Easy Father's Day Sailboat Footprint Art on Canvas

I love handprint and footprint arts! There were times when I was scouring Pinterest for some unique handprint and footprint arts to get inspiration from. Last year, I fell in love with this beautiful butterfly footprints on canvas from Mommypotamus and made one for E's dad as he was working 2400 miles away from us. He loved it --although he did not express it with such strong word, but just raised his eyebrows when asked if he liked it! But I have to say I was quite happy with the final product, which encouraged me to do some more.


What I love the most about handprint and footprint arts is that they do not require much artistic skill --which I unfortunately lack--and they make such wonderful keepsakes of those precious early years of our children, plus you do not have to break the bank for them!
After trying a few print arts with E, I realized getting footprints was much easier with older babies and toddlers than handprints. Last year, I failed to get E to keep his palm open while I was trying to get his handprints and had to completely change the project.

For Father's Day this year, I wanted to make footprints that can convey a message, not just a pretty keepsake. I scoured all over Pinterest but did not find anything that really made impression on me. Since I love sailboats, I just decided to go with a boat footprints.

 

What you need
- A canvas: I used a 20cmx25cm canvas I purchased at Michael's on sale ($3 the pair) a year ago. You can use any size you want as long as your child's footprints can fit on the canvas plus enough space for the hull and some margin for the waves.
- Paint: Non-toxic acrylic paint and finger paint.
- Paint brush or paint sponge: i found it easier to work with paint sponge with toddlers.
- Paint pen (optional: you can use a marker or just a paint brush instead.
- Wet wipes: very useful when working with babies and toddlers!

How to do it?
This was actually quite easy to realize.
- Mix up your desired colors on a palette. Again, I am not an artist so I just used primary colors --red and yellow being E's dad favorite colors.
- Before starting, lightly brush the canvas with water, that way it absorbs the paint easier.
- Mark where you want the footprints to land.
- Start with the sails first but make sure there is enough room left at the bottom for the hull and some waves. Evenly paint the sole of your child's left foot with the jib sail color using the paint sponge (I used red), then press the canvas against the foot. It should be slanted for about 15 to 30 degree from the imaginary mast. If your toddler is still enough, you can gently press each toe. Wipe or wash your child's foot immediately.
- Repeat with the right foot with the main sail color (I used the same color for the two sails). This time, there should be 45 degree between the imaginary mast and the axis of the foot. Make sure that the big toe is aligned with the left big toe, you will need to put the heel lower than the left heel to get the angle right.
- Repeat the process with the hull color (I used yellow).
If the result does not satisfy you, you can wash the canvas and start over again. You do not need to let the canvas dry before the next attempt.
- Using a paint pen or a paint brush, draw the outlines of the sailboat. I am sure you can do a much better job than I did :)
The method outlined here is best suited for babies and toddlers. Since they are not easy to control and capturing their footprints is quite a challenge, you can work with the details after you are satisfied with the footprints. If you are working with older children, it is easier to outline the sailboat and arrange the footprints accordingly.
- Squeeze some finger paint on the palette for the waves and guide as your child draws the waves with his finger.
- Add your message and you're all set!

I wanted the message to stress the responsibility of a father in child rearing - to guide and mentor.