Make your own tiger stripes

It’s often said that a tiger cannot change its stripes. Whilst the idea might be a little outdated when it comes to people, it certainly holds true for the biggest of the big cats. Every tiger has a unique pattern of stripes that are as distinct as the fingerprints on your hands. We’re going to take inspiration from this beautiful pattern and see if we can create our own using a technique called hydro-dipping!

You will need:

• ‘Tiger’ Templates
• Shallow Baking Dish
• Can of Shaving Cream
• Food Colouring
• Toothpick or Skewer
• Squeegee
• Spoon (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill your baking dish with some shaving cream. You don’t have to fill it right to the top – 2-3 centimetres will be just fine.
2. Using your finger, try to level out the surface of the shaving cream. If it’s easier, a spoon can be used.
3. Add several drops of food colouring (around 5 – 10 drops) to your shaving cream in an alternating pattern. You can decide what coloured stripes you would like your tiger to have – you might choose orange and black, like a tiger in the jungle, or perhaps you might like to get creative and create a rainbow coloured tiger!
4. Run your toothpick or skewer through the food colouring to create stripes and patterns in the shaving cream. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Remember these are tiger’s stripes and there is beauty in imperfection!
5. Take your tiger cut-out and press it gently onto the surface of your shaving cream. Carefully lift it out and move it to the table with the shaving-cream-side-up.
6. Use a finger to hold your tiger in place and drag your squeegee along the length of the tiger to wipe off the excess shaving cream. If you don’t have a squeegee, a school ruler or library card will also do the job.
7. Leave your tiger in a safe spot for 5-10 minutes to dry. And there you have it – your first tiger!!

While you wait for your tiger to dry, perhaps you can try another design template or make a tiger with some different coloured stripes. Or – draw your own template! There are plenty of ‘tigers’ in the Museum’s collections, other than those below.

For example, there’s a Tiger Quoll, a Tiger Prawn, a Tiger Moth, and even a Tiger Stone!

Share your tiger-inspired creations with us by using #MelbourneMuseum #MuseumAtHome

We can’t wait to see what you come up with and look forward to seeing you next time at Melbourne Museum!