Colorful "Stamp and Paint" Heart Art

Ever try out a project, expecting one thing and then getting something completely different?  That’s what happened with a recent art adventure.  I loved this stained glass art with toilet paper rolls and never had a chance to try it out.  It seemed so easy.  Stamp, wait, then paint!  Boom.  Easy and colorful kid art!  Well, my preschooler and I've started making Valentine's Day Crafts and made a Valentine’s day version….with unexpected results! 

Colorful “Stamp and Paint” Heart Art

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I started off by bending toilet paper rolls into heart shapes.  Then, we stamped a bunch of hearts using tempera paint onto paper.  (We use tempera because it’s washable and drawing paper because it’s thicker than computer paper and not as expensive as watercolor paper.) 

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful parts about this project is the fact the hearts overlap and create lovely shapes inside of shapes.  To help my preschooler create overlapping hearts, I encouraged him to make “parts of his hearts touch,” to paint “hearts touching other hearts,” so that hearts are on top of other hearts.  I also encouraged him to just stamp once and not smear his toilet roll. 

We waited for the paint to dry overnight.  Then, we grabbed our favorite (and super affordable) watercolors.  To get vibrant colors, I told my son to not use too much water and swish the cakes several times- we count to 20 before painting.

And then we got to work coloring all the lovely shapes that we saw in our respective pictures.  I was a faster painter than him so I ended up painting the background too.

Ok.  So if we followed the inspirational pins, we probably should have stopped there.    We had fun making two pretty pieces of artwork.  

But...

my son asked if he could add more details to his drawing with Sharpie markers.  (Not sure why, but he LOVES using Sharpies.  I think because he considers them “Mama’s special markers.”)  Our work area is always covered with a plastic tablecloth, so I brought them out and let him at it… while I doodled alongside of him.

And that’s how we ended up with “Valentine’s Day” artwork that depicted a battle/chase scene complete with pirate ships and dragon rockets...

And this…. a bunch of crazy cute faces.
(Because really, nothing says "Happy Valentine's day" like crazy faces and rocket dragons.)

Right now our works of art are hanging up above our fireplace. 

I kinda dig them and I’m glad we didn’t stick to the original plan.  

I love how he owned his work and added details.  Now our pieces reflect our personality and that makes me happy.

Hope you have a wonderful time finding and following creativity’s lead!

More Process Art Ideas

And if you want other fun process art activities, check out these ideas below! 

• Glittery Fall Leaf Process Art
• Easy and Beautiful Rain Process Art
• Shiny Foil Process Art
• Squirt Gun Process Art
• Tricycle Art
• Spinning Top Marker Art
• Scrape Art
• Melted Crayon Art

More Preschool Heart Crafts and Activities

Today's post is part of a collaboration between 6 awesome kid bloggers!  So if you're looking for more heart activities and crafts just in time for Valentine's Day, check out the links below!

• 100 Hearts Preschool Math Activity | I Heart Crafty Things
• Mix and Squish Hearts: Sensory Bags to Explore Color | A Little Pinch of Perfect
• Shadow Heart Painting | Handmade Kids Art
• Yarn Wrapped Hearts Mobile | School time Snippets

Happy creating friends!

Let's Keep in Contact!

You can always find more fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram account!