Mother's Day: Make Mini Art 3

 I've got three super quick and nifty ways to art it up tiny style. These little works of art will fit nicely in Mama or Grandma's wallet and would even look just dandy displayed on the fridge or pinboard. Add a tiny frame and well then you'll have a masterpiece! Here is project number 3 for ya!

You Will Need:

*water colors

*small paint brush (bristles)

*painters or quilters tape

*an ATC watercolor pad or one sheet watercolor paper

*paint friendly work area

*white oil pastel

scrumdilly-do it!

Tape your tiny ATC paper down to a sheet of newspaper or plastic placemat using painters or quilters tape. It's really important you use one of these kinds of tape otherwise your child's tiny little masterpiece will most likely get a wee bit shredded. These two kinds of tape lift up quite nicely (they might however really stick to the newspaper). Taping the paper down will both anchor it in place and create a pretty matte once it is finished. An ATC is also called an Artist Trading Card and blanks can be found at your local art store or on etsy. If you do not have access to this tiny paper you can cut it up yourself. An ATC generally measures 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches or 64 X 89 mm.  Make sure you use a sturdy watercolor paper. It amps up the quality of your wee artist's work and keeps it nice and sturdy for wallet traveling.

Grab the white oil pastel and apply liberally to your kiddos thumb or finger. Have them press down as hard as they can wherever they choose (though an upper corner will leave a sun effect).

Next up, dip paintbrush into lightest color first and have your kiddo paint a small portion of their paper. Continue with remaining colors making sure to rinse brush in between colors. Limit their color palette to 2-4 colors and keep them in the same family so that if if and when they mix they will make a pretty color and not brown, unless brown is Mama's favorite.

Set aside to dry. If you like, you can have your kiddo reapply their colors after a brief intermission to the drying. This will add a deeper shade of color and create texture and shadows. It's all pretty nifty.

Remove taped border and enjoy your kiddo's masterpiece! Don't forget to have them sign and date the back if they are old enough, if not it's all up to you!