Resist art with stickers is an easy way to make a simple painting project a little more fun. This art idea is easily adaptable for kids of all ages and skill levels. Plus, the magic of seeing a "final reveal" at the end of the project when they pull off the stickers has "wow!" factor that is irresistible. (Pardon the pun!)
Resist painting art is also a good creative activity when you are stuck indoors, especially when you need to fill a big chunk of time because there can be quite a bit of labor involved in applying and removing all the stickers!!!
Materials
You probably already have all the art materials you need at home!
- Paper
- Office supply stickers. Office stickers are very easy to remove and come in all shapes and sizes, making them idea. Alternatively you can use painter's tape or special art masking tape. Regular tape is too sticky.
- Paint and paint brushes. Plain, washable tempera paint and any old paint brush will work just fine.
Alternatives: Feel free to experiment with art materials! Use crayons or markers, oil or chalk pastels, or watercolor paints and paper.
Instructions:
Lay out the paper and stick the office supply stickers all over the paper in whatever pattern or design you wish.
When happy with the sticker design, paint over the stickers however you desire!
Allow the paint to dry, then remove the stickers.
Tips, Tricks, and Thoughts:
Lately, I've been trying to limit paint colors for art projects to 1 or 2 at a time. This may seem restrictive to some, but my child loses focus with too many colors because he just wants to make a dab of each color. That may not be the case for other kids.
If your kid is so inclined he might use the stickers to create designs or representational pictures. My son is not so inclined. He doesn't yet think of his art as a means towards representation; he is much more into the action of painting.
Kids may choose different methods of applying paint over the stickers. Let them decide! My child took the instructions to paint over the stickers very literally. He was avoiding getting paint anywhere else on the paper!
The reason I recommend using office supply stickers for this because they are 1) cheap; and 2) low tack, and soooo easy to remove. We used dot stickers, but it would be fun to experiment with different shapes, too.
We also love office supply stickers for making our own dot to dots!
Some kids may find that they love applying the stickers in preparation for resist art painting just as much as the painting part! Maybe even more fun, sometimes!
Results
View the before and after in all its glory!
Before:
While waiting for them to dry Kiddo said, "Mommy, when we take off the stickers you are going to say, 'Oooooooooo!'"
I am so predictable.
After:
Removing the stickers also worked his fine motor skills! I love sneaking that sort of thing into our play time.
Need another indoor art project? Check out our giant list of indoor activities for kids.
Originally published 2009, updated January, 2022.
Sherry says
Oooooo....this looks fun. We'll have to give it a try. 🙂
Lisa says
Neat idea! My girls love to paint...put stickers into the mix and they will be overjoyed. Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
it is interesting to me ...how the child's personality plays into the art. Mr. Intensity gets bored with details; I wonder how he would do with this project. I'm marking it to try in the future. i think he would pull off 2 stickers then declare that I must do the rest. We'll see. Thanks for sharing the great idea.
Anna - Three Sneaky Bugs says
It's good to hear of other 4 yr olds that aren't into representational art. On the one hand I'm good with it. I want him to do stuff on his own time line and enjoy the process. On the other, I sometimes get worried. Such is the lot of a mother.
Kim Baise says
This is a great idea, thank you! I really love the brown and red one with the peeled off stickers (polkadots). So frameable!
jen says
oooh, i want to try this with my daughter, who is currently sticker-obsessed. when i do, i'll blog about it and link to this. i'll letcha know how it turned out!