A Glowing Surprise!
Picture this:
Your students have dedicated hard work to finish their works of art, full of bright, beautiful neon colors.
You tell them there’s one more step- and dramatically dim the lights.
A mysterious purple light turns their work into glowing masterpieces!
Imagine the shock and awe at seeing their hard work glow! You’d likely spend the rest of class explaining what a black light art supply is and WHY certain colors are glowing!
Art with a side of Physics!
Why DOES a black light cause particular colors to glow?
A black light emits ultraviolet (UV) light, which is just outside the spectrum of light that humans can detect.
If a material (or color) contains a substance called phosphors, it will emit visible light when a black light hits it, and appear to glow! Phosphors have excitable electrons that go up and down in energy levels and the result is the bright light glow we see!
Items that glow in the dark, like bouncy balls or the classic plastic stars on bedroom ceilings, work similarly. They need to be charged up by light, and are able to store that energy and release it slowly.
Enough serious science, let's talk black light art supplies!
Making art glow to life only requires two things: a black light and bright neon colors!
If you’re like me and remember the 80s for the glorious reign of neon colors that is was, you’ll be delighted by this supply list!
I’ve rounded up my favorite neon supplies that give a satisfying surprise under a black light.
Click the links below (these are Amazon afflinks).
- Sax Versatemp Tempera Paints, Fluorescent Colors
- Sax Liquid Watercolor Paints, Fluorescent Colors
- Ooly Chroma Blends Neon Watercolors
- Royal Brush Neon Colored Pencils
- Crayola Neon Oil Pastels
- Hagoromo Luminous Colored Chalk
- Black Light Flashlight
Want to see them in person? Click below to watch.
Books that Glow!
At Soul Sparklettes Art, we love to connect picture books to art projects. Did you know that it isn’t only black light art supplies that can glow?
Each of these books glows under a black light, for extra read aloud fun!
- The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Tony Persiani
- Have You Ever Seen a Flower by Shawn Harris
- Glow: Animals With Their Own Nightlights by W.H. Beck
Black Light Art Projects
Gathered your neon art supplies and black light and you’re ready to create?
We’ve got a project ready for you!
Click here to try your hand at drawing deep sea anglerfish. Will yours be spooky or cute?
Shine a black light on them to watch their lures glow, just like they do at the bottom of the ocean!
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- Before Black Light
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- After Black Light!
Our Glitterbombers membership is full of projects that use neon colors and many of our members whip out a black light every chance they get!
From fireflies to jellyfish to painting lines – fluorescent art supplies might just be what you need this year to give that extra pop.
Ready to give all art a glow up? We gathered the supplies you’ll need into a handy list. Make sure to grab the handout below to see extra supplies that GLOW!
Click the banner below to download the FREE pdf.
Join the Glitterbombers Membership!
This is only one of the many diverse art lessons in the Glitterbombers Membership. Hundreds more art projects, videos, and resources at your fingertips for whatever you’re studying, or whatever art concept you’re ready to teach. Head here to hop on the waitlist and find out when we open next!
