Handprint heart cutout tutorial

Making and receiving gifts from the heart is one of my favorite ways to incorporate personalization and art into something really special.

This year for Mother’s Day I wanted to make something special for the moms in our lives. I got inspiration on Pinterest and decided to give a try at these hand-print hearts. I made one, loved it and decided to make more and photograph the process to make a tutorial.

Materials Needed:

Heavy duty artists paper (I used watercolor paper)
Painter’s tape
Xacto knife
Washable paint (I used acrylic) in whatever colors you prefer
Paper plates
Black acid-free pen
hands to be painted…I highly encourage having stuff for cleanup handy.

Optional materials:

Pencil
Blow drier/embossing gun
Fine paint brush
Picture Frame

The basic idea is pretty simple, but it is so much fun for parents and kiddos alike.

1. Cover your page with painter’s tape.
2. Pencil or free hand your cut out image and lightly use an Xacto knife to cut only through the painter’s tape.
3. Peel away the inner portions of the tape to reveal the area you wish to paint on.
4. Pour out a bit of various colors of paint and paint up kiddo’s hands. (I found that instead of the kids placing their hands in the paint, I spread it on them with a butter knife or spatula that got the parts I needed covered, but didn’t leave big pools of paint on their hands, making a cleaner hand print.)
5. Have the kids make their handprints. (Optional: use blow drier or embossing gun to dry the paint in between layers so the colors don’t mix.)
6. Let the whole project dry.
7. Peel off remaining painter’s tape.
8. Write favorite quote or poem around the area if you like, which helps reinforce the shape of the painted area.
9. Frame, enjoy!

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If you try this and enjoy it, I would love to see your art!!!