Kids Art: Rubber Cement Masking

Thanks to Winter Break, we had a lot of time to try different art projects. My primary aim has always been to expose Ana to the tools and techniques available these days and to allow for her creative energy to find a release. For one thing, she seems interested and shows some aptitude for it. If this was painful and boring for her, of course, I wouldn't dream of forcing it down her throat...

Oggie so far seems to love coloring, but, rather than the dainty 'artistic' approach Ana had at that age, Oggie at 1¾ seems to love the whole process of smearing as much as he enjoys seeing the colors appear and take shape on plain paper. I wouldn't be surprised if he chooses not to do the same art projects with me that I have done with Ana...

Continuing our study of masking, Ana and I tried the Rubber Cement masking technique.

Rubber Cement comes in a nice little container with its own brush. Its gummy texture is such that it can be dribbled over the paper by holding the loaded brush in the air and swirling it about. Of course, it can also be 'painted on' with the brush. Ana tried both techniques to understand that whereas one requires more control but forms nice curly lines, the other creates blobs.

I like rubber cement for certain applications. Its texture and the fact that it can be removed easily after it dries makes it an interesting material to play with.

Items Used: Watercolor paper, Rubber Cement, Tempera paints diluted in water (we were running low on watercolors), paint brush.

1. Apply the rubber cement on the watercolor paper in any arbitrary pattern.
2. Allow to dry. We placed it by the heating vent to speed it up - took about 5 to 10 minutes depending on how thick the application is.
3. Then, paint over the dried rubber cement using favorite watercolors or diluted tempera paints. Allow to dry completely.
4. Then, either using the fingers or a pencil eraser simply rub the rubber cement off. It peels off easily, leaving the white of the paper that it masked.

As always, Ana decided to make a few as she experimented with the technique and tried it to her satisfaction.



They came out looking beautiful enough to be framed and hung in the living room. Of course, that's just the maternal point of view :)