I looked at Emily one day and realized that she is no longer going to eat the acrylic paint. On that day, I decided to buy some canvases that were just her size and set a few parameters. This project was 100% supervised, involved limited paints, and occurred while Jacob took his afternoon nap. Emily does not nap. She is a Big Girl now, and she proved it by only getting a tiny bit of red paint in her hair. And just a swoosh of magenta on her chin.
Step 1 - Prepare the canvas. I painted the entire canvases white, let that dry, and then taped around the edges with blue painter’s tape. Masking tape of any sort will do the trick, but it isn’t necessary. I just thought it would be nice to have white borders framing her art. :) If you tape it, seal the edge of the tape with a coat of white paint.
Step 2 - Paint! I chose a limited palette of magenta, red, light blue, aqua green, and white. Then I put a dime-sized drop of each color in a plastic lid. I encouraged Emily to use different kinds of brushes in different sizes so she could learn how they are different (and because this makes the paintings more interesting).
Step 3 - Finish. Allow the paint to dry a little before you remove the painter’s tape. Once your paintings are dry, hang on the wall and enjoy!
Emily’s signature is that green “E” on the second painting. You may want to encourage your child to sign their work too. Just not with their tongue. (Please do not eat the paint!)
September 21st, 2010 at 7:48 am
Pollock can’t do better. Love the idea of using masking tape around the edge. Thank you for sharing!
September 21st, 2010 at 10:04 am
The tape-framing is brilliant - makes the whole work look more important. Love Emily’s “E”.
September 21st, 2010 at 10:23 am
What a fabulous idea! Emily’s artwork is beautiful. I think I may have to do this too. I might also buy some glitter paint for my three-year-old Little Man to use soon. I have such fond memories of crafting when I was small (my mom was amazing!), and I really want to be able to pass it on.
September 21st, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Ah, the paint around the edges is brilliant! We’ve had printing on our agenda for a few weeks now, I’m glad we haven’t gotten to it yet :)
September 21st, 2010 at 9:10 pm
ooh love that, esp the framing w/ tape idea. yay!
September 21st, 2010 at 9:15 pm
cutest idea!! The artwork looks really great. I love the way you framed it in white
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:19 am
Great idea to tape the edges to create a “frame!” Emily’s work is marvelous, and will be a treasure for years to come…xo.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
These are wonderful! Emily did a beautiful job. I think my big girl is def. ready for this kind of project…just not sure about my little one (neither of them nap!). I’ve been rotating some of their other paintings in and out of some frames in our living room, but I think some canvas paintings would be a wonderful touch. Thanks for yet another great idea. :)
October 11th, 2010 at 11:25 am
you two did a great job working together on this art project! loved your colour choices and her fearless painting style!
October 22nd, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Emily is obviously very talented like her mama! Love this :)
November 12th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
That is adorable! You should definitely check out http://craftclub.com. Your 3 old will LOVE the site. It’s made especially with the little ones in mind. The crafts are easy to make and feature step-by-step instructions that have videos and photos!
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Awesome :P she is definitely my niece lol