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Finger Painting Ideas With Colours and Which Print Makes What

Three ideas, each a print picture, the colours to pour out and which finger, hand or foot makes each part.

Finger Painting Ideas With Colours and Which Print Makes What

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  1. Handprint Santa with a finger beardWhite, red, peach. Fingers pointing down in white are the beard, a peach palm the face, a red hat painted on.
  2. Spider from two black handsBlack, white. Four fingers of each hand spread outward, palms overlapping, thumbs tucked away.
  3. Child's initial filled with fingerprintsThree favourite colours. An adult draws a fat outline letter; the child fills it with prints. Date the back.

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Fingerprints and thumbprints 38

  • Bare tree with fingerprint autumn leaves Brown, red, orange, yellow. An adult paints the trunk; fingertips dot leaves on the twigs and the ground.
  • Birthday cake with one fingerprint flame per year Yellow, orange, pink. Draw the cake and candles; the child prints one flame for each year of their age.
  • Bubble wand with fingerprint bubbles Light blue, turquoise, lilac. Draw the wand; print bubbles getting smaller, thumb first, little finger last.
  • Bunch of fingerprint balloons Red, yellow, blue, green. One print per balloon; draw the strings down to a single knot.
  • Bunch of fingerprint grapes Purple, green, brown. Stack the prints four, three, two, one; add a thumbprint leaf and a pen stalk.
  • Child's initial filled with fingerprints Three favourite colours. An adult draws a fat outline letter; the child fills it with prints. Date the back.
  • Christmas tree built from green fingerprints Green, yellow, red. Rows of one, two, three, four, five prints; a yellow thumb star and red bauble dots.
  • Fingerprint bumblebees round a hive Yellow, black, brown. Thumbprints are the bees; pen on stripes, wings and a looping flight line once dry.
  • Fingerprint caterpillar on a leaf Green, yellow, red. A wavy row of green prints with one red head; add legs and feelers in pen.
  • Fingerprint chicks hatching Yellow, orange, white. Yellow thumbprint chick above a zigzag white eggshell; orange fingertip beak.
  • Fingerprint fireworks on black paper Yellow, pink, turquoise, white. Dot rings of fingertips outward from a centre, largest ring last.
  • Fingertip dandelion seeds blowing away White, grey, on blue paper. Dot a ring of white tips round a pen stalk, then a trail of dots drifting off.
  • Gumball machine full of fingerprints Red, yellow, blue, green, pink. An adult draws the globe and stand; the child fills the globe with dots.
  • Holly wreath of two greens Dark green, light green, red. Print round a plate traced in pencil; add red berries in threes.
  • Ice cream cone stacked with thumbprint scoops Pink, brown, cream. Draw the cone; stack thumbprint scoops as high as the paper allows.
  • Ladybirds climbing a blade of grass Red, black, green. Red thumbprint body, black fingertip head, spots from the tip of a little finger.
  • Line of fingerprint ants at a picnic Black, red. Three fingertip prints make each ant; six pen legs, and a red gingham corner to march towards.
  • Number line of fingerprints from one to ten Any two colours. Write the numerals, then print that many dots under each and count them aloud.
  • Peas in a pod, one per family member Light green, dark green. Each person prints one pea; an adult paints the pod round them and adds names.
  • Pink fingertip blossom on a drawn branch Pink, white, brown. Draw the branch in pen; little-finger prints in fives make each flower.
  • Pumpkin patch of orange thumbprints Orange, green, brown. Overlap two or three thumbprints per pumpkin; fingertip stalks and curly pen vines.
  • Rain cloud with fingertip raindrops Grey, light blue, dark blue. Dab the cloud with the side of a fist; fingertips pull down into drops.
  • Rainbow arch of fingertip dots Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. One finger per colour, dotting arcs from the outside in.
  • Robins on a snowy twig Brown, red, white. Brown thumbprint body with a red fingertip breast; white dots of snow along the twig.
  • Row of thumbprint carrots Orange, green. Thumbprints pointing down in a row, with three green fingertip leaves on each.
  • Shoal of thumbprint fish Blue, orange, yellow. Sideways thumbprints are the bodies; pen on triangle tails and a bubble trail.
  • Snowman trio on blue paper White, orange, black. Three stacked white prints each; a cotton bud adds the carrot nose and coal buttons.
  • String of fingerprint fairy lights Red, yellow, green, blue, orange. Draw a looping wire in pen and print one bulb under each dip.
  • Sunflower with a thumbprint centre Brown, yellow, green. Fill a circle with brown thumbprints and ring it with yellow finger-side petals.
  • Thumbprint butterflies over grass Purple, pink, blue. Four prints per butterfly, two large above two small; body and feelers in pen.
  • Thumbprint family portrait One colour per person. Everyone prints a thumb in height order; draw faces and legs and write names below.
  • Thumbprint hearts along a card edge Red, pink. Two thumbprints tilted into a V make one heart; repeat in a row.
  • Thumbprint mice round a wedge of cheese Grey, pink, yellow. Grey thumbprints with pink fingertip ears; tails and whiskers in pen.
  • Thumbprint owls on a branch Brown, cream, orange. Brown thumbprint bodies, two cream fingertip eyes each, a pen branch under their feet.
  • Thumbprint penguins on an ice floe Black, white, orange. Black thumbprint, white fingertip tummy printed on top once dry, orange pen beak.
  • Thumbprint reindeer faces Brown, red, black. Brown thumbprint head, red fingertip nose, antlers and eyes in pen.
  • Thumbprint spider hanging from a thread Black, white. One black thumbprint, eight pen legs and a ruled line up to the top of the card.
  • Thumbprint strawberries Red, green. Red thumbprints with a green fingertip cap; dot the seeds with a pen when dry.

Handprints 32

  • Bat with handprint wings Black, yellow, on purple paper. A handprint either side of a painted oval body; thumbs point up as wing hooks.
  • Butterfly from two open hands Any two colours. Heels of both hands meet in the middle, fingers spread outward; paint a body between.
  • Cactus with pink fingerprint flowers Green, pink, brown. One upright green hand; pink fingertip blooms on the finger ends; a painted pot.
  • Campfire of overlapping hands Red, orange, yellow. Print red first, then orange, then yellow, each a little lower; draw the logs.
  • Crab from two red hands Red, black. Two prints with heels overlapping, fingers out as legs and thumbs up as eye stalks.
  • Family hands stacked largest to smallest One colour per person. Biggest hand first; let each print dry before the next smaller one goes on top.
  • Five snowmen from one white handprint White, orange, black, on blue. Each finger becomes a snowman; add hats, scarves and noses in pen.
  • Forearm tree with fingerprint leaves Brown, light green, dark green. Forearm and spread hand print the trunk and boughs; fingertips add leaves.
  • Handprint dinosaur with a spiny back Green, orange. Fingers down as legs and the thumb as the neck; orange fingertips print spines along the back.
  • Handprint flamingo on one leg Pink, black. Print sideways so the fingers fan into tail feathers; paint the S neck and one thin leg.
  • Handprint giraffe with fingerprint spots Yellow, brown. Fingers down as legs; paint the long neck up from the thumb side and dab brown spots.
  • Handprint octopus Purple, white. Four fingers pointing down, printed twice side by side for eight arms; no thumb. Dot on eyes.
  • Handprint peacock Blue, green, turquoise. Green spread-finger print as the tail; blue thumb-side body painted on; dot the eyes.
  • Handprint Santa with a finger beard White, red, peach. Fingers pointing down in white are the beard, a peach palm the face, a red hat painted on.
  • Handprint turkey with painted feather fingers Brown, red, orange, yellow. Brown palm and thumb for the body and head; one feather colour per finger.
  • Heart framed by two hands Red, pink. Angle two prints so the thumbs and forefingers touch; the gap between them is heart shaped.
  • Hen sitting on fingerprint eggs Brown, red, yellow, cream. Sideways hand with the thumb as head and neck; cream thumbprint eggs underneath.
  • High five card One bright colour. One handprint on the front of a folded sheet, with the message written inside.
  • Lion with a fingerprint mane Yellow, orange, brown. Yellow palm print for the face, ringed with orange fingertip dabs.
  • Pair of mittens on a string Red, white. Print both hands with the fingers closed; paint cuffs and a string joining them.
  • Rabbit from a palm and two fingers White, pink, on pastel paper. Paint only the palm and two fingers, so the print has two tall ears.
  • Rainbow with one hand per colour Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each child or family member prints one arc of the bow.
  • Same hand, same colour, once a year One colour, kept. Print one hand on a long strip of paper each birthday and write the date beside it.
  • Spider from two black hands Black, white. Four fingers of each hand spread outward, palms overlapping, thumbs tucked away.
  • Sun with handprint rays Yellow, orange. Sponge a yellow circle, then print hands all the way round with the fingers pointing out.
  • Sunflower ringed with yellow handprints Yellow, brown, green. Turn the paper and print hands round a brown circle; thumbprint seeds in the middle.
  • Swan on a pond White, orange, black, on blue paper. Sideways hand with the thumb raised as the neck; add beak and ripples.
  • Three handprint flowers in a paper pot Pink, yellow, orange, green. Three prints on painted stems, rising from a pot cut out of card.
  • Tulip from a closed handprint Red or yellow, green. Fingers together prints the cup of the tulip; paint a stem and two long leaves.
  • Upside-down handprint elephant Grey, white. Fingers point down as four legs and the thumb is the trunk; add an ear, an eye and a tail.
  • Upside-down handprint ghost White, black, on black paper. Fingers together pointing down make the trailing hem; eyes go on the palm.
  • Wreath of green handprints Green, red. Print round a traced plate with the fingers pointing out; red fingerprint berries and a painted bow.

Footprints 16

  • Butterfly from two footprints Any two colours. Left and right feet, heels together and toes angled outward; paint the body between.
  • Flip-flops on sponged sand Any bright colour, yellow. Print both feet side by side and paint a V strap on each from between the toes.
  • Footprint bumblebee Yellow, black, white. Yellow footprint, black stripes painted across once dry, white fingerprint wings.
  • Footprint carrot Orange, green. Heel at the top, toes pointing down as the root; green fingertip leaves sprout from the heel.
  • Footprint chick Yellow, orange. Heel up as the head; orange beak and legs in pen, and fingertip wings at the sides.
  • Footprint ghost on black paper White, black. Heel at the top as the head, toes as the ragged hem; two eyes and a mouth on the heel.
  • Footprint penguins Black, white, orange. Black footprint with the heel as the head; white thumbprint tummy; orange beak and feet.
  • Footprint rabbit with painted ears White, pink, on pastel paper. Heel up as the head; paint two long ears above it and a fingertip tail.
  • Footprint rocket with toe flames Blue, red, yellow. Paint the sole blue and the toes red and yellow; the heel is the nose cone.
  • Footprint snowman White, orange, black, on blue. Heel as the head, ball of the foot as the body; pen on a hat and stick arms.
  • Footprint tractor Green, black, yellow. A sideways footprint is the body; two black thumbprint wheels, large at the heel end.
  • Heart from two footprints Red or pink. Heels touching at the bottom and toes leaning apart make the two lobes of the heart.
  • One small footprint with the date and length One colour. A single print, the date, and the heel-to-toe length in pencil beside it.
  • Pair of green footprints under a red bow Green, red. Two green prints, heels together and toes down, with red fingertip berries: a Christmas pun on toes.
  • Reindeer with a footprint face and handprint antlers Brown, red. Heel down as the muzzle with a red nose; one brown hand either side of the toes.
  • Stepping trail of footprints, printed sitting down One colour, a long roll of paper. Child sits; press left and right soles in turn, staggered like steps; date the end.

How it works

Finger painting ideas go better when the adult knows the plan before small hands reach the paint. Here are 86 pictures built from prints: 38 from fingertips and thumbs, 32 from whole hands and 16 from feet.

Read the full guide

Which print makes which part

In Footprint penguins the heel is the head and a white thumbprint is the tummy. Print, in the list under the button, sorts by finger, hand or foot; Purpose, under More filters, holds 29 a toddler can lead, 32 keepsakes to date and 35 cards and tags. Handprints double as hand art ideas for a classroom wall: Rainbow with one hand per colour takes six children.

Setting up hand painting ideas for a small child

Brush the paint onto the hand instead of dipping it. A thin coat prints the creases of the palm; a loaded hand slides and leaves a blob. Press straight down, count to three, lift straight up. All 16 footprint art ideas are printed with the child sitting down, because a painted sole is slippery.

  • Bring the paper to the foot: tape it to a clipboard and press it against a seated child's sole.
  • Pencil the date and the child's age on the back: Same hand, same colour, once a year depends on it.
  • Print a spare. The second print is the clean one more often, and a smudged first go makes gift tags.

Questions and answers

What are easy finger painting ideas for a toddler's first try?

Under More filters, set Purpose to Toddler can lead. Rainbow arch of fingertip dots, Fingerprint fireworks on black paper and Gumball machine full of fingerprints work wherever the dots land, so nobody has to steer a small hand. An adult draws any outline first.

Which colours do these ideas need?

Yellow is in 30 of the 86 palettes, red in 28, a green of some kind in 26, orange in 24 and white in 22. Eleven ideas print on blue, black, purple or pastel paper, so keep some coloured sheets.

What paint should I buy for finger painting with young children?

Choose paint labelled for children's use that carries no hazard warning, and stay with children while they paint. In the US, Conforms to ASTM D-4236 is not a children's mark: the Consumer Product Safety Commission says every art material must carry it, hazardous or not.

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