StressLess Momma: We Love to Paint!

The girls love painting!! They ask to do it all the time and I always put it off. I will admit I don't share their love for the hobby.  It's not the actual process that I dislike because actually painting is kind of fun, it's the aftermath, the mess.

So I have a couple little tricks that make it a little less "painful."

supplies

I buy both finger paint and kid paint for the kids and let them choose which one they want to use.  Usually they'll make a couple paintings with both.

We use freezer paper for our paintings.  It's super cheap compared to painting or finger paint paper and is pretty much the same thing!!  Use the dull side for the kid paint and the shiny side for the finger paint!

When it comes to the kid paint (I think it's probably similiar to tempera) my kids are still in the stage where they like to mix and they don't clean their brush so well.  So I don't allow them to dip their brush right in the paint jar or else they will instantly ruin the paint.  Instead we use a styrofoam egg carton!  I put a small dallop of paint in egg section and if they mix it, so what?

just getting started



muddled up colors



painting with a spoon

stamping with a plastic cup

Who says you have to paint with a brush?  Give them a variety of "tools"! Lillian used a spoon, fork, and plastic cup.  You can also give them a cut up sponge, paper towel, suction cups. straws.

and finally where do you dry all their creations?

A laundry drying rack of course!!

Don't make the same mistake I did and start at the top!  Start on the inside and lower rack first then move up, that way you don't have to lean over wet paintings to hang the rest.

keeping it all together

love the handles, we can take our supplies anywhere

A couple more ideas!

Make ice cube paint:
1. Mix equal parts kid paint and water.
2. Put it in an ice tray or popsicle mold to freeze
3. Pop em out and paint away. 
When they are finished you can put the cubes in a ziplock bag and re-freeze!

Batik or Wax Resist
Batik is an artistic method where artist block out a certain section using melted wax then dye the rest.  Later they remove the wax to reveal a blanked out section.  They may do this multiple times to build color on color and design.
This is a fun "magical" technique for kids.
Supplies:
paper
crayons
watercolor paint

1. Draw a design with the crayons.  They can use white crayons to write a "secret" message or drawing.
2. Paint over the entire paper with watercolor!  The areas of crayon will resist the paint!

Marble Painting
Supplies:
marbles
paper
box with high sides
kid paint (tempera)

1. Cut the paper to fit inside the box.
2. Either dip the marbles in paint or put small blobs of paint on the paper.
3. Put the marbles in the box on top of the paper then tip the box from side to side allowing the marbles to roll around and make a "marble" painting.

Monster Jam Painting

Supplies:
Monster Jam trucks
kid paint (tempera)
paper plates and plastic spoon
large sheet of paper (the freezer paper would work for this but I love to use the brown drop cloth paper from the hardware store)

1. Drop one color of paint per paper plate and spread it out a little using the spoon.
2. Help the kids run the trucks tires through the paint so they are completely coated all the way around.
3. Drive the trucks all over the paper re-applying paint as needed!