Paste Paints
This is a very simple, fun, cheap recipe that can be adapted in all kinds of ways for all kinds of projects. There are many variations on paste paper – some more appropriate for high-quality bookarts than this particular version – but basically you make some paste, color it, glop it on and go! Miri is too young to get into making too many patterns, but she is very into the process. She noticed today that she could make lines and shapes, and then “kinda erase them” by smearing over it with her hands. I like paste paints a little more than fingerpaints because it seems like they “stain” the paper more, making an image with more depth even when it’s just smeared with fingers. I think it’s a good idea to use colors that will blend well together unless you’re going for the “learning that complimentary colors, when mixed, look like gray mud” lesson. You can get fancy and use combs and clay tools and other things to make lines, but I like to make simple tools out of cardboard and/or styrofoam – anything, really, that can make a mark and would have gone in the trash anyway. My 7-year-old nephew also liked this project when we did it a while ago and has asked me to do it again with him – we used the paste papers that he and I made together to cut up for Hanukkah decorations (paste papers can be pictures on their own but their interesting texture is great in collages, etc, too). The recipe is as follows:
1 part white flour
6 parts water
combine, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cool. (Refrigerates for up to about a week.) If you don’t stir every single moment and the paste burns, you can strain it through a fine strainer and it will get out almost all the burned stuff (wanna know how I know?)… when you’re ready to paint, put it in little cups or containers, add a dollop of acrylic paint (add a little, mix it in, add more till you get the color you’re after), and mix. Use a good, sturdy paper. Get your paper lightly wet, and put the paste on. With an almost-3-year-old, that’s as far as we got before the smearing began. You can check HERE for other ideas about how to make a pattern.
I’ve also had good results adding acrylic gel medium to make the paste more flexible and long-lasting; I think I used about 1 part medium to 3 parts paste, but you can use up to a 1/1 ratio. I also look forward to adding in sparkle in the form of mica powder or glitter.