Do Rubber Band Printing

Rubber bands have many uses, but one of their more surprising uses is art! If you wrap them around a piece of cardboard and paint them, you can use them to create interesting designs. Rubber band printing is a great way to teach young artists about print making. Even seasoned artists might enjoy creating a unique piece with rubber band printing. All you need is an assortment of rubber bands, cardboard, paint, and paper.

Steps

Doing Basic Rubber Band Printing

1. Cut down a piece of cardboard with a craft blade. Something around 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) square would be ideal, but you can make it larger or smaller if you want. This will be the base for your print.
   • If you are a kid, ask an adult to help you with this step.
2. Wrap rubber bands around the cardboard. Use thick and thin rubber bands for an interesting effect. Place some at angles, and cross others. Make some closer together than others.
3. Paint one side of your wrapped cardboard. Use a paintbrush to get a thick coat of paint over both the cardboard and the rubber bands. You can use acrylic paint or tempera paint.
4. Press the cardboard down onto a sheet of paper. Smooth the cardboard down with your hands. The cardboard and rubber bands will press up against the paper , creating an interesting effect.
5. Lift the cardboard away to reveal your design. The rubber bands will be stamped against the paper. Some of the cardboard between the rubber bands may also be visible.
6. Consider repeating the process for a more unique design. Let the paint dry first, then flip the cardboard over and paint the back using a contrasting color. Press the cardboard down onto the paper again, then lift it away.
   • Try to off-set the cardboard this time, or turn it in the other direction.

Doing Resist Rubber Band Printing

1. Cut a sheet of cardboard down to the size you want. Something around 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) square would be ideal, but you can make it any size you want. Plan ahead, however; you need to be able to wrap the paper around the cardboard.
   • Use a craft blade to cut the cardboard. If you're a kid, get an adult to help you.
2. Wrap a sheet of white paper around the cardboard. You can use basic printer paper for this, but watercolor paper would be better. The paper needs to be big enough to cover the cardboard. It's okay if it is a little smaller than the cardboard, however.
3. Wrap rubber bands around the paper and cardboard. You want the rubber bands to be pinning the paper against the cardboard. Play around with different thicknesses of rubber bands. Place some straight up-and-down, and a few others sideways. You can even place some at angles to make crisscrosses.
4. Dilute some watercolor paint with a little water. Pour some liquid watercolor paint into a cup or a clean, plastic container. Dilute it with some water. How much water you use is up to you; the more water you add, the lighter the color will be. You can also mix your own by filling a cup with water, then adding a few drops of food coloring into it.
   • Prepare a few different colors to make your print look more interesting.
   • You can also use straight tempera or acrylic paint. You don't need to mix those with water.
5. Dab the paint onto the paper with a sponge. Dip the sponge into the paint, then squeeze the excess out. Carefully dab the paint onto the paper. Do not drag it across the paper, or you may get paint under the rubber bands and ruin the resist effect. Make sure that you cover the entire paper, from edge-to-edge.
   • You can use all one color, or you can use different colors for a tie-dye effect.
   • If you are using more than one color, be sure to rinse the sponge in water, or switch to a new sponge.
6. Repeat the design on the back of the cardboard. You can use the same colors and patterns, or you can use a different one.
7. Let the paint dry before removing the rubber bands. Once the paint has dried, pull or cut the rubber bands off. Slip the paper off of the cardboard, and unfold it to reveal your design.
   • You can also cut your paper along the fold to get two designs.

Doing Rubber Band Stamping

1. Choose your base. Wooden blocks, pieces of cardboard, or small, cardboard jewelry boxes work great for this. Whatever you choose needs to be smaller than your cut rubber bands. This is because you will be gluing the rubber bands on top of the base, not stretching them.
2. Cut apart some rubber bands. Think ahead about your design, then cut apart as many rubber bands as you need. You can use all the same width, but your design will look more interesting if you use both thick and thin rubber bands.
3. Plan out your design. Arrange the rubber bands on your base. Play around with different widths. Try to use both thick and thin rubber bands. You can do simple stripes or diagonals. You can also create more interesting designs, such as chevron, zigzags, diamonds, or weaves. Try to leave behind some negative space on the block.
   • You may need to cut some rubber bands shorter so that they fit your design.
4. Glue the rubber band strips onto your base. You can use tacky glue or white school glue. Super glue may also work, but not hot glue. Let the glue dry before moving on.
5. Brush paint onto the block. Acrylic paint will work best here, but you can also use tempera. You can use all one color, or experiment with different ones.
6. Press the block down onto a sheet of paper, like a stamp. You can use plain white paper or even colored paper. White paint on brown packaging paper will give you a nice, rustic effect.
7. Repeat the design as often as you like until the paper is covered. You can repeat the pattern over and over, or you can rotate the stamp for an interesting look. You should be able to stamp a few times before the paint becomes too pale. When that happens, simply apply more paint.

Tips

• The rubber bands can be brown or colored; it does not matter.
• Paint will show up best on white paper, but you can use other colors too. Watercolor paint will only show up on white paper, however.
• If you like how your rubber band-wrapped cardboard looks, you can glue it down onto a piece of mounting board, and frame it.
• Add details with special paint, such as gold or silver.
• You can try using the printing blocks again, but let the paint dry. It's best if you use the same color next time.
• These printing blocks won't last forever. They will eventually start to come apart.

Things You'll Need

Doing Basic Rubber Band Printing

• Cardboard
• Craft blade
• Rubber bands
• Acrylic paint or tempera paint
• Paintbrushes
• Paper

Doing Resist Rubber Band Printing

• Cardboard
• Craft blade
• Rubber bands
• Watercolor paint
• Sponge or foam brush
• Paper

Doing Rubber Band Stamping

• Cardboard
• Craft blade
• Scissors
• Rubber bands
• Glue
• Acrylic paint or tempera paint
• Paintbrushes
• Paper

Sources and Citations

See also

• Stencil on Fabric (Freezer Paper Method)
• Design Your Own NASCAR Shirts
• Hydro Dip
• Make and Use Iron on Transfers
• Print on T‐Shirts
• Make a Screen Print
• Do Iron on T Shirts and Make Designs on the Computer
• Do Screen Printing on Fabric
• Make Silk Screen Stencils
• Stencil Fabric

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