Materials:

Two colors of screen printing paints (check safety for children first)

One sponge brush (if painting more than one hand a color – use one per color)

Regular paint brushes-small and medium for details

Two tees – one for a child and one for adult

Large piece of cardboard for inside tee

Get started making something sentimental and expect lots of compliments from other parents when you sport it.  Everyone knows how special your own little one’s hand and efforts are!

One of Dada’s favorite things is homemade tees from his little Dougan.  Willow loves to do hand print art and this one is fabulous because it lasts forever.  We use a screen printing paint that is meant for tees.  You can wash them and the color really doesn’t fade.

We like the caterpillar hand print idea.  I also love the bumble bee style.  Google hand print art or animals and all kinds of things pop-up.  After you make the hand print body of the caterpillar you’ll need to paint on a head and antennae.

Be sure to put a piece of cardboard in the tee to prevent it from bleeding to the back of the tee.  I recommend using a sponge paint brush for the hands.  Also, with a little one you will need to work fast and diligently.  Have the idea in your head before starting.  Know just how many hand prints and where you want them on the tee before starting.

Have your child sit on the tee, ready to do the hand print.  Paint the hand one only at a time.  Hold their hand in between to make sure they don’t touch the tee.  If you’re looking for a creative project to do with your child, this is not it.  In order to get a clean tee with an animal it will require being fast and having a set goal.  Then you can do free painting with children’s paints afterwards and let them go wild!

Make all of the hand prints and then paint the caterpillar head, face, and antennae.  Leave cardboard in the tee until it dries.  I let mine dry for a day or day and a half before touching.  Voila, you have just made Dada’s favorite tee shirt that he will cherish forever, and keep even when it is trashed years down the road!  This was the first time we made one for little Dougan and it was absolutely adorable having them match.  Happy printing!