How to Paint Balloons for Party Decorations

The painted balloon look (I assume that’s what it’s called!) is so IN right now and it’s easy to see why. What you typically see at a child’s birthday party is showing up at upscale gatherings, even weddings, for a colorful touch. I had no idea how to paint balloons, but figured I’d give it a try. What I learned? It’s incredibly easy. And WAY more fun than doing the dishes (read below on that).

Supplies needed to paint balloons

• Balloons (I used white, but you could pick any color!)
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Something to hold your balloons in while you paint (I chose a combination of vases & fruit bowl)
• Ribbon (optional)

First blow up the balloons.

Secure the  balloons in some sort of ‘holder’ so that the balloon is a) easy to paint & 2) has somewhere to dry without rolling. My metal fruit basket was the best option, but since I only had one, I pulled out a couple of old vases to use as well.

Next get painting! This is WAY easier than it looks. Well, at least for me, as I thought this was way above my DIY level. Simply start at the top of the balloon and brush down. Continue around the entire balloon, always keeping the brush strokes in the same direction (essentially don’t brush “up”). Once I went all the way around the balloon, I let it dry for a couple hours. For several of the balloons that I made, I needed to do a second coat. My paint color dried a little bit more faint than what it looked like when I first painted.

I like the thick brush stroke texture on them, so next time I would have been a little bit more liberal with the paint.

If you notice this photo above is the only ‘square’ shaped photo I took. Well I had to crop because for some reason I opted to paint these right next to the kitchen sink, which was full of dirty dishes. (Great photo Lindsay, great photo).  Apparently painting balloons takes priority over the dishes.

Hang with ribbon or simply tape to the wall!