Art Project - Invisible Ink

Who wouldn't want to be able to leave secret hidden messages for their friends, or have a diary with what looks like blank pages but infact is written in invisible ink? Well here's how you can go about it.


Lemon Juice

• Either use some bottled lemon juice or squeezer some real lemons, the bottled option is probably easier.

• Once you have your juice either using a paintbrush, your finger or even a cotton ear-cleaner stick write your message on some paper, white is probably best.

• Allow the message to dry on the paper.

• To read the message hold the paper up to a source of light or heat, either sunlight or carefully to a lightbulb or maybe over a heater (again carefully).

• The heat causes the writing to darken to a pale brown so you can read the message.

• Another way is to put salt onto the drying "ink" and after a minute or so wipe clean and then colour over with a crayon to reveal the message.

• Other liquids can have the same effect, try using milk, orange juice, vinegar, or apple juice.
  

Baking Soda

• Mix equal parts of baking soda and water.

• On white paper write your message with either paintbrush, your finger, a cotton bud or something else similar.

• Allow the message to dry on the paper

• To read the message use a light or heat source (as mentioned above with the lemon juice), the writing will turn brown.
  

• Another way to read the message is to paint over the message with purple grape juice.

Wax crayons

On a white piece of paper and using a white crayon write your secret hidden message
Using some watered down paint brush over the paper and thus your hidden message is revealed. You could use a different colour piece of paper but make sure the colour crayon you use matches the colour paper. This method probably works better for very young children and can be used to make fun drawings/paintings too.