Easy Negative Space Art Using Washi Tape

When I first tried my own version of negative space art, I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing. I was just experimenting with a pretty book page, paper, paint and a few other bits and bobs:

Since then, I’ve tried combining this simple technique with my stash of washi tapes – including a few that have a beautiful gold foil finish to make this pretty mermaid picture (and a few other things):

You might think this type of project takes a long time, requires lots of supplies, or is tricky to do.

Spoiler: they’re not any of those things.

So, read on to learn more about negative space art and how to make your own artwork in just a few steps – even if you don’t consider yourself to be an artist. You’ll soon see that this project is one of those “looks fancy, but isn’t” kind of crafts that anyone can do.

What Is Negative Space Art?

First things first, The Arty Teacher describes negative space as “the space around and between the subject of the image [and] the positive space is the subject or object of the image.”

So, with negative space art, instead of colouring in, filling or painting a shape, you’re filling everything but the shape – leaving it blank or using a contrasting background to let it “pop.”

In the case of my picture, the washi tape and painted background “pop” through my silhouette top layer to create the vision of a mermaid.

Could I have just drawn or painted a mermaid? Maybe.

But as someone who doesn’t consider themself to be an artist (at least, not in the traditional sense of the word), this wouldn’t have been half as fun or interesting.

Tools & Supplies You’ll Need For This Project

You don’t need much to get started with this kind of project and chances are, you already have most of these in your stash:

• Washi tape: The star of the show! Use a mix of colours, patterns or gilded tapes for additional interest. I got mine from IEEBEE – you can save 30% on your order with my coupon code: houseofmahalo
• White or neutral cardstock or watercolour paper: This forms the base of your artwork. A light coloured background makes the washi tape pop more.
• Coloured cardstock: To give your silhouette some foreground colour.
• Precision glue: I recommend Cosmic Shimmer or Art Glitter Glue.
• Scissors: For trimming tape and tidying up edges.
• Something to create your silhouette with: I used my Cricut Explore 4 and this mermaid SVG, but you could draw and cut something freehand using precision scissors or a craft knife, cut out shapes using punches, use a stencil, or even tear the top layer of paper or cardstock and have your background show through that.
• (Optional) Watercolour paints and paintbrush: I used several different colours, including metallic gold and copper, so my mermaid had a washi tape tail and a painted upper body.

Step-By-Step Tutorial: Easy Negative Space Art Using Washi Tape

Step 1: Choose your shape or design and cut it out.

Start by choosing a shape to feature as your silhouette or “negative space”.

Once you’ve chosen or made your design, it’s time to cut it out to use as a silhouette. You could:

• Use a Cricut and SVG file (like I did for my mermaid design)
• Use shaped punches or stencils
• Draw and cut your shape by hand using precision scissors or a craft knife
• Tear the top layer so the washi tape shows through that instead

Step 2: Apply washi tape (or paint) to the background.

Next, you’re going to create your colourful background.

If you’re using washi tape like I did, cover your white or neutral cardstock with strips of washi tape. You can even place them diagonally for additional interest.

You can use a single tape for a uniform look, or blend several patterns. Either way, you’ll want to ensure that there aren’t any gaps between the strips of tape – especially where they’ll show through the silhouette.

Step 3: Glue your cut-out shape on top of the background.

When your background is ready (and dry if you painted it!), flip your silhouette over and apply glue to the back of it.

Be careful not to overdo it – especially around intricate areas – so it doesn’t seep through the open spaces of your design.

Press your silhouette firmly onto the background and smooth it down.

You might need to leave it under something heavy for an hour or two for all of the glue to adhere really well.

From here, you might decide that’s all your picture needs, but you might also want to do something with the foreground, such as inking the edges or adding stamps, stencils and other embellishments, such as quotes and sayings – just like I did with this autumnal leaf picture:

Video Tutorial

Want to see this process in action? Check out my video tutorial below to see how I made my mermaid picture from start to finish:

More Creative Ideas & Variations To Try

Want to take this idea further? Here are some other projects you can make using the same or a similar technique:

• Gift tags: Use scrap card and circle punches to create tags where the washi shows through the circles at the front. Fun and unique!
• Journal ephemera: Make torn paper pockets, tags or embellishments where the washi tape or other background shows through the torn paper.
• Seasonal designs: Try leaf shapes for autumn, snowflakes for winter, flowers for summer, or even hearts for Valentine’s Day and create a whole series of seasonal artwork.
• Try mixed media: My first project using this kind of technique (shown in the video below) saw me tearing and rolling my top layer of paper back on itself to reveal a pretty background illustration (taken from a book). I then finished the foreground with splashes of paint, a gold star embellishment and a quote. This was a simple introduction to mixed media – and very fun!