Scraped Paint Abstract Art

Abstract art is non-objective, fun-to-make and fun-to-look-at art that we have explored on and off over the past couple of months. 

We had a great time making these BIG abstract art paintings - by scraping paint with credit cards!

I love teaching abstract art because kids of all ages in the same class can create it with great success. This group ranged in age from 6 to 13.



Prior to starting this project, I prepped these big 18 x 24 sheets of 140# paper with wide blue painter's tape to leave a crisp, clean border. 


We first reviewed color theory and learned how to select a palette of three colors that are analogous, or near one another, on the color wheel. We also added white as an option to mix tints with our colors.  

We then "plopped" a bit of paint anywhere onto the paper and scraped it using a credit card.

I showed them how to hold the card at right angles to the paper to create a thin layer of transparent color, which is a great way to create a new color when scraped over another color. 

We had fun creating abstract shapes while applying "color blocks," or sections of color.

After filling the paper with our initial three colors, we added one or two complementary (opposite) colors for added pizzazz! 


Then, using black and white oil pastels, we practiced our repetitive mark-making skills by adding interesting patterns over the dry paint. 

Finally, we removed the painters tape to reveal these beautiful abstract works of art!

My sample

Our thanks to Small Hands Big Art for this cool abstract art project idea!