Grown-up Finger Painting!

I adored finger painting as a child. I remember when suddenly at about the age of six, it just wasn't considered grown-up enough to be finger painting any more. It was for preschoolers, not first graders.

Well, I don't like that at all. Finger painting should be encouraged well beyond the preschool years. It is a great way to create and experiment with color and blending, and teaches one to be very resourceful! I figured out real fast when creating this finger painted Composition Book, how to use my fingers and even a bit of my fingernail to get a bit more detail.

This is my first finger painting project in about 44 years and I am hooked! I loved the process and it really made me reconnect with my inner child by remembering and honoring something I used to love, but was encouraged to give up. Plus, it is just fun! Of course, I am not using actual finger paints anymore. Now I get to have a plethora of colors at my disposal by using acrylic paints. And, for this project, I simply used acrylic craft paints.

I slapped a quick coat of Gesso on the cover of the Composition Book. White paint would work too. I started out by sketching a quick idea. I didn't really follow it closely, but many people work better if they have a plan laid out. I usually tend to just wing it.

I still need to paint the back cover and the insides of both the front and back cover.

I look forward to exploring my rediscovered art form from my adult perspective and plan to continue using it with my preschool students and beyond. And, I can't wait to do some journaling in my new finger painted notebook. Have you done any finger painting since childhood?

I need to give a bit of credit to an amazing artist whom I have grown to love following for pure inspiration. I actually Googled finger painting, looking for some ideas for a homemade finger paint for my preschool students. And, Alisa Burke Redefine Creativity's post on her finger painting project came up. She is amazing! I knew I needed to try it right then and there! I turned off my computer and got busy sticking my finger in paint! I just grabbed this Composition Notebook because it was handy. Next time I am going to use some canvas. Follow this link to her finger painting  project.

See my Art/Craft Tutorials page for more inspiration!

Follow Debbie's board Art for Children on Pinterest.