If you’ve read my blog for very long you know I’m a sucker for kid’s art with a built in “wow” factor aesthetically speaking. I love projects that look good and play on the impromptu and messy nature of kids’ art. A few other bloggers and I have been chatting a lot lately about process art and I admit to not being very good at letting go of a nice looking end product.

So what is a Type A designer with high aesthetic expectations to do? Well, I decided to try process art and limited the materials to things I thought would make a pretty cool final product no mater what…and then I stepped away…repeat…then I stepped away s-l-o-w-l-y. Go easy on me process art advocates….it’s my first try!  And since it’s fabric month here on Babble Dabble Do we used an old sheet for our “canvas.”

Not sure just what process art is? My friend Meri summed it up beautifully in this post: Process Art for Kids: It’s No Mess!
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Stencil Process Art on Fabric

Materials 

• Acrylic Paint or fabric paint
• Drop cloth
• White Fabric
• Fun stencil items! We used: netting from fruit bags, screen, burlap, doilies, and letter stencils
• Trays
• Water
• Small Paint rollers

Instructions

• Step One Since fabric is porous protect your work surface with a drop cloth first. Then tape down your fabric to your work surface.
• Step Two  Dilute your paint by mixing it with some water. Pour into different trays.
• Step Three Place the paint trays, rollers, and stencil items on the canvas.
• Step Four Step aside! I was available to refill paint trays but other than that I spent my time taking pics of the kids working. I owe a dollar to the first person who can find my foot in one of these pictures…..

I was so impressed with how this project went. My kids really did have fun just exploring and working with these materials without any guidance. The best moment was when my daughter used a roller without the handle to just squish paint on the sheet. She also had fun dripping paint. I suspect she’ll be the artsy one in the family….

I have to admit that one of the reasons that this was hard project for me personally, was because I enjoy doing art with the kids, as in being a participant. Is that wrong? But wanting to stay true to letting the kids explore on their own I did not take part in this activity with them. However as soon as they were done with it  and off to another part of the house I snuck over and nabbed a corner of the fabric for myself! I couldn’t help it, I wanted to try too! Here’s my turn:

Looks Like 

Eva Hesse. I am just getting familiar with the work of Eva Hesse, a German born artist from the 1960s and I honestly am quite stunned. The work itself might not resonate visually with some folks but her art was truly about the process. One of her favorite materials was latex , a natural material that decomposes greatly over time. Therefore there was a certain impermanence to her work, which really brings to mind the core idea of Process Art.  I think you too will be impressed with her work and how she rethought just what art could and can be….

Conclusion

I’m really happy to have ventured into process art for kids with this project. As a designer it is hard for me to sometimes let go of the final product but for kids it is so important to encourage creativity and exploration rather than feeling like they have to make a showcase piece every time they sit down to the art table. Thank you to my fellow blogging friends at Twodaloo and Meri Cherry Blog for inspiring me to try process art with my kids!

More 

• For more fun exploration of materials visit this post with random and fun ideas for 16 Homemade Paintbrushes. You also may want to consider making your own art materials with the kids, it’s fun for them to make art AND supplies 40 Art Materials You Can Make At Home
• Artchoo has a fabulous post on mixed media process art with a novel use of painter’s tape!  Preschool Mixed Media Project
• And Buggy and Buddy has a really unique process art project using one of my fave art materials: salt! Don’t miss it here: Salt Art
• If you want to do more process art with kids be sure to check out the process art bible by every kid blogger’s idol, Mary Ann Kohl Preschool Art: It’s the Process, Not the Product!
• I also have a soft spot in my heart for this wonderful book from the 70’s that is all about letting kids explore art on their own terms: Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands-Off Guide to Art for the Young Child

And don’t miss out on more art here on Babble Dabble Do! Your child’s inner Eva Hesse thanks you! Subscribe below or like us on FB