Create Your Own Modern Art with Painter’s Tape

Easy Modern Art with Painters Tape for Kids

On one of the last weekends before my tween goes back to school, it was a picture perfect weekend to spend outdoors in Southern California. I am preparing for an art show that I am a part of at the Schomburg Gallery, and I really needed to finalize all of my paintings for the show. And guess where my crafty mini-me was? Right next to me. = )

While I was working on my paintings, she set up her “studio” next to me where we could share my art palette and paints. We lined the outdoor couches with old towels, wore clothes that we didn’t mind if they got paint on them, and settled in for an afternoon of creative bliss.

A perfect painting project for your tween is to use painter’s tape to block off and create interesting shapes to make a colorful piece of modern art. This technique I got inspiration from here on the X-ACTO website. I love how this site is divided up into four categories giving inspiration and tips tailored towards artists, crafters, teachers, and hobbyists. Once I showed her the basic technique of how to create her own piece of beautiful modern art, she was hooked.

Here is a quick step-by-step view of how make your own modern art masterpieces. All you need are blank canvases and painter’s tape, along with paintbrushes and paint. We used acrylics paints for the whole project and 1′ wide painter’s tape.

  1.  First, paint your whole canvas one solid color (any color you choose) and let dry.
  2. When the paint is dried completely, take your painter’s tape and create designs and shapes by attaching stripes of tape from one end of the canvas to the other. Make sure to rub the tape onto the canvas to really secure so that the paint doesn’t bleed under the tape strips.
  3. When you are satisfied with your geometric design, you ready for the next step. Pick out 3-4 contrasting colors of paint that will coordinate with the base color you painted.
  4. Fill each geometric shape created by the paint lines with your paint colors in a random pattern.
  5. When you have filled in all of the shapes, your painting will look very random and messy. Don’t worry, the best part is yet to come. Let your painting dry completely again before trying to peel off the tape.
  6. This is my tween’s favorite part – the big reveal! Once all of the paint is dry, slowly peel away the paint strips. If you need to, touch up any spots with the base color where the paint might have gotten under the tape.
  7. Enjoy and be proud of your new piece of modern art!

This is a perfect beginner art project for kids because there really isn’t a way to mess this up. When my daughter started planning out her canvas, she initially would ask for advice about where to place the tape. One piece of artistic advice I gave to her, which could be applied to many situations in life is, “take a breath, use your intuition, and then just commit to it”. Once she had the confidence to create her own designs, she was on a roll!

Tween easy modern art painting

Four modern art masterpieces later, I was finished with my paintings, and she was begging to hang her artwork on the wall of her room. Try doing this fun art technique with your tween. Even if you don’t think you have any artistic ability, it is a very satisfying and easy way to create art for both mom and daughter. Enjoy!

Modern Art with Painters Tape

Happy crafting!

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Pauline Molinari

I'm the crafty maven, and I'm on a mission to spread craftiness. With a fine arts degree, over 15 years experience in children's publishing, and a savvy, stylish, sassy tween daughter, I come armed with perspective and passion to inspire tween girls and their mothers to be crafty together. 

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