The Best Gaffer Tapes for Artists Are Reliable and Sturdy

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Manage a bevy of sticky situations with the help of gaffer tape, a low-residue, pressure-sensitive tape that’s used in everything from the theater to the automotive industry. Not to be confused with duct tape, gaffer tape is made with a heat-resistant adhesive that won’t leave residue when removed. This tape is said to have been developed in 1959 by director and cinematographer Ross Lowell and is named for the chief lighting technician on a film crew, the gaffer. While originally intended for utilitarian uses—artists, for instance, can use it to tape down watercolor paper—gaffer tape is a great unconventional fine art material. For example, contemporary pop artist Donald Robertson famously uses it to create striped canvas compositions and tape-bodied figures. If you want to explore the uses of gaffer tape in your own art or crafting, browse our selection of the best options below.