You’ll be amazed at how fun, creative and enjoyable this art activity made from chalk pastels and PVA glue can be for your little (and big ones). Requiring only a few simple materials and something that kidsof all ages will be able to create, these sweet cards make an awesome and original gift for a Mother’s Day and/or Grandmother’s gift.
What you need to make your homemade Mother’s Day cards
- Black cardboard
- Lead pencil
- PVA glue in a small squeeze bottle with a fine tip
- Chalk Pastels or Oil Pastels
How to make your own homemade Mother’s Day cards
Step 1:
Draw a heart, flower, rainbow, cupcake shape or similar in lead pencil on black cardboard.
TIP: The most simplest drawings always work really well when it comes to colouring in at the end. It is also a good idea not to have any tiny little images as these will hard to outline clearly when it comes to adding the glue element.
Step 2:
Trace over the pencil lines with the glue. Use the bottle as you would a pencil with the tip of the bottle being the tip of the pencil. Lightly touch the paper and squeeze carefully. If you have any bits that spill too much outside of your outline you can always wipe this off quickly with a spare rag. Littlest ones may need a hand with this part if it is too hard for them to squeeze the bottle hard enough and move it easily over the image at the same time.
Step 3:
Lay the cardboard flat overnight to dry. When the glue is dry you’ll notice that the glue is clear, revealing the black underneath. It will also be raised up, which will form the safe border for the kids to easily colour-in between. Our kids loved watching this transformation!
Step 4:
Using chalk pastels (or oil pastels if you prefer) colour in the shape keeping close to the glue sides. As the glue sections are raised up, it makes this a really easy colour-in activity for all ages as the sides will stop the pastels from going into the other colours.
Step 5:
As a final step, add in any extra details and highlights using white pastels and tone using black pastels – being careful with the black as it can be very powerful. The picture can then be sprayed over the top with fixative or hair spray to stop chalk pastel from smudging. Adding a simple rectangle of coloured or white paper inside the card makes it easy then to write in (as apposed to over the black). It also adds a spot of fun colour to the inside!
Suggestions:
- Children aged 5 and under will require with Step 2 (gluing on the lines) you could glue a few designs the night before and give to those younger children to colour the next day
- The things you can create from this art activity are endless: a card, a framed picture, a recipe book cover, or cut out the shape and make a flower arrangement in a small flower pot on kebab sticks.
If you loved making this Mother’s Day craft with your kids, you may also like:
Egg Carton Flowers – Mother’s Day Craft
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