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Fork-Painted Rooster Art

Aug 4, 201685,754 views
Thanksgiving
Art Activities for Kids : Rooster Art Save
art activities for kids with forks Save
kids art with forks Save
drawing with fork kids art Save
fork art supplies Save
art for kids rooster Save

by TurkeyMom in Thanksgiving

Ages3–6 yrs
Prep15 min
Activity20 min
Leveleasy
MessMedium
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids drag paint-loaded plastic forks along a simple bird outline to fill it with colorful, feathery fork marks, then add an eye and a beak to finish their rooster. No paint brush needed.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Plastic fork tines are pointy. Supervise young kids and keep forks on the paper.
  • Acrylic paint may not wash out of clothes. Use washable paint with young kids, or cover clothes and the table.

Before the kids arrive

  • Draw a basic bird outline on white paper with a black marker: a curved head and back line, a wing curve and a belly line (see the materials photo).

Steps

  1. Squeeze at least 5 paint colors onto a paper plate.

  2. Add a little water to the paint so it's not too thick.

  3. Put a plastic fork in each color.

  4. Dip a fork in paint and drag it along the curves of the bird outline.

  5. Pick any colors you like and keep filling the bird in with fork marks.

  6. Keep going until the whole bird is covered, including the tail feathers. Let the fork marks show.

  7. Finish off with an eye and a beak.

  8. Let the painting dry.

Tips

  • We used regular washable paint at first, then I saw that a little bit of watered-down paint worked better than thick paint out of the bottle.from the author
  • The art looks better when it is not too perfect, and even better when the fork marks look distinct.from the author
  • Don't stick to one color or only the bird's natural colors. Set out at least 5 colors and let the kids choose freely.from the author
  • The whole project can be done with just plastic forks and paint. You don't have to pick up a brush!from the author
  • The colored forks themselves were a piece of art.from the author
  • Don't worry if it doesn't look exactly like a rooster. We ended up with a rooster-hen hybrid bird, ha!from the author

Make it your own

  • Use it as a Thanksgiving art project.
  • Try the same fork-painting technique for spring tulips (see Fork Tulip Painting).

Questions readers asked

Where can I find the rooster template?

The post doesn't include a downloadable template. It uses a basic bird outline drawn with a black marker (a few simple curves, shown in the materials photo), and the kids follow the curves with their forks.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · August 2016
materials for fork art
Our materials: plastic forks and washable kids paint or acrylic paint. A little bit of watered down paint worked better than thick paint out of the bottle.
1 / 8

Fork-Painted Rooster Art: the original post

A few years ago we originally created a beautiful spring tulip art project using forks. Now another set of plastic forks were put to use to create a fun and colorful rooster. Using supplies other than traditional paint brushes makes art activities for kids more fun and we have done our share of “brushless” art activities like this scented string art, rainbow yarn art, spray painting negative space art

When I recently saw a picture of a rooster art created with regular paint brushes I immediately thought we can almost recreate the same effect by turning the art project suitable for kids by using forks.

Fork Painting a Rooster

Materials

materials for fork art

For this art activity we used regular washable paint initially. Then I saw that a little bit of watered down paint worked better than thick paint out of the bottle. Washable acrylic paint is a great alternative too.

With a basic outline for a bird, kids will use their forks to follow the curves and get the rooster colored in. This entire art activity can be done simply with plastic forks and paint. You don’t have to pick up a brush. Isn’t fork painting amazing?

drawing with fork kids art

We did not stick to just one color or to only the natural colors of the bird. I had at least 5 colors set out and the kids had were free to choose their colors.

kids art with forks

The best part of this kids art project was that they did not have to stick to a form. The art looks better when it is not too perfect. It looks even better when the fork marks look distinct.

art activities for kids with forks

The colored forks themselves were a piece of art.

fork art supplies

Once the bird gets filled in with fork marks you can finish off with an eye and a beak.

Art Activities for Kids : Rooster Art

We have a rooster-hen hybrid bird ha!

art for kids rooster

I can see this a great Thanksgiving art projects for kids.

colorful rooster art for kids with simple supplies

What readers say

💬 1 comments

🛠️ Troubleshooting

No downloadable rooster template

A reader looked for a printable rooster template but found no download. The post uses a simple hand-drawn bird outline, so sketch your own.

“Where can I find the rooster template for the fork painting? I did not see a button to download.”
Corin, May 2025

Tried it?

Reviewed before it appears. No links, and please no children's names.

Read all 1 comments

  1. Corin · May 2025

    Where can I find the rooster template for the fork painting? I did not see a button to download. Thank you!

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