Make a tornado in a bottle
16 April 2025
Make a tornado in a bottle FACT: England holds the world record for the most tornadoes per square kilometre. It’s
This make is quick, fun and really satisfying; a great activity for a fireworks party – especially if the weather outside isn’t optimal! Let’s get a few friends over, cover our work area with some old newspaper and create some beautiful wax resist firework art!
– A protective cover for your work surfaces
– Thin card or thick paper
– Oil pastels or wax crayons
– Black acrylic paint
– A kitchen skewer (or similar)
Take a sheet of thin card or thick paper and create a rainbow with your oil pastels or thick wax crayon. You want to cover the entire surface with a thick coat of colour.
Paint over your rainbow with black acrylic paint. It might need more than one coat to cover the colours.
Leave your card to dry completely.
Look at some fireworks pictures for reference. Then, take your kitchen skewer (another scratchy thing will work just as well) and scratch your firework drawing into the paint to reveal the rainbow underneath. We’ve added some people at the bottom for the effect of a display.
Don’t worry if your drawing goes wrong. If you don’t like something you can just go over it in black paint, leave to dry and redraw. Easy!
Don’t forget to show off your firework drawing. Send a picture to us at the usual address below or simply put it in pride of place for people to see.
Why not send a photo of your art to us via the AQUILA website, and we’ll share as many as we can.
If you enjoyed this brilliant blog, then why not think about a subscription to AQUILA magazine!
Written by Freya Hardy. Illustration: Jasmine Floyd
Make a tornado in a bottle FACT: England holds the world record for the most tornadoes per square kilometre. It’s
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