Adhesive Tape To Get Peter's Badge Of Blue

I never did get a Blue Peter badge, no matter how many pictures I sent in of my home made creations. Several thousand miles of sticky back plastic and adhesive tape were used over the years to create everything from Tracey Island to Mothers Day gifts, all lovingly created with a dedicated passion for arts and crafts. I still have the bug to this day, and have since explored every craft material available to man to make sculptures and installations as a fine artist.

Adhesive tape has to be one of the most versatile of all the materials I have at my disposal. Don't get me wrong, there are enough varieties of glue available to see to just about every idea I have ever conceived, but adhesive tape is a less messy and more economically efficient way to bond materials. For a start, a roll of adhesive tape can be kept in a draw for years and still be useful, unlike glue which has a shelf life of about an hour until it has bonded to it's own packaging.

Glue also has a tendency to bond everything you really don't want it to, and attract fluff and dust to a carefully crafted surface, enough to stir a temperamental tantrum from even the most placid artist. We are a sensitive bunch after all. Working with materials as diverse as PVC, glass, fabric, metal and paper, the tools I use need to be versatile. Rather than investing in all the different types of glue needed for projects, it suits the financial restraints of an artist to spend the money on a wide range of adhesive tape.

Masking tape is the a fundamental essential of any artists tool box, it effortlessly attaches one item to another for as long as needed before being neatly removed, not leaving a trace of adhesive behind. Another firm favourite, as an ex Blue Peter fan is double sided adhesive tape. Seamless and invisible joins can be made between any two surfaces to produce a neat finish, or a neat base for further work.

One of the strangest tapes I have come across is plumbing tape. This adhesive tape is not actually sticky, instead it works on the principles of self bonding. By pulling it tight around plastic objects, it welds to itself to produce a seal that is good enough to keep water from leaking when used in plumbing. For any artist working with a variety of materials, or for arts and crafts professionals, taking inspiration from childhood craft materials is a positive step in creative development, and as such, should be celebrated, not hidden.