I found this idea in a very old book by Juliet Moxley. Erin’s too young for it yet, but it seems so simple, and ideal for mums and dads that aren’t that great with more in-depth projects.

All you need is some newspaper, a large piece of paper (wallpaper will do), masking tape, paint and a paintbrush.

Prep: Cover the work surface with newspaper.

1. Tear strips of newspaper and lay them across the paper, don’t be too tidy, the more raggedy (is that a word?!) the more interesting a pattern you will create, don’t forget to leave gaps in the paper where you can paint.

2. Once you are happy with the pattern tape the newspaper ends to the work surface (which should also be covered with newspaper!).

3. Paint the whole picture, before removing the strips one by one to reveal the pattern.

*Tip This would work great with zebra or tiger colours. For a jungle/zoo display use huge pieces of wallpaper using the pattern as a background.

Photo by flickr user Lorna is copyrighted.