Check Michael out on social media:

Website: ww.michaelwinklerart.com

How did you begin working as a contemporary artist?

I never had any plans to be an artist! I was a composer of electronic music.

One night in December of 1980, I was in my room at the Savoy Hotel in Seattle working on an experimental music score involving the alphabet. I discovered a surprising patterning hidden in the letter-sequencing of the words that seemed to reflect their meaning.

The next morning, I had a chance meeting with an art curator, which resulted in my being invited to present a solo exhibition of what I’d discovered.

The exhibition got great reviews and the work sold–I literally became an artist overnight. I’ve been creating art that explores the imagery, as well as the implications, of that discovery ever since. 

How did you discover Pro Tapes products?

I began using Pro® 795 in the mid 80’s to create paintings. Creating hard-edge paintings using the tape allowed me to show the overlay of the lines and the dimensionality of the forms.

Pearl Paint was the major art supply store in New York City for many years. Hence, the masking tape I bought there was labeled “Pearl Paint 795.” I didn’t know it was actually a Pro Tapes product until Pearl Paint closed years later!

When I bought masking tape at some other stores, I had all sorts of problems with their tape products that I’d never encountered. Eventually, I was looking at one of my leftover rolls of the Pearl Paint 795 and saw that the inside of the roll actually said “Pro Tapes.”

I went searching through all of the art supply stores in New York City for masking tape that had “Pro Tapes” inside the roll.

Finally, I found it at a store next to the School of Visual Arts. Even though it was labeled “Chelsea Tapes 795,” I recognized it as the same high-quality tape I had purchased at Pearl Paint because “Pro Tapes” was printed inside the larger width rolls. I started using it, and it solved all the problems I had been experiencing!

Wow, that’s dedication! Is Pro 795 still your go-to masking tape product? What do you like about it?

Pro Tapes 795 Masking Tape is the only tape I’ve ever found that has all the features necessary to create my hard edge paintings.

My paintings mostly consist of lines of various widths, sometimes as small as 1/8th inch. Conveniently, Pro 795 is available in 1/8″, 1/4″ , 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″, 1 1/2″, 2″, and 3″ widths.

Pro 795 has the perfect amount of adhesion and stretch resistance. Its width is consistent and its edges are never ragged. It never soaks through– and I sometimes apply 4 coats of fluid acrylic paint over it!

With the right painting technique, it produces very clean edges. And when you pull it off, the paint on the back of the tape doesn’t flake off onto your freshly painted work as it does with many other masking tapes. 

Tell us about any fun projects you’ve completed recently. What inspired you?

The inspiration for my hard-edge painting technique originally came from looking at the 70’s and 80’s paintings of Al Held (a second generation abstract expressionist who passed away a few years ago).

Subsequently, my art is process-based and originates from a conceptual standpoint. I’ve been practicing it for 43 years. Working in the studio feels much like going to a job I genuinely enjoy.

However, there is one thrilling moment in the creation of each painting: It occurs after I’ve painted the background color, and the taped canvas seems to be uniformly colored.

I then peel off the tape and the image gradually emerges line by line from underneath the paint. This reveals the mysterious form that was initially concealed within the language sign patterns, now illuminated in vibrant contrasting colors. 

When my daughter was little, she always wanted to be around to watch the magic of the reveal!  

What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or long-term plans?

I’m in my 70’s now. So, I’m primarily focused on trying to ensure that my overall project remains accessible in the future. Examples of my project and documentation are already archived in major museums and universities. Unfortunately, some of my major works were mixed-media installations that don’t lend themselves to being exhibited again in the future.

I began producing paintings early in the project, but they were not my primary focus until recently. The switch in focus was originally motivated by discovering a method of using the signs of language to generate colors. Presently I believe my paintings are the most likely works to be exhibited again when I’m gone (if I can make some really good ones).

Do you have any advice for people that are interested in making art using tape?

To create hard-edge acrylic paintings, make sure the painting’s surface isn’t too rough. It doesn’t have to be extremely smooth–my paintings are normally on #12 canvas (medium smooth).

• I prepare my canvas with 3 coats of slightly thinned acrylic gesso. Let the area of paint you plan to tape over dry overnight first.
• When it’s dry, you can begin placing your tape.
• After you have positioned the tape, seal its edges with either a thin coat of the color under the tape, or a thin coat of matte medium if there are multiple colors under the tape. The paint for this sealing coat should not be watery–I use fluid acrylics with no water added. Brush the sealing coat into the edges of the tape and entirely over it.

• Allow the sealing coat to dry completely to the touch. But don’t let it dry for too long -definitely avoid letting it dry overnight- because the paint/medium will adhere the tape to the painting.
• Apply multiple coats when the previous one is just dry enough for painting over. Remove the tape as soon as the paint becomes tacky on the final coat.
• To avoid touching the tacky surface of the painting when removing your tape, use a pointed razor knife to lift the end of the tape if it’s covered in paint. Finally, pull the tape off at a 45 degree angle from the painting’s surface.
• If any inconsistencies in the canvas surface have created spots where the paint has leaked past the sealing coat on the edges, it’s actually quite easy to touch up. The pulled tape leaves a raised edge, which you can just drag a small brush against until it looks fixed.

These suggestions are all based on using Pro Tapes 795 masking tape – I hope they help!

The post Contemporary Artist Michael Winkler uses Pro Tapes for Hard Edges appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

Let’s Get Shadow Box Framing with Nicole!

Hey folks! I’m a long time tape user, but a newbie to shadow box framing. However, thanks to Pro Tapes® the process was super easy!

The four Pro Tapes® products I used to create this shadow box frame were:

• Pro® Flocking
• Pro® 410 ATG (along with our Pro® ATG HD Dispenser gun)
• UGlu®
• Pro Gaff®

Step 1: Gather Your Items to Be Framed

Your first step is to gather all of your items and tools:

• Any items that you want to frame
• The shadow box itself (I bought a premade one)
• And most importantly, tape!

For this project, I used items from my wedding that I have been meaning to frame.

Step 2: Prepare your Layout

Don’t wing your layout – practice it first! I laid out how I wanted all of the pictures and items arranged in the shadow box to figure out what the best layout would be.

Try different combinations until you find the one you like best.

Step 3: Create a Velvety Background with Pro® Flocking Tape

This specific shadow box I used as my base came with a canvas background, which I wasn’t a fan of. I wanted to have a darker background. This is where our first product comes in!

Pro® Flocking tape has an amazing permanent acrylic adhesive that allows the product to stick to low surface energy materials. In this case, it adhered to the canvas backing like it was always made to be there.

The liner that is included with Pro® Flocking tape made it easy to apply it to the canvas background gradually. It gives you time to apply it carefully and rub out any creases that might come up.

If the velvet of Pro® Flocking gets dirty, dusty, or covered in pet hair (pet owners will understand), I have a simple PRO tip: Use a lint roller! A lint roller works wonders for fur and dust removal.

Step 4: Stick down photographs with Pro® 410

With our new background complete thanks to Pro® Flocking tape, it’s time to mount our pictures. For that, I used Pro® 410 ATG tape, which I applied using our ATG dispenser.

I used Pro® 410 to adhere the pictures for multiple reasons:

1. It is a thin tape, so you won’t get any lines or bumps coming through the front of the photo
2. The acrylic adhesive on the Pro® 410 is strong enough to bond to a variety of materials, such as the flocking fibers on the new background I made

I applied Pro® 410 to the back of the printed pictures along all 4 sides. This ensures the best bond and prevents pictures from peeling off once the shadow box frame is hung up.

Step 5: Stick Down Bigger Items with UGlu®

Next, I used UGlu® to hold down bigger and odd-shaped items to the flocked background. This double sided tape comes in a variety of convenient shapes and sizes. Thanks to the paper backing on each piece of UGlu®, you can also use scissors to cut it down to even smaller pieces as needed.

I used UGlu® to attach thicker cardstock invitations, as well as a homemade magic wand and homemade mini lightsaber. The wand and lightsaber are as thin as chopsticks in some areas, so being able to cut the UGlu® strips down to smaller pieces was really convenient here.

Even with some of the unevenness of the items, UGlu® adhered really well to them. That is the magic of UGlu®: your objects do not have to be perfectly flat! It works incredibly well with odd shapes and uneven surfaces to ensure a fantastic bond.

Step 6: Finish the Edges of your Shadow Box Frame with Pro Gaff®

Lastly, I used black Pro Gaff® tape in Black along the inside of the shadow box frame. Instead of leaving the sides grey like the original shadow box frame had, I wanted to match the new background I created and give the frame more visual depth.

Just so you know, you don’t have to use the same colors as me for your frame! Pro Gaff® comes in many different colors, which gives you tons of creative freedom. You can mix and match as you like to fit your color palette or to match the décor around your frame.

Final Result

Considering this was my first time ever custom framing with a shadow box, I had tons of fun doing it! I feel inspired to take on more custom framing projects in the future.

What made everything that much easier was working with Pro Tapes®’ high quality products! If you’re thinking of taking on your own shadow box framing project, I highly recommend them.

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT TAPE? ASK THE PROS!

We offer many more tape solutions for picture framing. Reach out to us, and our experienced customer success team will be happy to help you find the tape that meets your needs. Contact us today at sales@protapes.com.

The post Shadow Box Framing with Pro Tapes® appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

As a custom picture framer, there are many things to consider to ensure your custom framing work meets archival standards. The goal is not only to make the client’s art or memorabilia look good; it must also be preserved and protected.

Archival custom picture framing is achieved by using inherently acid-free materials. You must also consider sealing the frame to prevent any dirt or dust from entering.

• What type of glass should you use? Silicate or acrylic? You want to use a glassing with UV filtering.
• What type of frame? Metal or wood?
• Should you use decorative, conservation or museum grade mat board?
• What type of hardware and hanging systems should you employ?

On top of discussing these options with your client, you must also educate them on how to properly store their framed work. Remind clients to:

• Store their framed piece away from intake or outtake vents
• Be aware of swings in temperature and humidity where the framed piece will be displayed
• Keep the framed piece away from direct sunlight

Pro Tapes® can help you with the critical art of archival picture framing. Below, we’ll take a look at three tapes that can help you create archival framing.

For Permanent Picture Framing Solutions

Pro® 410 ATG is the ideal pH Neutral adhesive transfer tape to use for permanent bonding. It can be applied by hand or via dispenser gun.

Pro® 410 ATG has a double coated tissue carrier with an acrylic adhesive. The solvent based acrylic adhesive won’t yellow over time. It has excellent resistance to ultraviolet light.

At 89 oz per inch, it is super strong and ideal for object or memorabilia framing. It is also great for mounting artwork, attaching dust covers and adhering mats.

It’s a highly versatile product and can adhere to a wide variety of substrates such as cloth, paper, vinyl, rigid and flexible plastics and more.

For Fillets, Slips and More for Picture Framing

Pro® Fillet Tape is the go-to adhesive tape to adhere to the backside of fillet or slip.

The premium grade polyester carrier and acrylic adhesive are highly resistant to ultra violet light.  The solvent based acrylic adhesive is pH Neutral. 

Pro® Fillet Tape’s high tack was designed to adhere to metal as well as wood. It’s a fantastic product for creating decorative linings and increasing the depth between the artwork and the glass.

For Hinging the Work to be Framed

Hinging is the process of mounting artwork by suspending it with tabs of tape. Professional picture framers love to use our Pro® Artist Tape for hinging, and here’s why:

Pro® Artist Tape is engineered with SRA technology (Synthetic Rubber Adhesive). This single sided tape is repositionable and removes cleanly. The White color in particular is pH Neutral and won’t yellow over time. It also will not stain or ghost after removal.

Looking for the right tape to suit your needs? Ask the Pros!

We offer many more tape solutions for professional picture framing. Reach out to us, and our experienced customer success team will be happy to help you find the tape that meets your needs. Contact us today at sales@protapes.com.

The post Archival Picture Framing: The Top 3 Tapes You Need appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

Pro® Costume Tape: For Skin and Fabric

Pro® Costume Tape (also known as Pro 1502 or Pro Body Tape) is a skin-friendly, double-sided tape that’s also great for fabric. It comes in a portable roll, with a paper liner that’s easy to tear by hand.

You can wear Pro Costume Tape on your skin for hours without irritation. It removes gently, without tearing skin, pulling facial or body hairs, or disturbing makeup.

Makeup artists can really benefit from Pro Costume tape, too. It allows you to easily add embellishments (like gems, flowers, etc.) to your makeup design. With this tape, you can reposition or reuse any embellishments as needed. Just watch this demo by face painting artist Brook (owner of Kiwis Party):

Pro Costume Tape also has a strong hold on medium to lightweight fabric for fabric-to-fabric attachments, making it easy to “sew” your own costume with NO sewing skills. The tape removes gently, without distorting fabric color or damaging fabric threads or texture. It’s cleaner than using hot glue guns, and any changes you make are reversible.

We also recommend Pro Costume Tape for wearing face masks without strings or ear loops! It’s perfect for fabric-to-skin applications.

Pro Costume Tape is also great for:

• attaching wigs, hair pieces, toupees, faux mustaches and beards
• special makeup FX and embellishments like gems, florals, and prosthetics
• attaching masks and eye pieces easily to skin, without strings
• altering costumes, including dance and gymnastics costumes, cosplay, and more

UGlu®: Your Secret Weapon for Amazing Costumes

Let’s not forget about UGlu®! Although UGlu is great for creating amazing balloon and party décor, it’s also a powerful tool for creating and customizing costumes, accessories, props for cosplay and stage sets, and more!

UGlu is a removable adhesive glue in a convenient tape-like format. It’s non-toxic, acid-free, weather-proof, and waterproof. UGlu comes in a variety of shapes, like squares (“dashes”), rectangular strips, and rolls.

UGlu attaches easily to a wide variety of surfaces, including rough or uneven surfaces. Like Pro Costume Tape, it removes easily and cleanly – so you can easily assemble, disassemble, and re-use any parts you’ve “uglu’d” together!

It’s great for DIY costumes for kids and adults (especially last-minute ideas), but it works just as well for professional-grade costume and prop work for cosplay, historical re-enactment, renaissance faires, film, theater and more. UGlu is a costume tape that is safe enough for kids to use, but powerful enough for professionals!

See these two costume tapes in action:

You may also be interested in…

Pro Gaff® in Fluorescent Colors

Our popular Pro Gaff® tape comes in five fluorescent colors that are UV-light reactive (that means they GLOW under UV!)

Pro Gaff is highly conformable to irregular surfaces, removes cleanly, tears easily by hand (no need for scissors), and is write-able with markers and pens.

Use it for decorations, assemble or add details to costumes, and to make your own props.

Pro Glow Gaff®

Pro Glow Gaff® has all the same properties as Pro Gaff, but it also glows in the dark without UV lights! You can create unique glowing looks for scenes, props, and costumes. Pro Glow Gaff is also great for safety marking stairs, exits, and more.

The post Costume Tapes: For Skin, Fabric, Props, Makeup SFX & More! appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

What are Motor Skills? Why are they important for children?

Gross motor skills are those which require whole body movement, using the bigger muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and even sitting upright. They also include hand-eye coordination skills (like throwing, catching, kicking), as well as riding a bike or a scooter.

Fine motor skills involve the engagement of small muscles in very deliberate (“fine”) movements, usually involving hands and fingers in coordination with the eyes. Developing fine motor skills requires a lot of practice. Without fine motor skills, a young child will struggle with movements that come naturally to an older person, like using a pencil, using scissors, tying their shoes, and many other important daily activities.

How can Pro Tapes® products help develop children’s motor skills?

Believe it or not, our tape products make excellent tools in developing these essential life skills for children (and making it a little easier for parents!)

You can help your children develop their fine motor skills with actions like tearing tape, cutting tape with a safety scissors, sticking down and peeling tape up, and peeling off the paper liner on double-sided products (like UGlu®)

There are also many tape-based activities that engage children’s gross motor skills in a fun (and organized) way! Check out our Pinterest board HERE for ideas!

Plus, using tape means you can keep your house neater at the end of the day. Skip the messy cleanup after using paints and glues! Our tapes stick to almost any surface, and they remove from most surfaces just as easily, without leaving behind sticky residues. You can put tape down on your floors, walls, tables, desks, chairs – almost anywhere- without worrying about permanent damage to those surfaces.

These are some of our tapes that we recommend for motor skills activities:

Many of our tape products are easy for little fingers to unwind. Pro® 46, Pro® Artist, and Pro® Pocket Spike Stacks use a soft backing (that is, the non-sticky part of the tape) so they’re easy to tear by hand.

These tapes also come in a fantastic range of colors, so you can have your child pick their favorite color!

Learn more about our tapes here:

• Pro® 46: crepe paper masking tape; comes in 12 colors
• Pro® Artist Tape: comes in 11 colors, including 4 bright fluorescents that kids love!
• Pro® Pocket Spike Stacks: come in a pack of 5 bright fluorescent colors- plus, these rolls are small, perfect for little hands!

The post Develop Your Child’s Motor Skills with Tape – Here’s How! appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

The goal of STEM education should be to encourage a generation of innovators. STEM is becoming the backbone of K-12 education. Building a STEM –related foundation will prepare students for 21^st century jobs. STEM education encourages students to become more analytical, encourages team work and emphasizes application of theory into practice.

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) include but are not limited to the following disciplines:

• Robotics
• Nanotechnology
• Physics
• Astrophysics
• Nuclear physics
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Aerospace
• Chemical engineering
• Agriculture
• Statistics
• Info-sciences

Get inspired by creating this simple circuit using Pro® 882L Copper Tape!

Schools should not carry the sole burden of STEM education. Parents must also encourage their children to pursue STEM activities and increase awareness and interest at home and in extracurricular activities.

As parents we can help our children develop a better understanding for advanced engineering concepts with fun and easy projects.

Here is an easy experiment you can try out with your children, using Pro® 882L Copper Foil Tape!

Check out the video above, or see the photo guide below. There’s more than one way to make a path that makes this circuit work… have fun experimenting!

Step 1: Gather Your Materials Together

First, you need to bring all of your tools together before we can get started:

• Pro® 882L Copper Foil Tape (we used 3/4th inch, but different sizes are available!)
• A coin battery
• Individual LED lights (color choice is up to you!)
• A paper surface to work on, like card stock, printer paper, a sketchbook, etc

Step 2: Create a Switch for your Simple Circuit

Make a switch for your simple circuit! First, tape down your coin battery on top of some folded-over Pro® 882L Copper Tape. You want to make sure the coin is firmly touching the copper tape.

Then, fold over a corner of your sheet of paper so that it touches the battery when folded. Once you’ve got this ready, tape down a different strip of Pro® 882L Copper Tape on your corner so that, when folded, it touches the battery. This will be the “switch” for your LED light!

You should now have two “paths” of copper tape started. One coming from your coin battery and the other from your switch.

Step 3: Create your Circuit Path

Now you can get a little creative while creating your circuit!

The goal is to have the two paths of Pro® 882L Copper Tape end up next to each other, with a little bit of space for the LED light in between them.

The first time you try this simple circuit experiment, try making just a straight path, like two parallel lines forming an “11”.

Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can start folding your Pro® 882L Copper Tape (like you can see in the photo below) to create corners and all kinds of paths!

Step 4: Install your LED light

For the fourth step, you can go ahead and install your LED light – once you’re happy with your path!

Bend the little metal legs into whatever shape you need to fit under your Pro® 882L Copper Tape paths. Make sure the metal legs are taped securely!

Step 5: Flip the “switch” and try out your circuit!

If each of your components is securely attached to the copper tape, then when you fold your “switch” onto the battery, you should have LIGHT!

Possible Step 6: No glow? Troubleshoot the problem

Not every experiment will work out the first time! All scientists (big and small) should learn that failure doesn’t mean stop – it means, try something new!

If your circuit did not make your LED light up the first time, keep playing around with the Pro® 882L Copper Tape. Try making an easier circuit path. Double-check that the copper tape is touching itself securely at all bends and corners. Make sure your switch connects properly.

Keep experimenting, and you’ll be sure to find success!

The post STEM Crafts: Simple LED Circuit Project using Pro® 882L Copper Tape appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

Art Class

Of course, art class is the perfect time to get creative. Tape can help you make so many different arts & crafts projects!

Here are just some ideas:

• Use masking tape to make a colorful “mosaic” with chalk or paint, like we did here (link)
• Grab some canvases and paint, and use tape to mask out lines and shapes that you want to keep blank. Paint all over your canvas, peel back the tape, and voilà!
• Help your kids “redecorate” their furniture using tape! You can temporarily add bold new colors, patterns, and pictures without permanently damaging the furniture underneath

For more ideas, just check out the Crafter’s Corner section of our blog! We’ve got tons of craft ideas!

Math Class

That’s right… tape can even make math class fun!

Try these math activities:

• Learn how to measure angles by taping overlapping lines on a table, creating all kinds of triangles and other geometric shapes.
• Tape down a giant coordinate graph on the floor, and mark off each row and column with letters and numbers. Put objects down on random points, and have your children map the coordinates
• Grab your spare change and tape down a four-square box on your table or floor, and have your kids sort the different types of coins into each box

You can find many more ideas for making math class fun with tape on our Pinterest board here!

Language Arts Class

You can use tape as a tool to help kids practice writing and reading, too!

• Write different words from a sentence on a piece of tape (one word per piece of tape), scramble the sentence order, and have your child reorganize it into the correct sentence order
• You can have kids labels the words they see in the world (magazines, on toys, boxes) by noun, verb and adjective using small pieces of tape

Gym Class

DIY your own indoor gym quickly and easily with tape! Physical activity is especially important for kids stuck indoors.

Try these ideas:

• Combine math and exercise with a “frog jumping” activity! Mark a starting point off with tape, have your kids leap as far as they can, then mark where they land with tape. Using measuring tape to have kids measure how far they leaped
• Create an obstacle course with tape on your floors and walls! Make lines for children to “balance” walk on, lines to jump over, and even make tape barriers by taping from one wall the another for kids to duck or jump under

Music Class

Help your kids make their own band by DIYing their own instruments. Use colorful tape to make their instruments look really unique!

• Create a drum using some empty cans and taping across the top. Use chopsticks as drumsticks!
• Make a pan flute by taping a bunch of cut-down straws together
• If you’ve got a piano at home, use tape to label the keys so children can memorize notes
• DIY your own maracas by filling toilet paper tubes with rice or beans, then taping them shut!

For more great ideas, check out our Educational Tape Activities board on Pinterest!

What Tape Should I Use in my Homeschool Classroom?

This is a great question. Not all tapes are created equal! You want to use a tape that sticks down easily on a variety of surfaces, including hardwood floors and carpets.

The tape should also be gentle on surfaces and removes cleanly without damaging walls, furniture, etc. And you want these tapes to come in a wide range of colors that are fun and exciting for children.

These are the tapes we recommend you use in your homeschool classroom:

• Pro® 46 Colored Masking Tape: available in 12 colors, and it’s great for all of the projects we mentioned in this blog!
• Pro® Gaff Tape: available in 20 colors, and also a great choice for any project
• Pro® Scenic 714 Blue Masking Tape: for indoor and outdoor painting projects
• Pro® Pocket Spike Stacks: these small, fluorescent rolls are perfect for all kinds of quick labeling

What are some ways YOU use tape in your homeschool classroom?

Show us on social media and tag us @protapes so we can share your great ideas with the community!

The post How Do You Make Homeschool Classes Fun? With Tape! appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

Art therapy can help reveal one’s thoughts, feelings, and psychological disposition. Art therapy can be effective in combination with other types of therapy.

Art Therapy Can Help With The Following:

• Eating disorders
• Attention deficit disorder
• Substance dependency
• Anxiety
• PTSD
• Depression
• Learning disabilities
• Promoting mental well-being during stressful times

Tape as a Tool for Art Therapy

Pro Tapes^® has a wide range of products to assist with your art therapy practice.

Express yourself with Artist Tape^® on paper, walls, floors. Express yourself through straight and curved lines.

Create collages and interesting color schemes with Pro^® 46 Colored Masking Tape.

Use UGlu^® on scrapbooks (we recommend UGlu^® Dashes.)

Use Pro^® 155 and Pro^® 410  to mount objects for collage and three dimensional projects.

Search online for a certified art therapist. 

The post Tape as a Tool for Art Therapy appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

What Motor Skills do Pre-K Students Need to Develop?

The development of the mind-muscle connection is very complex. It’s extremely important for young children to develop both their “big” muscle skills and their “small” muscle skills to set them up for success in the classroom and beyond!

Gross motor skills are those which require whole body movement, using the bigger muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and even sitting upright. They also include hand-eye coordination skills (like throwing, catching, kicking), as well as riding a bike or a scooter.

Fine motor skills, on the other hand, involve the engagement of small muscles in very deliberate (“fine”) movements, usually involving hands and fingers in coordination with the eyes. Developing fine motor skills requires a lot of practice. Without fine motor skills, a young child will struggle with movements that come naturally to an older person, like using a pencil, using scissors, tying their shoes, and many other important daily activities.

How can Pro Tapes^® Products Help Develop Motor Skills?

Believe it or not, Pro Tapes® tape products make excellent tools in evolving these essential life skills.

Tearing tape to the right size and shape, cutting with a scissor, and peeling off the liner on double-sided products (like UGlu®) can all help with a student’s fine motor skills development.  

There are also many tape-based activities that engage student’s gross motor skills in a fun (and organized) way! You can stick tape down just about everywhere – which means you can make race tracks, number activities and many other kinds of games on the fly.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the unique characteristics of tape that make it ideal for use in the classroom (and at home!), especially when you’re working with students as young as two to five years old.

1) Tape is Colorful!

It’s the first thing that any child will notice: tape comes in all kinds of colors! Just think back to the excitement of being given a big box of crayons to draw with. All of the colors options seemed dazzling!

Our tapes come in a fantastic range of colors:

• Pro® 46 Crepe Paper Tape comes in 12 colors
• Pro® Artist Tape comes in 11 colors (including 4 bright fluorescents that kids love)
• Pro® Pocket Spike Stacks have 5 bright fluorescent colors (plus, these rolls are kid-sized!)

While children obviously love colorful tape, educators love it too!

Our colorful tapes create the perfect educational opportunity for teaching young students about colors, shapes, names, numbers, and more.

Take this quick & easy project from Emma of Mummy Mummy Mum Blog for example. You can have students organize toys by their colors, and use tape to block off each category.

Bonus points for making different shapes out of tape for each color, too! There’s so many ways to customize this project to fit the lesson of the day!

2) Our Tapes Are Easy to Apply

Each of the tapes we’re featuring in this blog are easy for little fingers to unwind. Pro® 46, Pro® Artist, and Pro® Pocket Spike Stacks are made of soft backing materials (that is, the non-sticky part of the tape) and slightly less aggressive -but still strong for the job!- adhesives, which combined make the experience of peeling and ripping the tape easier.

3) Tape Cleans up Easily, and Leaves No Mess Behind!

If you feel like skipping the mess of paints and glues, tape is a great way to go! Our tapes stick to almost any surface, and they remove from most surfaces just as easily – without leaving behind sticky residues!

You can put tape down on your floors, walls, tables, desks, chairs – almost anywhere- without worrying about permanent damage to those surfaces.

Just peel up the tape when the activity is done, and toss it out… or re-stick it somewhere new! Tape is so versatile, you’ll find yourself applying it everywhere for quick crafts and labeling (the Pro® Pocket Spike Stack rolls are great for the latter, since they’re small enough to throw in your pocket and whip out when you need to label on-the-fly.)

Of course, if you don’t mind a little mess, there are craft projects that involve both painting and tape (like this one) – and we’ve got a few more saved to our Pinterest board! 

4) Tape Makes it Easy to Practice Gross Motor Activities

Now that you know how our tape can be stuck down anywhere (and removed cleanly), we bet you’re starting to realize all the potential tape has for gross motor skill practice!

You can put down lines to create roads and parking lots for car toys to be pushed along, create all kinds of games like “Pom Pom Push”, or mark lines on the floor for children to walk and run and practice balancing on. You can even use the actual rolls of tape for hand-eye coordination practice!

5) … Tape Lets You Easily Practice Fine Motor Skills, Too!

Something as simple as unwinding, tearing, sticking down and peeling up tape is the perfect activity to train children’s fine motor skills. We adults may think it’s an easy activity, but for little hands, it’s actually quite challenging!

There’s all kinds of ways you can have students practice ripping and sticking down tape. This project where students wrap tape around sticks (by Deborah, of teachpreschool.org) couldn’t be any more simple; and yet, it’s a profound opportunity for children to practice all kinds of fine motor skills.

To quote Deborah,

So what benefit is wrapping tape around a stick? Well besides all the motor skills development involved (twisting, pinching, pulling, cutting) and the eye-hand coordination involved (getting the tape stuck where you want it to stick and keeping it going in the right direction) and the decision-making (choosing colors) and critical thinking (regulating how much tape to tear off the dispenser, calculating how much tape is needed to fully wrap a stick) and the concentration it takes to completely wrap a stick – the children are also exploring the freedom of creative expression and the use of their imagination. After all, a stick is not just a stick if you use your imagination!…

Well said! If you’re looking for more ideas on how to use tape for fine motor skill practice, check out our Pinterest board! 

6) Tapes Like UGlu^® Offer the Next Challenge in Fine Motor Skills

UGlu® is an excellent product for the Pre-K classroom. It’s a removable adhesive glue, but in a convenient tape-like format, which bonds to almost any surface. It comes in a variety of shapes like squares (dashes), strips and rolls.

UGlu® is non-toxic and less messy than liquid glue, and much less dangerous than hot glue guns! It’s the perfect alternative product for sticking things together in the classroom safely.

Separating the liner can be tricky for a small child, but rest assured that with practice and patience, they will become experts!

Here’s How to Stick Down UGlu®:

1. Remove one side of the liner by peeling apart the piece of UGlu®
2. Place UGlu®, exposed adhesive side down, on the first bonding surface
3. Press firmly across the entire surface of the remaining liner to ensure a strong bond is made between the UGlu® and the first surface
4. Remove the remaining liner. Press the second surface together with first using strong even pressure for 10 seconds at each adhesive location to ensure a strong bond is created

And Check out this Video Demo on How to Stick Down UGlu®:

7) We have Specialized Tapes, Too!

Pro Tapes® makes all kind of unique tape products you may not even know about that can help around the Pre-K classroom.

Our Pro® Measurement Tape is a great example. Available in both Metric and Imperial measurements, this tape is perforated every 12 inches (25.40 mm), so you can stick a tape ruler just about anywhere!

It’s a great way to start teaching students how to compare sizes by measuring objects (or their feet and hands!) or for art projects.

Then there’s masking tapes like Pro® Scenic 714, which are specially designed for easy application and gentle removal for painting projects. It’s extra safe on walls, canvases and more. Use it when masking out lines for paintings, or helping students write their name out to make a “tape resist” artwork!

Have any questions or want to know more? Contact us using the form on this page!

Want more ideas for how to use Pro Tapes^® in YOUR Pre-K Classroom (or with your young children at home)? Check out our Pinterest Board here!

The post 7 Reasons Tape Is Perfect for Developing Children’s Motor Skills in the Pre-K Classroom appeared first on Pro Tapes®.

First, an introduction: Pro® 3016 is a double-coated foam tape, which means it’s made of foam and it’s sticky on both sides. You cut it, place it down, then peel off the paper backing (called a liner) off the back, then you can stick things to the other side. This tape can come with temporary or permanent adhesives coated on it, depending on what kind of holding power you need.

Then, we have Pro® 965. It’s also a double-coated tape that’s thicker than most common tapes you may have used. The tape looks like it would be red, but that’s actually just the color of the liner! The tape itself is clear. It’s got a pretty aggressive adhesive, which means it holds things really well. It’s commonly used for mounting all kinds of trims, mouldings, plastic parts, signs, etc.

Together, these tapes inspired me to create some layered paper art. If you look up “layered paper art” online, you’ll find all kinds of awesome examples!

What is layered paper art?

The main idea is that you use multiple layers of cut-out paper, stacking each layer with something that creates space (like foam tape) to create a unique, three dimensional artwork. Pro® 3016 is perfect for layered paper art because it creates that little bit of space you need between the layers AND it holds the papers together.

Create Your Winter Wonderland Layered Paper Art

Now let’s get started. You can watch the video to see how it’s done, but be sure to come back and read the blog below to get all of the step-by-step details.

Supplies:

• Chalkboard Easel (any size you like – mine was close to 5” x 6”)
• 3/4” or 1” wide Pro® 3016 foam tape (or other Pro® brand foam tape)
• Pro® 965 Hi-Tack Tape
• Pro® Sheen in Gold
• Optional: Pro® Pocket Spike Stack roll in Dark Blue, for edge trimming
• Cutting board
• X-acto knife
• Sharpies in Silver, Gold, and Black
• Card stock sheets in Dark Blue Sheen, White Glitter, Pale Blue Glitter, and White
• Ruler
• Pencil & Eraser
• Scissors

Step 1: Create the Base Layer on your Easel

For this craft, I used a little chalkboard easel I had left over from holiday decorating. To make sure my tapes and papers adhered well to the surface, I wiped it down with a wet paper towel first, and let it dry fully.

If you don’t have a chalkboard easel available, you can still make this craft on any other hard, flat surface (like a canvas board), then place it on a small photo easel to display it.

To create a sturdy base layer for my artwork, I measured out my easel dimensions, then grabbed some plain White cardstock and cut it to the same size.

To attach my cardstock base to my easel, I used Pro® 965. I cut it into strips and placed it around the edges of the easel. Then I peeled off the red liner, and very (very!) carefully placed my cardstock base on top. Remember, Pro® 965 has a strong adhesive, so you want to take your time and be neat when sticking things to it.

Now that I had the first paper support layer down, I grabbed the Dark Blue cardstock that would become the background color for my winter wonderland scene. I love how this beautiful blue cardstock shimmers subtly in the light – plus, it reminds me of the 2020 Color of the Year!

I used the easel to trace the exact shape I needed on the back of the Dark Blue cardstock, then I cut it out and affixed it to the easel with a strip of Pro® 965 in each corner.

Here’s what it looks like with both layers firmly attached:

OPTIONAL Step: Trim the edges with Pro® Pocket Spike in Dark Blue

I didn’t originally plan to do this, but while working on this craft, I noticed that my little roll of blue tape from the Pro® Pocket Spike Stack (Dark) really matched the color of my Dark Blue cardstock layer.

So I went ahead and created a trim around the top, left and right edges using it!

You definitely don’t need to do this to make the final product look nice, but feel free to let it inspire you to experiment with trimming other artworks with a nice layer of tape.

Step 2: Create your Moon with Pro® Sheen

As part of the background layer, I wanted to add a nice shiny moon. What could be better than using some Pro® Sheen in Gold? You could also do it in Silver Pro® Sheen, but I preferred having the warm tone of the gold to contrast with the cool night sky.

Draw a circle to cut out on a sheet of White cardstock. You can draw it by hand, or you can be like me and grab a random roll of Pro® Pocket Spike Stack and trace your circle around that. When you have this much tape on your desk, you end up using it for all kinds of things, not just sticking stuff down! Then I used my X-Acto knife to neatly cut the circle out.

I covered this cardstock circle with the Gold Pro® Sheen, and trimmed the excess off of the edges with my scissors.

And I used a small piece of Pro® 965 to place the moon in my sky.

Step 3: Draw, Cut Out and Attach your First Tree (with Pro® 965)

In this winter wonderland scene, we’re going to have three (3) trees, made from the White cardstock. One tree will look like it’s the furthest in the back of the scene, one will be in the “middle,” and one will stick out a bit and look like the “closest” one to us.

I began by sketching out my first tree (which will go in the “back” of the scene) with pencil on top of my White cardstock. I erased any extra lines or branches I didn’t like. Then I cut it out with the X-Acto knife.

Since this tree is going in the back of our scene, it doesn’t need to stick out. That’s why I used Pro® 965, to stick it down nice and flat, instead of the Pro® 3016 foam tape – but we’ll be using that soon!

Step 4: Attach the Back Layer of Snow (with Pro® 3016)

Before we make any more trees, we need to make the back layer of snow – and use our Pro® 3016 for the first time.

I used the Pale Blue Glitter cardstock for this layer of snow. Having it be slightly darker than the front layer of snow (which we’ll use the White Glitter cardstock to make) will actually make it look like it’s further back in our scene, in a little bit of shadow.

To get the size of the snow right, I used my easel to trace out the width and get an idea of the height of my snow. Check out the full video above to see exactly what I mean. Then I cut it out with the X-Acto.

This is the first layer that needs to be 3D, so to attach it, I use the Pro® 3016 foam tape. I put cut squares of it in each “corner” of my snow.

But just one layer doesn’t make it stick out enough for me. So I peeled the liners on those squares off, then cut 4 more squares to attach on top. The Pro® 3016 tape sticks to itself really securely.

Finally, I stuck down my first 3D snow layer to the canvas!

Step 5: Make and Attach the Second and Third Trees (with Pro® 3016)

Now I could make the second tree, which will go on top of our back layer of snow. Like before, I sketched it out on the White cardstock, cut it out with the X-Acto knife, but this time I cut thin strips of the Pro® 3016 foam tape to attach the tree to the canvas.

I used a single layer of Pro® 3016 where the tree touched the snow, and two or three layers of Pro® 3016 stacked together for the sky. I even put some tape in the branches to prop them up better.

The third tree goes on the far left, also on top of the back layer of snow. I followed the same steps as before. I made sure to place this tree somewhere lower on the back layer of snow, because I want the top layer of snow (which we’re making next) to cover the bottom of this third tree.

Step 6: Attach the Top Layer of Snow

For our final three dimensional paper layer, we’re adding one last layer of snow. For this layer, I’ll use the White Glitter cardstock.

Like I did when sketching out my back layer of snow, I used the easel to trace some guide lines for the width and to guess at the height I want.

To really make this layer pop out, I made three stacked layers with the Pro® 3016 foam tape.

Take a moment to admire how awesome this 3D layered paper art already looks – but get ready to add some final details!

Step 7: Add Some Final Details with Sharpie

To add that final “oomph!” factor to our layered paper artwork, grab some Sharpies in Black, Gold and Silver.

First, we need to turn our plain white trees into Birch trees. For this, you just need to carefully add in some horizontal lines with the Black sharpie. Vary the length of the lines, which side of tree they’re on, and how much space you leave between the lines.

Finally, we can beautify the sky with some stars, using Gold and Silver metallic Sharpies. The Sharpie ink shows up beautifully on my cardstock, and it really shines.

I made two kinds of stars. One is a dot in the middle, with 4 short “rays” radiating out from the dot. The others are just plain dots, in different sizes. I switched between using the Silver and Gold wherever I felt like it.

The Final Result: Winter Wonderland Layered Paper Art

The final product is complete! Doesn’t the sparkle and shine look amazing?

Did you try this craft out, or maybe you got inspired to make your own layered paper art using our tape? Share your photos with us here and you can receive free giveaway prizes!

The post Winter Wonderland Layered Paper Art with Pro® 3016 Foam and Pro® 965 appeared first on Pro Tapes®.