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Fun and Easy String-Pull Painting
This easy string-pull painting is a fun activity to do with the kids. It takes longer to set up than it does to make the actual painting. This rainbow edition makes some amazing pictures.
You will need ...
- Wrapped Canvas
- Paint Brush
- Scissors
- String
- White Acrylic Paint
- Acrylic Paint in Rainbow Colors
- Piece of Scrap Paper
- Stick (like a chopstick or toothpick)
Step One
Paint the entire canvas with white paint. It helps if there is a good amount of paint on the canvas as this will help the colors spread nicely.
Step Two
Cut several pieces of string just slightly longer than the width of your canvas. (The length will vary depending on whether you choose to do your painting in portrait or in landscape). Lay them out on the piece of scrap paper. Drip the paint onto the string in the order that you want it to appear on your painting. Repeat for all strings. Then, hold the ends of the string one in each hand. Carefully, spin the string between your fingertips so that it sort of rolls itself through the paint. This will help to completely coat each string with a generous amount of paint. Be gentle with this step otherwise the colors will blend together.
Step Three
Carefully lay each strand of string down onto the canvas. Be sure to stretch it out so it lays straight and not wavy. Also be sure to space the strings far enough from each other so the colors do not become too muddled.
Step Four
Using a chopstick or similar tool, gently drag the strings across the canvas. There should be no pressure from the stick onto the canvas. This movement should be in one smooth motion.
Step Five
Drag the strings off the canvas. The tails of the strings will help to create the drag effect, so don’t stop dragging until the strings are completely off the canvas.
Step Six
Finally, let the paint dry. Once dry, hang up your colorful artwork and enjoy!
Variation
The paintings in this photo that are on the top left and the bottom right were done with a different technique. In this method, the string is placed in a random way onto the canvas, then one end is pulled off the canvas in the same motion as mentioned in the method above. The photo in the top left had strings that were placed onto the canvas in an "S" shape and then pulled off the right side of the canvas. The photo in the bottom right had strings that were placed in multiple positions and pulled in opposit directions.