Handy Art Projects

I love hand-art. It's unique. It's expressive. And it captures a moment in time, especially when you have little hands to work with.
Here are a couple quick and easy hand-art ideas ... You can do this!

Make Turkeys out of little lands by stamping the hand in brown ink or paint. We used chalk (applied with a cotton ball) to add colors to the feathers. Add legs, googlie eyes, beak, neck and and the date.

Or make a tree.
Depending on the colors you use and the directions of the stamped hand prints, it could be any tree! A weeping willow? Maple changing colors? Bright budding Aspen?
The possibilities are endless.

Don't limit your hand art creativity to paper!
My cousin made this holiday plate with her four children at her local "paint your own pottery" store.
A great way to incorporate more than one person in a hand-print project (you could even use a pet paw print for the base or star).

This canvas was finger painted first.
Once the paint dried, everyone in the family stamped their hands on it with black paint.
This work of art looked gorgeous in a black frame.
A great (inexpensive) gift idea, or fun to have on hand - no pun intended:)

Of course, traditional stamping and framing never goes out of style either.

Some other tips:

~Photo copy - I used the Turkey hand-prints as Thanksgiving cars for family. Of course a three-year-old and 16-month-old aren't interested in stamping their hands over and over. So, we did it once, and then made color copies to send as cards.

~Use other materials - stamp shirts, pillow cases, bags, make clay prints ... whatever you can get your hands on.

~Trace hands and cut them out to make objects (tree leaves, a wreath, feathers, etc.)

!Depending on the age and disposition of your child, hand stamping can be ... not so fun. Don't stress about it. If it works and is fun, go for it. But if your child doesn't want to cooperate, don't force them.