronger, more durable), then added acrylic paint directly into the mixture. Using a wand, I gently blew bubbles over my paper, watching them land and leave delicate, circular impressions full of painterly details.

Each method gave different results, and I loved them both for different reasons.

A few tips about this technique:

Layering is powerful. Once one layer of bubbles dries, adding a second or third color creates beautiful overlaps and depth.
Every paper is unique. Some were quiet and subtle, others bold and chaotic, just like a good collage should be.
Mistakes are part of the magic. My first five papers? Blobby messes. But I learned from everyone and ended up with a whole stack I love.

The bubble machine papers were dense, layered, and slightly wild. The wand papers, on the other hand, were more refined and almost frameable on their own. I found myself obsessed with both types, and I now have 20+ new collage papers ready to play with.

If you haven’t tried soap bubble papers yet, now’s the time. It’s an ideal warm-weather activity, especially if you can take it outside (your lungs will thank you). Just expect a bit of a learning curve, and then pure joy!

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