masterpiece painting

this project is one of my son's favorites. i honestly cannot recall how many times over the years he painted this way on totes & shirts for people. definitely long after he learned to paint within the lines ;)

what you'll need:

* fabric paint

* paint brushes (1 for each child)

* cotton tote bag (1 for each child)

* used newspaper, or grocery bags (i used a grocery bag, cut into 5 sections)

* masking tape


1) insert a folded section of newspaper, or piece of a grocery bag into your tote. this is to keep the paint from seeping through to the other side.

2) create a square, or rectangle, on the front of your tote. this will be where you'll paint your masterpiece. to do this lay 4 pieces of newspaper, or grocery bags, into the shape & size you want your painting to be. once you're happy with that, tape each section down with masking tape on the inside of your shape.

3) make sure there are no gaps in the tape by running your finger firmly along all four sides.

4) start painting like the wild thing you are! actually this is really for your kids. so, hand over the brush, & let them know they can paint with abandon, not worrying in the least about paint getting onto the paper. i'd even encourage them to fill the space to the edges.

5) keep an eye on the masking tape as they paint, to make sure it hasn't lifted. i didn't pay attention here, & a bit lifted, allowing paint to get beneath. it still turned out beautifully, but some kids aim for perfection. you know yours best.

6) you can gently lift away the tape now. if your artist decided a thicker layer of paint was best, you should wait a little while before lifting the tape.

that's all there is to it! the more colors the kids chose, the more it looks like a bag you'd purchase at some swanky museum. you can see the bit at the top where my paint seeped under the tape. it's not too bad; at least the gnome doesn't seem to mind.

if you have a very thin permanent marker, you can write your child's name in the bottom, right corner, along with the year. this makes it look even more like it came from a museum's shop.

happy painting!

~peace, kat

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