I originally planned this springtime-themed painting to be a fingerprint memento – I love capturing the size of Travis’s hands and fingers (and feet!) periodically. Turns out that Travis had different plans… but we still ended up with a great painting!

To make the project feel special, I purchased a real (small) canvas from the craft store – instantly things felt elevated above using regular paper!

Make the shape of a bird on the canvas using masking tape. Big kids will be able to tackle this step themselves, and little kids will like to play with leftover tape!

I set out fingerpaints for Travis and showed him how to dip in his fingertips and fill in the bird shape.

He very quickly decided he preferred a brush, and began filling in the bird that way. His brush strokes looked incredibly feathery, just like bird wings.

I loved the texture he was able to create!

So… not the fingerprint memento I had intended, but we still have a lovely work of art to welcome spring.