Top 10 Father's Day Gifts To Make in Art - Part 2

These top 10 Father's Day gift ideas continue with more art projects to use in grades 2 - 8. Each of the gifts are simple, inexpensive and can be adapted for younger children. The crafts are easy to follow and create.

Project 5: Father’s Day Creature Face Painting

Materials: Acrylic paint (white, red, yellow and brown or black), manila tag paper, small stiff paintbrush

Procedure:

Fold a piece of 9 x 12 manila tag or thick paper in half lengthwise and open it again.

Mix a skin colored acrylic paint (white with red, yellow, brown added).

Place paint in center fold of paper, then fold paper in half and press together to squish paint out from the center fold.

Open paper to dry.

When paint is dry add details to create a face such as a darker skin color for cheeks and nose, and a hair color for eyebrows, eyelashes, mustaches and hair.

Hints and Tips:

Try to make the face color realistic.

The face shape will be equal on both sides. Try to add realistic brush strokes for eyebrows and eyelashes by painting the eyes closed and using brush strokes in the direction in which eyebrows and lashes grow.

If painting shape is more odd looking, then create a creature from the paint. This gift of colorful art is described further in Colorful Art Using Symmetry. Use the lesson to teach or to show an example of a Picasso painting which purposely creates a unique face.

Add a statement to the art such as "Dad, you are one in a million."

Project 6: Father’s Day Acrylic Painting

Materials: Acrylic paint (silver), poster or photo of a car or bright object, paintbrush, paper.

Procedure:

Using a large 12 x 18 paper, paint a copy of car or object their father likes, paying attention to the bright silver areas or areas where light creates white spots. Paint the color as close to the original photo as possible.

Hints and Tips:

Use a photo or poster of an animal so brush strokes can resemble hairs.

Use a large poster rather than an enhanced photo from a magazine as the silver and light colors are hard to reproduce.

You can cut the poster in half and have the student paint the other half as close to the original as possible. You can teach the concept of symmetry in art for this project.

Use a picture of a bright tattoo for a challenging project.

Use a poster of Ironman or a current superhero that dresses in bright colors for the painting, such as superman, Mr. Incredible or Spiderman.

Project 7: Larger Than Life Drawing

Materials: Life Magazine, 12 x 18 cartridge drawing paper, 4B pencil, gel pens or fine markers.

Procedure:

Using a large paper, draw the word LIFE in block letters near the bottom edge of the paper. Outline these neatly in gel pens or markers. If you have a LIFE magazine, cut out the cover and paste it on the paper.

Then draw a large figure at least 4 times the size of the letters or magazine cover.

On the bottom of the paper, write the comment, “Dad, You are Larger than Life”.

You can also create an extended collage to make a picture of a father appear larger. For instructions on how to make an extended collage from magazine articles use Ideas For Short Art Lessons on Collages for method and materials.

Hints and Tips:

Use a muscled man as a body for the drawing of the father.

Cut out the face on the Life Magazine and replace it with the father’s face.

Draw the father standing on top of the block letters with arms outstretched, to look very large compared to the word.