Tag Archives: canvas

Mar16

Paint Bellows and Sprinkle Painting

Posted on March 16, 2014 by TodayWeDid

We like to experiment with different types of painting. Today we tried using paint bellows and a screen with a toothbrush to create some rainbow paintings.

Paint bellows.

We used canvases for this, and as it had the potential to be quite messy, we decided to paint outside with art smocks on. This was a very good choice, given how much paint the kids managed to get on themselves despite the smocks!

Using the paint bellows.

A used the paint bellows on her canvas. We only have three, so she used three colours at a time, and then I washed them out, and she used three different colours. She had a little trouble drawing the paint into the bellows, but she really enjoyed blowing the paint out onto the canvas. It made lots of sprays of colours with some larger blobs of paint. She continued using different colours until she had a nice rainbow of colour right across the canvas.

A’s paint bellows canvas.

Close up of the bellows painting.

Using the screen and toothbrush.

L used the screen and toothbrush on her canvas to create a sprinkle painting. She used one colour at a time because the screen was very small. She put some paint onto the brush and rubbed it across the screen, whilst holding the screen fairly close to the canvas, but not touching it. This produced a fine mist of paint directed onto the canvas. She washed and dried the screen and brush between colours, and continued using paint until her canvas was covered by rainbow mist.

L’s sprinkle painting.

Close-up of the sprinkle painting.

The screen and toothbrush produced a much finer droplet pattern than the paint bellows, but both methods created pleasing paintings.

Aug31

Yarn Painting

Posted on August 31, 2013 by TodayWeDid

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Once we’d finished doing our rubberband splat paintings we had some leftover paint on our tray. I didn’t want to waste it, so we decided to try doing some painting with lengths of yarn.

Using one colour at a time.

Adding colour.

More colour.

We put each piece of yarn into a single colour and covered the yarn with paint. Then one at a time, the kids dropped the yarn onto the paper in random patterns. They used all the different colours we had out to make some lovely rainbow paintings. It worked much better if there was more paint on the yarn so that it left thicker marks. The different colours were overlaid as the kids added more paint to their paintings. Once we’d done a couple of practice ones on paper, we used more of the mini canvases to make a final painting.

Finished mini-canvases.

These canvases will be added to the father’s day presents the kids have made for their Dad.

Aug31

Rubberband Splat Painting

Posted on August 31, 2013 by TodayWeDid

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We are trying out some new ways to paint. I remembered seeing this technique at L’s playschool once, and wanted to try it at home.

We took a little box of thick cardboard and placed some thin rubber bands around the box. We practiced with paper first, and then used some mini canvases I’d picked up from the dollar shop for the final painting.

We put the paper/canvas in the box underneath the rubber bands, then painted the rubber bands one at a time and flicked them so that the paint splattered onto the paper/canvas. It was great fun, though we did get paint all over our hands, and some even splattered up onto A’s face and hair. I’m very happy with the results.

The kids are adding these to their parcels to give their father for father’s day this weekend. Hopefully he likes them!

Aug17

Stain-glass Window Canvas

Posted on August 17, 2013 by TodayWeDid

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L painting her canvas.

We took our painting outside today to create some lovely canvases with a stained-glass look. We made a couple of these earlier in the year, and they worked wonderfully. They are hanging up on the wall above our TV.

I bought the canvases, paint, sponge brushes and painters’ tape at Bunnings before our first canvas painting effort. A loves putting things into the little kid trolleys they have at Bunnings, and it makes for an interesting outing all in itself.

Finished canvases.

I placed the canvases side by side, and then placed the painters’ tape across the canvases in a random pattern. One canvas for each child. the paint went into a baking tray lined with aluminium foil, with a sponge brush for each colour, though the colours always end up getting mixed. Then I let the kids loose with the paint.

L’s canvas.

A completed hers fairly quickly. We had to take the red paint brush away from her or the whole canvas would have been red. L took her time painting hers, choosing which colour would go where, and blending colours to make new colours. They covered the entire canvas with paint, and then we left them to dry.

A’s canvas.

Despite the art smocks they were wearing, they both needed a bath afterwards. There was plenty of paint on the smocks, but they also had paint on their legs, and L even stepped in the paint at one point. Luckily the paint comes off easily with water and soap!

After they were dry, I carefully peeled the painters’ tape off the canvas to reveal the white canvas beneath. The finished product looks great, and the kids had fun making them.