How to Make Thumb Print Art

Using a bit of tempera paint, a piece of paper and their thumb, children as young as five can create characters and designs. This is a fun, always individualized craft idea that can be adapted for gifts, wrapping paper, note cards and pictures of all sorts. Here's what you need to do to make thumb print art.

Things You'll Need

• Assorted colors of tempera paint
• One new sponge
• Paper
• Black fine line markers
• Smocks
• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Dixie cups
• Paper towels

Instructions

1. Line your work space with newspaper. Cut the sponge into four squares--if you have more than four colors or more than two children doing the thumb print art with you, use more sponges. Reconstitute the paint in Dixie cups so that it is thinner than you would need it if you were painting. Pour about a tbsp. of paint onto each piece of sponge.

2. Ask each person to put on a smock to protect their clothing from becoming stained by the paints. Pass out scrap paper to use for practice. Demonstrate how to push your thumb flat against one of the paint-soaked pieces of sponge. Show the children how your thumb looks with paint on it. Then push your thumb onto a piece of paper in one firm motion. Remove your thumb from the paper and wipe any remaining paint off with a paper towel.

3. Help the children to make their own thumb prints. Discover how long it takes for a thumb print to dry. Use black fine line markers to add features to the thumb prints by marking over the dried paint. Think of the thumb print as the body of a person. Add stick figure arms and legs. Add a face near the top of the thumb print. How about hair or a hat or a neck tie? Thumb prints do not need to be people. They can become the bodies of animals or the centers of flowers. Ask the children to experiment making different kinds of thumb print art on the scrap paper. Let each child show everyone else their favorite and celebrate the creativity of the children.

4. Decide what your final product will be. For wrapping paper, add thumb prints to white butcher paper spaced in regular or random intervals. For note cards, make a beautiful picture on the front of a piece of folded card stock. For pictures, add a background and a frame. Thumb print art can become your personal logo or avitar. Everybody can make thumb print art. It's fun.

Tips & Warnings

• Soap and water should clean up any paint spills that soaked through the newspaper.