MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line

Students make their name with masking tape and then paint over the entire paper using many colours. Once the paint is dry they remove the tape and decorate their name with glitter glue and buttons.

Required Time

80 Minutes

Grade Level

Kindergarten to Grade 1


Language Arts
Visual Arts


colour line mixed media texture


Painting Paper 30.5 cm x 45.7 cm (12"x 18") or larger Green Masking Tape Paper Towels Tempera Paint Paint Brushes Glitter Glue White Glue Buttons Water Containers


MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step One

Step One

  1. Use a pencil to print your name on the paper.
  2. Make it nice and big.
  3. Cover your name with masking tape.
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Two

Step Two

  1. Press the tape down with your fingers.
  2. Make sure it is good and flat.
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Three

Step Three

  1. Paint over the tape and cover the whole paper.
  2. Use lots of different colours.
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Four

Step Four

  1. Draw some lines in the wet paint with the end of your brush.
  2. Set the painting aside to dry.
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Five

Step Five

  1. Gently remove the tape.
  2. Surprise!
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Six

Step Six

  1. Add glitter glue to make your name sparkle.
MY NAME SURPRISE – Colour, Texture, Line - Step Seven

Step Seven

  1. Add some buttons.

Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

  • make their name with masking tape;
  • create a mixed media painting;
  • create personal responses to the centre materials;
  • work independently and self-regulate;
  • share their ideas with peers;
  • demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.


Have students:

  • gather and sort a variety of items by colour and place them in separate containers;
  • use the items to create an artwork that represents them;
  • share their thinking with peers;
  • draw their creations.


  1. Prior to this lesson have children practice printing their names.
  2. Gather, and make available, alphabet books and books about names, for example, The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi; Naming Ceremonies, by Mandy Ross; My Name Is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits; Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert; Star Wars ABC-3PO: Alphabet Book, by Calliope Glass, Caitlin Kennedy, and Katie Cook; Animal Alphabet: Slide and Seek the ABCs, by Alex A. Lluch; and M Is For Mountie: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police Alphabet, by Polly Horvath.
  3. Depending on your students, you may decide to print the names on the paper and/or apply the masking tape ahead of time. 
  4. Set up a painting centre with masking tape, paint brushes, paper, pencils, washable paint, buttons, glitter glue, white glue and paper towels. 


  1. Invite several students to stick masking tape on a chart paper.
  2. Have some volunteers paint over the tape and paper.
  3. Talk about what they think has happened to the tape.
  4. Have students guess what they think will happen when they remove the tape.
  5. Ask a student to remove one of the pieces of tape.
  6. Discuss what happened when the tape was removed.
  7. Have several students remove the rest of the tape.
  8. Introduce the challenge.


The Challenge

  1. Make your name with masking tape.
  2. Use your own ideas to make a mixed media painting.
  3. Share your ideas with others.
  4. Demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.

The Process

  1. Ensure that students understand the challenge.
  2. Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
    I know I am successful when I have:
    - used my own ideas to make my painting
    - used masking tape to make my name
    - used different colours on my painting
    - used different materials to create texture
    - explained how I made my painting
  4. Observe students as they work.
  5. Provide individual assistance and encouragement.


  1. Gather students to share and discuss their art. Ask students to share:
    - what they learned about working with masking tape;
    - how they made their painting;
    - how many buttons they used on one letter of their name;

    - what they like best about their paintings.
  2. Display the paintings in the classroom.
  3. Encourage students to view the paintings and notice how they are the same, and how they are different.


  2. Observe students as they discuss the artworks – active listening, insightful contributions, supporting ideas with evidence found in the artwork and from personal experience.
  3. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads - NamePainting_tracking.pdf)
  4. Have grade 1 students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads - NamePainting_self-assessment.pdf)