Jackson Pollock Inspired Tote Bag Art

Today, I’ve got such a fun and gorgeously simple art project to share.  This Jackson Pollock inspired tote bag art was just the creative outlet my second grader and I needed one rainy afternoon. Splatter paint is a creative painting tool that kids love.

 
As a Mama of four goofy/amazing/active/wild kids, Pollock’s balance of control and chance speaks to me.  I think Moms have the balance of control and chance pretty well managed…sometimes we have a little more control in situations and other times it’s more of a game of chance. The balance changes by the moment. And it’s all part of the job of being mom!
 
Flinging little drops of paint around sure was an act of balancing how hard we flung the paint and just accepting the chance of blue paint dripping onto bare ankles.  
 
Which happened.  
 
And lead to lots of giggles.
 
Jackson Pollock inspired tote bag art for second graders (or any age!) that wants to explore Pollock's use of movement, balance, and control in his painting technique.  Create a unique and creative art project, too!

 
 
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Jackson Pollock Inspired Tote Bag Art

 
You’ll need just a few materials to make this art project:

Tote Bag 
Poster Paints (THESE are my favorite brand! for their gorgeously bright colors.) 
A bit of water
Stick, paint stirrers, chopsticks, or paint brushes 

Drop cloth, old table cloth, or a large Storage Bin

 
 
We found this Jackson Pollock book
at our library and learned some interesting facts about the artist.  One thing that stood out to us was the fact that Jackson Pollack’s paint brush never touched his canvas.  When we painted out tote bag, we loved re-creating that fact!
RELATED: Get creative by Painting with Yarn!
 
To make the Tote Bag project: 
Spread out a drop cloth, old table cloth, plastic throwaway table cloth, or even an under the bed storage bin.  Anything that is going to protect your floors will work.  The mess with this project depends solely on how the art moves you and the kids.  And it might just end up being big old movements that paint the walls.
 
Jackson Pollock often times painted with items other than paint brushes.  We did use paint brushes for our tote bag but only because we got too excited about painting and forgot to dip the stick end of the brush into the paints.  Be sure to not touch the brush to the tote bag though!  Instead, swirl, tap, swing, and shake the paint onto your painting surface.

 

Let the paint dry and use your tote to carry essentials.  I’ll share how we’re using our tote in another post. Coming soon!
Jackson Pollock inspired tote bag art for second graders (or any age!) that wants to explore Pollock's use of movement, balance, and control in his painting technique.  Create a unique and creative art project, too!
Be sure to check out all of the great Famous Artist ideas from the 2nd grade blogging team! 
Piet Mondrian Suncatcher Art for Kids from School Time Snippets 
Van Gogh Inspired Sunflower Art Projects from Preschool Powol Packets 
Matisse Inspired Suncatchers from Creative Family Fun 
Warhol Inspired Art for Kids from Still Playing School 
 
Jackson Pollock inspired tote bag art for second graders (or any age!) that wants to explore Pollock's use of movement, balance, and control in his painting technique.  Create a unique and creative art project, too!
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