Father’s Day Gift Idea

He makes the kids pancakes every Saturday morning. He teaches them the proper way to shoot a jump shot. He tells them they “can” when they think they “can’t.” He’s the strength in our family that keeps us going. What would we do without dad?

Yet, it’s tricky to find just the right way to show our appreciation. After all, this is the man who has everything (and whatever he doesn’t have, he will either buy or doesn’t want). So it has to be something sincere; something from the heart; something that is irreplaceable... a perfect opportunity to create art. Fortunately, my husband has a penchant for all things modern, and abstract art can open an easy door for children to discover success in painting. It was Pablo Picasso who said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

Pre-made, finished canvases (available at most art supply stores in a variety of sizes) are the answer to making instant artwork suitable for display in the finest of galleries (or dad’s office for that matter). A few tubes of acrylic paint in the primary shades of red, blue and yellow are enough to mix nearly every color imaginable (reference the Bauhaus genius, Joseph Albers, color theory); add a couple of decent artist paint brushes and your child can create the next expressionist masterpiece — at least in the eyes of their dad.

Supplies

Pre-made canvas (Michael’s Crafts has an excellent selection)

One or two 1" - 1/2" wide, artist paint brushes

Tubes of acrylic artist paint in red, blue and yellow

Paper towel, old rag, or sponge

Smocks, or old t-shirts for the kids (acrylic paint does stain)

Newspaper

Cover your work area with newspaper. Squirt quarter-size blobs of paint on a clean, plastic lid from your recycling container. Hand the kids their brushes and let them go to town. Encourage them not to overwork the paint by minimizing long strokes repeated in the same area. Dabbing the brush in multiple colors at once and applying them to the canvas can build beautiful, subtle shades without making a muddy mess. You may also choose to use a paper towel or rag to blot the paint for additional blending. Once dry, with a permanent marker, be sure to have your child include a sentimental note and date on the back of the canvas frame.

The finished artwork

©2010 tricia barry biagi