Looking for an easy ocean art activity for kids? This ocean wave process art uses liquid watercolors, straws, and wax resist techniques to create colorful ocean-inspired paintings full of movement and texture.
Perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary art activities, this hands-on ocean art project encourages creativity, experimentation, and open-ended exploration using simple supplies.
👉 If your kids enjoy open-ended creative projects, be sure to explore our Process Art Activities for Kids for even more hands-on art ideas.
What Is Process Art?
Process art focuses on creativity, exploration, and experimentation rather than creating identical finished projects. Instead of following strict directions to make a craft look a certain way, kids are encouraged to explore materials, movement, color, and techniques.
This ocean wave activity is a great example of process art because every painting turns out differently. Kids can experiment with blowing watercolor paint across the page, revealing the hidden crayon drawings
The finished artwork feels creative, modern, and ocean-inspired, yet simple enough for younger children to enjoy.
👉 Explore more ideas in our Process Art Hub here
Supplies Needed
- White cardstock or watercolor paper (heavyweight to absorb liquid)
- White crayon
- Liquid watercolors
- Straw
- Tape
- Shallow tray or baking pan
How to Make Ocean Wave Process Art
Step 1: Prepare the Paper
Tape the paper to a shallow tray or baking pan to help contain the watercolor paint.
Step 2: Draw Ocean Waves
Use a white crayon to draw wave lines, swirls, zigzags, bubble patterns, or curved ocean shapes across the paper. The crayon creates a wax resist effect that appears once watercolor paint is added.
Kids can also draw:
- fish
- seaweed
- coral
- jellyfish
- ocean spirals
for additional ocean details.
Step 3: Add Watercolor Paint
Add small drops of blue, turquoise, teal, or green liquid watercolor paint onto the paper. For younger kids, begin with smaller amounts of paint to make the process easier to control.
Step 4: Blow the Paint Across the Paper
Use a straw to gently blow the watercolor paint across the page. As the paint spreads, the hidden ocean wave designs begin to appear.
Encourage kids to experiment with:
- blowing in different directions
- mixing colors
- layering paint
- creating fast or slow “waves”
Step 5: Let the Artwork Dry
Allow the paintings to dry completely before displaying.
Art Concepts Explored
This ocean process art activity introduces several creative art concepts in a hands-on and approachable way:
- watercolor painting
- wax resist art
- line and movement
- texture
- color blending
- process art
- open-ended creativity
Because there is no “perfect” final result, kids can focus on experimenting and creating freely.
👉 Explore more watercolor art projects for kids here
Skills Kids Practice
This ocean art activity also supports important early learning and creative thinking skills:
- Fine motor control
- Hand-eye coordination
- Oral motor development
- Creativity and self-expression
- Focus and visual tracking
- Color exploration
- Pre-writing wave motions
The combination of art and movement makes this activity especially engaging for younger learners while still feeling creative for older kids.
Teacher Tips
- Use cardstock or watercolor paper for sturdier finished artwork.
- Demonstrate how to blow gently through the straw instead of sucking.
- Place trays underneath the paper to help manage messes.
- Limit the amount of watercolor at first to avoid oversaturating the paper.
- Prepare taped papers ahead of time for easier classroom setup.
- Play ocean-themed music during the activity for a calming art center.
Easy Ocean Art Variations
- Add Salt Texture: Sprinkle salt onto the wet watercolor paint to create textured ocean effects.
- Create Sunset Ocean Waves: Try sunset-inspired colors like pink, purple, and orange instead of traditional ocean blues.
- Add Ocean Silhouettes: Glue or paint black silhouettes of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, or coral reefs onto the finished backgrounds.
More Ocean Art Activities for Kids
Try these ocean-inspired art projects next:
👉 Explore more Ocean Crafts and Art Projects here
Ocean STEAM Labs for Kids
The pack includes a 5-day lesson plan, vocabulary, guiding questions, reading pages, student response pages, and organized ocean science labs, so you can teach an ocean unit without having to pull everything together from scratch.
Ocean Waves Process Art FAQ
What age is ocean wave process art best for?
This activity works well for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary kids because it can easily be adapted for different ages.
Can I use regular watercolors instead of liquid watercolors?
Yes. Liquid watercolors create better flowing effects, but watercolor trays or watered-down washable paint also work well.
What is wax resist art?
Wax resist occurs when the wax on the crayon repels watercolor paint, revealing hidden designs beneath.
Is this activity messy?
Using shallow trays and smaller amounts of watercolor paint helps keep cleanup manageable for classrooms and home use.
Can I turn this into a collaborative art project?
Yes! This activity works especially well as a classroom mural or ocean-themed bulletin board display.
