How to Make Handprint Cardinals
Lay out a blue piece of construction paper., Cut out and glue on a branch., Use white paint to create snowflakes., Paint your hand red and quickly stamp the paper., Give the cardinal an eye., Use orange or yellow paint for the beak., Paint the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Lay out a blue piece of construction paper.
The size of your piece of paper doesn’t matter too much, as long as it can comfortably fit your hand.
If you want to add more background detail though, you should use a 9”x12” (23cm x 30cm) sheet., Using scissors, cut a branch out of brown construction paper.
Make sure the branch is large enough to hold the bird you’ll be painting on later.
Use white craft glue to glue the branch onto your background, near the bottom of the page.Instead of construction paper, you can also paint a branch onto your blue construction paper using brown paint., Dip a paintbrush in white paint.
Dab the paintbrush on the construction paper to make white dots for snowflakes.
You can also paint snow onto the branch by running the paintbrush along its length.
If you have a bit more skill, you can paint more intricate snowflakes, using linear strokes to create snowflake patterns.Instead of painting snowflakes, you can make them out of paper and glue them onto your piece. , Use a paintbrush to cover the palm of your hand with red paint.
Cover the underside of your fingers with paint as well.
Place your hand on the paper horizontally and press firmly, leaving a red handprint.
This will be the main body of the cardinal.
Make sure to stamp the paper slightly above the branch, leaving room for the cardinal’s legs.Rinse your paintbrush under the tap, or a container filled with water, before moving on to the next step.
Allow the handprint to dry before moving on. , Dip a paintbrush into black paint, then paint a dot on the handprint, a bit below where the thumb meets the palm of the hand.
This will give the appearance of an eye.
Rinse the paintbrush after painting the eye.Instead of painting on an eye, you can use a googly eye., Paint a small triangle where the wrist would connect to the handprint.
This will give the appearance of a beak.
Rinse the paintbrush after painting the beak., Paint two long lines, starting at the bottom of the handprint and stopping just above the branch, to make the legs.
Then paint three smaller lines at an angle, forming the cardinal’s toes at the tip of each leg.
The toes should overlap the branch slightly. -
Step 2: Cut out and glue on a branch.
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Step 3: Use white paint to create snowflakes.
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Step 4: Paint your hand red and quickly stamp the paper.
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Step 5: Give the cardinal an eye.
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Step 6: Use orange or yellow paint for the beak.
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Step 7: Paint the cardinal’s legs with black paint.
Detailed Guide
The size of your piece of paper doesn’t matter too much, as long as it can comfortably fit your hand.
If you want to add more background detail though, you should use a 9”x12” (23cm x 30cm) sheet., Using scissors, cut a branch out of brown construction paper.
Make sure the branch is large enough to hold the bird you’ll be painting on later.
Use white craft glue to glue the branch onto your background, near the bottom of the page.Instead of construction paper, you can also paint a branch onto your blue construction paper using brown paint., Dip a paintbrush in white paint.
Dab the paintbrush on the construction paper to make white dots for snowflakes.
You can also paint snow onto the branch by running the paintbrush along its length.
If you have a bit more skill, you can paint more intricate snowflakes, using linear strokes to create snowflake patterns.Instead of painting snowflakes, you can make them out of paper and glue them onto your piece. , Use a paintbrush to cover the palm of your hand with red paint.
Cover the underside of your fingers with paint as well.
Place your hand on the paper horizontally and press firmly, leaving a red handprint.
This will be the main body of the cardinal.
Make sure to stamp the paper slightly above the branch, leaving room for the cardinal’s legs.Rinse your paintbrush under the tap, or a container filled with water, before moving on to the next step.
Allow the handprint to dry before moving on. , Dip a paintbrush into black paint, then paint a dot on the handprint, a bit below where the thumb meets the palm of the hand.
This will give the appearance of an eye.
Rinse the paintbrush after painting the eye.Instead of painting on an eye, you can use a googly eye., Paint a small triangle where the wrist would connect to the handprint.
This will give the appearance of a beak.
Rinse the paintbrush after painting the beak., Paint two long lines, starting at the bottom of the handprint and stopping just above the branch, to make the legs.
Then paint three smaller lines at an angle, forming the cardinal’s toes at the tip of each leg.
The toes should overlap the branch slightly.
About the Author
Cheryl Jimenez
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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