My daughter had a day off school this week and we were looking for a mini art project for us to do in the afternoon… and this one, inspired by @michelle.nyberg.art, couldn’t have come at a better time!
You’ll need:
- Some fairly thick art paper taped down to a board or other surface (so it doesn’t crinkle)
- Paper tape to make the grid
- Paint and brushes
- Paper if you want to add collage
- Googly eyes if you want to create little cat figures like we did.
We began by sticking the tape down into a grid. We didn’t measure (because small children!) but if you want it more exact then you can mark it out beforehand.
Add paint! We made lots of big brushstrokes of colour first, which was very satisfying to do. There are no rules – just go for it! - although I would add that the fewer brushstrokes you make the better - if you have a whole load of colours then it could easily get quite brown and mungy if you’re not careful.
After the big strokes are on, add thinner lines of white to add texture. You can also use the end of a brush to make marks in the paint, which works quite well.
When it’s dry (totally, completely dry so it doesn't rip the paper), peel off the tape and marvel at your abstract mini prints.
At this point we decided that there weren't enough cats (are there ever enough cats?) so we used patterned paper to create cat templates, stuck googly eyes on them and stuck them onto the prints.
The prints can be mounted and kept as prints, or stuck on cards and sent to fellow cat-lovers. We love them - and if you make them into cards then your child has a ready-made stack of cool and unique cards to send to their friends!