I have a special treat for you today.
Michelle Paige has graciously agreed to guest post here today.
Her blog has so many creative ideas for any occasion.
Some of my favorites from her site are Knights in Training Birthday, Lollipop Valentines, Easter Egg Heads, and an “About to Pop” Baby Shower.
Take a moment and explore her site. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Hi! I’m Michelle Paige and today is my very first guest post, ever!!
This is so exciting, I hope I don’t mess up! Thanks for having me, Jennifer!
My blog is called ‘Michelle Paige’. (Super creative name, huh?)
I sort of fell into the blogging world one night last February and I haven’t been able to stop!
How fun it is ‘meeting’ amazing women who share such inspiring ideas and insights through their blogs!
Over at ‘Michelle Paige’ I love to blog about crafty ideas, party decor, organization tips, family activities, faith thoughts and my favorite kid craft projects!
Speaking of kid craft projects…you won’t believe this one…
Painter’s Tape Canvas Art
I know…I know…it doesn’t look like a kid made this!
With just a tiny bit of supervision and guidance—
and lots of play time in between steps—
my 9 year old really made this!
He’s very proud of himself, too!
(Unlike my 10 year old daughter who hides when she sees the camera
— fearing that I might post a picture of her!)
See just how simple this is…
Start with a piece of canvas board.
You can find canvas board at your local craft store or art supply place.
Look for sales or use coupons, canvas can be a bit pricey!
We found this 10in x 20in. piece for half off.
(If I’d been smarter, I would have bought out their stock at those prices!)
Any size of canvas board will work.
Now choose your colors!
I chose brown for the lines and my current favorite decorating colors:
turquoise, leaf green, north sea blue
and white (somehow the white didn’t get into the picture?)
Inexpensive acrylic craft paint works perfectly.
(Or use any leftover paint you may already have.)
Cover your area with newspapers.
Using a foam brush, paint (or have your child paint) the entire canvas board with the line color of your choice.
We used a brown velvet color.
Now, wait about 30 minutes (go play), then paint a second coat.
(We only did 2 coats, but I think 3 would have been a bit better.)
After the board is completely dry (or playtime is over), it’s time to tape.
Use painter’s tape to make straight line shapes on the board.
(We used 1 inch wide Scotch 3M Blue Painter’s Tape.)
The only rule is to keep the tape straight, don’t try to curve the tape.
Make squares, rectangles, triangles, funky 4-sided shapes, etc.
Some shapes can be small, others can be over-sized.
Once you’re happy with the taped design, press tape firmly.
Get out the line paint color again and lightly paint another coat.
This time paint especially along the edges of the tape.
(You can skip this step, but you’ll be sorry! Trust me!)
This extra step allows no colors to bleed through the tape.
Go play for 30 minutes while the board is drying.
(My son specifically asked that I posted this picture of him with his twisty balloon battle gear!)
To see more of our twisty balloon adventures go here.
Okay, back to our project.
It’s time to get out those pretty colors!
We used a paper plate and a different foam brush for each color.
There are only two rules for this step.
Rule 1) Do not put the same color next to each other.
(You don’t want a green square up against a green triangle. Mix them up.)
Rule 2) Paint a little out of the lines onto the tape.
(Yep, you get to go out of the lines!)
Let first coat dry, paint second coat, let dry.
If you are still seeing your line color through the paint, do a third color coat.
After everything is dry…It’s time! It’s time!
It’s time to peel off the tape and see your creation!
Look at those perfect lines!
Can you believe it? It’s so beautiful!
Display it on your mantle for all to see!
You’ll need to start taking orders for family Christmas gifts, now!
__________________________
Just so you don’t think I’m some brillant crafting genius who thought this up myself…
This idea was um…borrowed from here.
My son attended art camp and came home with this creation.
I was completely blown away and had to know how he did this!
He loved teaching me all the steps…I’m just sharing the love!! Enjoy!
I’d love to have you stop by my blog and say ‘hi’!
Thanks again for having me, Jennifer!
Wow, I think the boys would like the Knights in Training birthday party.
This idea could be a great, affordable way to add some color into my house. I have a huge dining room wall in which I can’t find artwork, and could see using a number of these canvases to add artwork. Love it!
I tried a similar project about 6 months ago. I skipped the step of painting over the edge of the tape (I never thought of that)…and I was sorry. I’ve been out-crafted by a nine year old! Wish my project had looked so good. I ended up covering the canvas with fabric to hide my messy paint.
Jennifer- Thanks again for allowing me to guest post! You’ll have to let me know if you try this project with your boys. They’ll love it…especially when they can tell everyone who comes over that they made it! –Michelle
Oh–if you do decide on a knight party, let me know. I have a few leftover signs and labels to pass on.
Thanks for the tips. I may modify this idea and use it at my school. Your son’s original work from school was kind of a Piet Mondrian work.
Great tutorial. Love it, thanks for sharing