Little Artists (let them paint)

I wanted to call this post "Let them eat cake and paint" but then that might have gotten a bit confusing.  Did you see the beautiful canvas I posted yesterday that my girls painted? 

I want to share with you a bit of our process today, in hopes you'll be inspired to pull out the paints for yourself or your little ones.  Let me go ahead and make a disclaimer.  I know painting isn't for everyone, especially not for kids.  I know this because I've been told countless times why people don't let their children paint and I get it….kinda.  It's messy, but so is much of life.  

For starters, if mess is a concern, use washable paints and have your child wear an old shirt.  Easy peasy.  We don't typically use washable because of the limited color palette.  Instead, I simply have my girls wear an old shirt of mine or theirs and as soon as their brushes are done painting we immediately hold hands up to not touch anything and head straight for the sink.  Then both Anna Ruth and Betsy Grace stand and wait their turn to have mama clean them up. 

Ok, so now that we got the not fun part out of the way, let's take a peek at my precious girls painting!

This was a first for us because I've never had them both in the craft room with me at the same time.  I had the canvas (with tape down the middle to give each girl a side), paints, brushes, etc. all laid out ahead of time and simply moved the bar stools in before I invited the girls in to paint.

I didn't know if they would rush through this project, simply slapping paint on the canvas or not.  They didn't…they slowed down, took their time, and painted for a long time. At this point I don't typically jump in and paint my own canvas when we're using acrylics because I'm busy encouraging, washing brushes, etc.  But this is good groundwork for the future when I'll be able to paint alongside them. 

Egg cartons are my top favorite thing to put paint in!

Finished and hung! 

I want to honor my girls and their inner artists by having their art proudly displayed at home. 

I tell them that often…"You are an artist". 

You are too..you know. What will you make today?