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Hand and Foot Print Art

02/02/2012 by Adrianne Surian 7 Comments

I brought Miss Raya on the road with me on Tuesday to guest post for Brooke over at The Intentional Momma!

We got a little messy making some handprint art.  Lately, I have been obsessively pinning all the creative hand and foot prints I see.  Now that Raya is a year old and on the move, these tiny things seem so long ago already:

She was so small when we first brought her home!  She’s growing so fast, I have resolved to keep as many memories as I can, and it’s so fun to use those adorable hands and feet. :)

Painting up your baby can be a little scary if you haven’t done it before, I know.  It really does work best with two people – but you can still manage if it’s just you!  Let me show you a few of the prints that we have done so far at home:

Ok, so neither of us are booking any art shows in the near future.  But they are so precious to me! :)  I’m going to give you a few tips today that I have learned from gettin’ messy with my baby girl, and to share some more hand and foot print ideas that you might like to do with your kiddos!
First of all, you have to embrace a few truths:

  • You will get paint in places you don’t want to, so a good place to do this is outside if you have cooperative weather, or your mud room or kitchen – someplace easy to scrub down – if you have to do it indoors.  When I’m feeling brave (or if I have a second set of hands to help me!) I will let Raya paint in her high chair. Make sure what you’re both wearing can be quickly and easily washed, or you don’t mind if it gets stains.  Just putting newspaper down won’t cut it – especially if your little one is at an age where newspaper is extremely interesting to crumple up.  Yes, I know this firsthand. :)
  • Be ready with washcloths.  More than one.  I draw a bowl of warm water when I get started, and toss in 2 or 3.  I also draw a bath, where she goes immediately after we are done.  If your child is old enough to wash their hands at the sink, that will probably simplify things quite a bit, but that’s not an option for us just yet.  
  • The younger your child, the more prints it will likely take until you get a “good” one.  Be ready with about a dozen sheets of paper and ample paint!

I will enthusiastically recommend finding a non-toxic finger paint – and also admit, I just use whatever I have (usually acrylics).  Every parent can use their own judgment on this one, but if you are using something potentially hazardous, be sure to get ALL of it cleaned up off of hands, feet, anything in the nearby vicinity and any eating surfaces as quickly as possible once you’re done working.  After wiping Raya down with my washcloths at-the-ready, she goes into the bathtub.  Her high chair tray gets wiped down and then goes right into the dishwasher.  As always – just be smart about any medium you introduce your child to. :)
So once everything is prepared not just for art-time, but for a quick cleanup as well, I just paint her hand (or foot) with a paintbrush,

And help her place it.

That’s it!  If it’s not perfect, that’s OK!  It’s still sweet, because it’s your kiddos prints, preserved. :)

This is the one we just did for Valentine’s day.  I have incomplete hands here, and some experimental smudges by my little artist up in the corner.  It doesn’t really even resemble the heart I was going for, so I outlined it (sheesh, mom’s no better artist than the baby!) 

Outlining or adding details is a great way to make your prints into fun shapes, animals, flowers, etc.  I have a whole Pinterest board just for hand and foot print art that you’re welcome to check out!  These are a couple of ideas I’ve pinned that I can’t wait to try out (click the image to visit the source):


Now go get messy, and don’t forget to come back and share! :)
~ Adrianne

Filed Under: Kid Crafts

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Trish - Mom On Timeout

    02/08/2012 at 5:38 pm

    Hand prints are just too precious! This reminds me that I need to get on this and make some with my boys. Thanks for sharing at Taking A Timeout Thursday!

    Reply
  2. Melanie

    02/03/2012 at 6:52 pm

    My little one hates fingerpaint! I am still trying to get a print of her foot! :) Happy you linked to Things I've Done Thursday!

    Melanie http://www.bearrabbitbear.com

    Reply
  3. Carrie - young living oil lady

    02/02/2012 at 5:30 pm

    Love the photos! You brought back such fun memories with me and my boys when they were little! I guess you can still do this with a teenager, lol. I am a new follower from Take it From Me and will be following your blog and now Pinterest! Glad to have found you! Blessings, Carrie

    Reply
  4. Susan-The Weekly Sweet Experiment

    02/02/2012 at 2:41 pm

    So cute – it is nice to preserve how small she was! She is adorable!

    Reply
  5. Terry

    02/02/2012 at 2:38 pm

    These are so cute. That ghost cracked me right up. And you're right, there is just something extra adorable about little feet (especially) and hands that you're going to love when you look back at these pieces. Great idea. Thanks for sharing at our party this week!

    Reply
  6. Shannah

    02/02/2012 at 12:52 pm

    I love it when you can make art out of their little hands and feet. I wish I had done a little more of that when my kids were very little. We do it some now but little baby hands and feet are just the best.

    Reply
  7. E

    02/02/2012 at 11:23 am

    I love hand and foot print art! I have several of my daughter's hanging up. But, I didn't do them with her – she did them at daycare! I adore them. Mt favorite was the reindeer they made – foot in the middle for the face, and the hands as the antlers!

    Reply

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

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