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.
- Cover your page with painter’s tape.
- Pencil or free hand your cut out image and lightly use an Xacto knife to cut only through the painter’s tape.
- Peel away the inner portions of the tape to reveal the area you wish to paint on.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- Let the whole project dry.
- Peel off remaining painter’s tape.
- Write favorite quote or poem around the area if you like, which helps reinforce the shape of the painted area.
- Frame, enjoy!
If you try this and enjoy it, I would love to see your art!!!
