DIY Scrape Paint Art

I love a project that’s both beautiful and appropriate for young children. I came across paint scraping online (sorry I can’t find the original source) and I had to try it. If you are drawn to abstraction or interesting textures, you’ll love it. As soon as I called it scraper truck art, my preschool aged son was into it.

The project is so simple that it almost feels silly to create a step-by-step guide. But here we go, anyways. :)

Supplies

• Paint (I used tempera)

• Paper

• Ruler for scraping

• Tape to hold down paper

Step One

Put dots of paint all over the paper as shown below.

Step Two

Scrape the paint down slowly. Different pressure and speed creates different results. I also like to scrape more than once. From top to bottom, then bottom to top. Have multiple papers ready so you can do it over and over. To be transparent, I don’t think I’ve perfected the scrape. I want to experiment with other scrapers and pressure control to obtain a cleaner outcome.

Not my best scrape but it’s the one I recorded so there you go!

Step three

Do a print transfer! Given the aggressive amount of paint, you can easily transfer it to another piece of paper for more outcomes. Place a clean paper on the wet one, rub it in, and peel off.

I love using hand-made textures for stationary. When I originally did this project with my son, we were making invites for his birthday party. I love how they turned out and I love that he made the textures himself. Take a look at the final product below.

Update! After some internet digging, I came across squeegee art videos. I feel like the biggest newbie now but my approach was nice (and messy) take on it. I’m also adding a squeegee to my next target pickup ASAP. :)