This might not be the medium used in your average paint night, and that’s ok.
Ideal for kids ages 6 and up, the 3-D Cra-Z-Gels Deluxe Sticker Art set from Cra-Z-Art let’s kids paint, peel, and stick their very own gel designs. Included in this creative kit are ten paint tubes in a variety of colors, design sheets, and tracing sheets.
To get started, kids can find a clean, flat surface to work on. Kitchen and dining room tables are the most likely destinations, and so parents should protect the work surface with paper towels or newspaper before the paint starts to flow.
When kids have their studio assembled, they can choose a design from of the templates included in the kit. There are three template sheets included, and they feature fun outlined art like winking ice cream cones, smiling corgis, and a set of adorable monkeys. There’s even a pineapple with glasses and a smiley face wearing headphones. Kids can explore these options, or go online and print out their own designs.
Once little artists have settled on a design, they can slip the template sheet into the tracing sheet, which is essentially a standard sheet protector like the ones they might use at school. This clear cover gives kids a canvas to paint on, as well as a window to their traceable design.
The paint tubes, which come in a handful of different colors, really lets young ones add some flavor to their artwork. There are your usual colors such as blue, yellow, and green, as well as more unique shades such as salmon, purple, and magenta. There’s even white, black, and a tan color with sparkles inside.
As kids give the paint tube a tiny squeeze, they can maneuver it atop their outlined design and fill it in as they please. The harder they press, the more paint that will come out. No matter how many colors kids use, it’s important that they all touch to ensure the gel dries as one solid piece.
When petite Picassos are satisfied with their result, they can leave the tracing sheet somewhere safe overnight to let it dry, at which point they’ll be able to peel it off and stick it to nearly any non-porous, smooth surface. Windows, lockers, and mirrors are all safe bets.
As kids get better at working the gel tubes, they can experiment with blending, beaded lines, and more. They can even create their very own designs without the help of a pre-designed outline to trace, and break free artistically.
