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Duct Tape Collage Create hip abstract art with duct tape. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-304

Tape your way to some great wall art.

Taping posters or other art to a wall is a major no-no in most homes, but what about making the artwork out of tape? Michele Beschen demonstrates how in a fun B. Original how-to that really sticks with you.

In this project, Michele Beschen uses duct tape and electrical tape as the ultimate media for graphic collage. This project doesn’t require a lot of specialized tools, just some paint, markers and, of course, lots of tape. Gather duct tape in several widths, colors and textures to help give the final piece more variety and visual interest. Scroll down to see how a little time and a little tape can turn into something fabulous.

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Duct Tape Collage

Materials:

stiff backing material
paint
markers
duct tape – colors of your choice
sharp scissors
citrus cleaner or Goo Gone
sharp craft knife
matte spray or matte gel medium

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Don’t use a regular art canvas as the "canvas" for this piece – they have too much give. Select a stiff backing like masonite, luan, drywall, hardboard or even an old mirror.

• Start by adding some color to the background with paint (figure A).

• Once the paint is dry, use a marker to create some line art such as a stick figure or an abstract design (figure B). Don’t make the line art too complicated: It will be peeking out through spaces between the tape, which will give it enough mystery.

• Gather up some rolls of duct tape and/or electrical tape in the colors of your choice. Cut small pieces of tape from the roll and adhere them to the canvas, smoothing out any wrinkles as you go. Leave some separation between pieces of tape so the background and line drawing show through, and alternate colors and sizes of tape slices in the design.

  Note: Be sure to use a sharp pair of scissors to make clean, crisp cuts. Keep some citrus cleaner or Goo Gone handy to keep the scissors clean.

• Layer different colors of tape while creating the piece, then use a sharp craft knife to cut small windows through some pieces of tape so the colors below can show through (figure C). B. Original with your cutout shapes: try some small circles, ovals and odd shapes. Make sure to cut the windows right after applying the tape; if you wait, nasty adhesive go will clog up the window. You also can cut through multiple layers of tape to reveal the background below.

• When the piece is complete, knock down some of the glossy look with a coat of matte finish spray or matte gel medium applied over the entire surface.