Did you know that you can paint with your dog? It’s easier than it sounds with this lick painting tutorial! Follow my instructions in this post and you’ll have a beautiful original artwork to hang in your home.
A lick painting is a DIY dog art project where a canvas covered with drips of paint is placed into a peanut butter-covered Ziploc plastic bag. As your dog licks off the peanut butter, they “paint” the canvas!
This art project is good for all levels. You don’t need to be artistic to make something beautiful.
In this blog post, I’ll share all the steps to make a fun lick painting with your dog:
- Get your supplies
- Prep the canvas in a plastic bag
- Use peanut butter to encourage your dog to lick
- Safely remove the canvas without damaging your artwork
- Share your dog art with us!
I have a ton of dog art around my home, but this is the first artwork I have that the dogs actually painted themselves!
Are you ready to learn how to make your own DIY Lick Painting with your dog? Let me show you how!
Paint with Your Dog: Lick Painting
This lick painting trend made the rounds on TikTok earlier this year. Dogs like @Tofu_Corgi with 1.3 million followers showed off their painting skills! So many dog owners jumped on the trend!
I’m happy I finally tried this DIY dog art with my pups because it turned out so great! Thanks to my recent podcast guest, Nicole McKay of AugiDog Art, for inspiring me to do this DIY project.
One of the reasons this trend took off online is because it’s so easy to do, it’s quick and you don’t need a lot of supplies. Plus, who doesn’t want to teach their dog how to paint?
Watch this quick video I made about this project, then scroll down for detailed instructions and a supplies list.
Doggy Lick Painting Supplies
You don’t need much to create beautiful artwork with your dog! Here’s the supplies I used. I linked to everything to make it easy for you to order everything and do this craft with your dog soon!
Supplies:
- Small Canvas (get a 5 pack for under $6 at Michael’s)
- Acrylic paints in your favorite colors (I recommend 3 or 4 colors. Make sure it’s non toxic)
- Masking tape (optional)
- Gallon Ziploc Bags (or any storebrand sealed plastic baggy)
- All-Natural Peanut Butter (like Justin’s)
Doggy “Lick Painting” Instructions
Step 1: Prep the Canvas
I prepped the canvas for my dog art by taping around all the edges.
This is totally optional! But I learned in art school that this gives your paintings a nice finished gallery look when you remove the tape.
Step 2: Apply the Paint
Squeeze some non-toxic paint onto the canvas. Don’t do too much, it will go a long way.
You can apply the paint in lines, dots, swirls, or anything you like! I recommend doing 3 or 4 colors and having some black or white to create contrast.
Step 3: Apply Peanut Butter to Your Bag
Next, apply natural peanut butter to your gallon Ziploc plastic bag. Make sure to do this when the bag is empty otherwise, you’ll smear all the paint around yourself (we want the dogs to do that part!).
Step 4: Place Canvas in the Bag
Carefully place your canvas with the paint into the Ziploc bag and seal it. Although the paint is non-toxic, you don’t want your dog to accidentally lick it up.
Step 5: Let your dog lick!
Finally, the most important step in teaching your dog how to paint… Put the bag on the floor and let your dog lick all the peanut butter!
Supervise this to make sure they don’t bite the bag and lick up any paint by accident.
Step 6: Remove Canvas from the Bag + Let Dry
When all the peanut butter is licked up, take the bag away from your dog. Carefully open it up and remove the canvas (I cut the bag open so I didn’t mess up any “brush strokes”!)
Allow your painting to dry for a few hours or overnight. When it’s dry you can remove the tape (if you used it) and admire your new custom dog artwork!
Do you feel like you need help picking your colors? Check out our friend’s blog Peace, Love & Frenchie Farts for her lick painting post. Tiffany will teach you about color theory and you can see her dogs’ artwork!
Join our Virtual Dog Art Show
I’m teaming up with Nicole McKay of AugiDog Art to host a virtual dog art show. And you can be a part of it! Create your own lick painting with your dog and share it on Instagram, tagging both of us @augidogart and @tmistick.
>> Check out this artwork by Three Doods and a Yorkie. It turned out beautifully, all three dogs painting this together!
I love to do DIYs with my dogs and for my dogs! There’s a ton of posts here on my blog to help you find the perfect project.
Doing dog-inspiring crafts is a great way to create memories together. It’s also fun to have items around my house that remind me of all the fun things I get to do with my dogs! That’s what this whole website is all about – making the most of life with dogs! I hope you’ll stick around.
Love this post? Check out more DIY Tutorials for dog moms:
DIY Flower Crown for Dogs
The Cutest DIY Reversible Bandana
Concrete Dog Bowl Holder Tutorial
No-Sew Fleece Dog Blanket
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