Buzz
If you're seeking a delightful autumn activity, consider crafting handprint and footprint turkeys. It's a fantastic way for parents to bond with their children while engaging in a creative pursuit. For those unfamiliar with the process, it's quite simple. You can fashion your turkey using construction paper or finger paint. By following these steps and allowing your imagination to flourish, you'll produce handprint and footprint turkeys of which you can be truly proud.
Instructions
Utilizing Construction Paper
Outline your feet on construction paper. When tracing, omit the spaces between your toes and focus on capturing the general shape of your feet. The traced feet will be affixed together to form the body of the turkey. Be sure to trace both your left and right feet.
- You have the freedom to choose any color for your turkey's body, but brown is the most traditional choice and best mimics the appearance of a turkey.
Crafting Colorful Handprint and Footprint Feathers
Trimming Your Handprint and Footprint Outlines Carefully cut along the outlines of your traced hands and feet, setting each piece aside as you progress. Exercise caution while cutting, especially if you're using scissors suitable for children.
Assembling the Turkey's Body Glue the two feet together to create the body of the turkey. Align the cutouts so that the heels overlap while the toes extend at a 30-degree angle. This arrangement should resemble a single cutout with a neck, head, and two protrusions representing the turkey's stomach.
Attaching the Handprint Feathers Position the paper hands behind the turkey to visualize the final arrangement. Arrange the traced hands in a fan-like fashion and glue them together to create a spread-out feather effect. Once assembled, affix the hands to the back of the turkey's body, ensuring they are centered and rise from behind the head or heel of the cutout.
Creating Facial Features Fashion an orange beak and red wattle for the turkey's face using construction paper. You can either sketch an outline and cut along it or freehand cut a triangle for the beak and a rounded teardrop shape for the wattle.
- Utilize orange paper for the beak and red paper for the wattle.
Adding Eyes to Your Turkey Affix two eyes or attach googly eyes to your turkey. Googly eyes are readily available at most arts and crafts or department stores. If you don't have them, you can draw eyes on the top of your turkey's body to simulate them.
Attaching the Facial Features Position the beak and wattle beneath your turkey's eyes. Adhere the remaining pieces to the turkey's face. If you've exhausted your construction paper supply, resort to drawing the features with a pencil or pen. The beak should be placed below the eyes, while the wattle should be situated just under the beak. Once the glue dries, your project is complete.
Exploring the Painting Technique
Painting Your Foot Impressions Paint the sole of your foot brown and your toes orange. Your foot imprint will serve as the turkey's body and feet. Apply brown paint using a brush or your fingers. Finger paint can be purchased at most art supply stores.
- Refer to finger painting techniques for additional inspiration.
- Lay down a tarp or tablecloth to safeguard your furniture or flooring from paint spills.
Creating the Turkey's Body Press your painted foot onto a white sheet of paper. The paint imprint should resemble the body of a turkey to some extent. Once you've completed the imprint, wipe your foot with a cloth or cleaning wipe to avoid creating a mess.
Creating Handprint Feathers Paint your hand red and press it onto a separate white paper. These handprints will serve as your turkey's wings and feathers. Repeat this process with various colors to complete a full set of feathers for your turkey.
- You can also substitute handprints with feathers to mimic the appearance of wings and feathers.
Layering Handprints for Effect Paint your hand orange followed by yellow and layer it over the red handprint. Press your hand down over the red print, angling it to create the impression of 8 to 10 fingers. Clean your hand and repeat the process using yellow paint.
- Feel free to experiment with layering handprints according to your preferences if you're dissatisfied with the initial result.
- Use one hand for painting to keep your other hand clean for other tasks.
Crafting the Turkey's Wattle Cut out a red piece of construction paper to fashion the turkey's wattle. The wattle, a distinguishing feature of turkeys, hangs from the bird's neck and resembles a red teardrop shape.
Forming the Turkey's Beak Cut out an orange triangle from construction paper to create the turkey's beak. Use either freehand cutting or trace an outline with a pencil before cutting with scissors.
Adding Eyes to Your Footprint Draw eyes on the heel of your foot imprint to represent the turkey's eyes. Alternatively, attach googly eyes for a playful touch.
- If you lack artistic skills, simple black circles drawn with a marker will suffice.
- Ensure the footprint paint is completely dry before drawing or attaching anything.
Finalizing Your Turkey Attach the remaining pieces of your turkey. Glue the beak beneath the eyes and add the wattle beneath it. This will complete the facial features of your turkey. For a whimsical touch, consider adding other features like a smile or even eyeglasses.
Cutting Out Handprints Allow your handprints to dry completely before cutting them out. Use scissors to carefully cut around the outline of the print, leaving a slight white border if desired.
Attaching Feathers Affix your feathers to the sides of your footprint using glue or tape. Position the handprints behind the turkey's body. If laminating, arrange the pieces as desired and run them through the laminator instead of using glue. Center the handprints behind the turkey so they appear to rise from behind the heel of the cutout. This completes your turkey project.
Exploring Colored Pencils
Outlining Your Hand Trace the outline of your hand, including fingers and thumb. The thumb will represent the turkey's face, the hand its body, and the fingers its feathers. Choose a colored pencil that contrasts well with the paper, such as dark blue or black, for better visibility.
- If regular computer paper is too flimsy, consider using cardstock or white construction paper.
- Optimal colors for outlining include dark blue or black pencils.
Adding Facial Features Draw eyes and a beak on your bird. Sketch a small triangle at the end of your thumb to create the beak. Optionally, draw a wattle, resembling a red teardrop, under the beak. Draw a circle with a black dot in the center to depict the turkey's eye.
- The bird's beak should be orange, while the wattle is typically red.
Coloring the Bird's Body Use brown or yellow pencils to color the bird's body. For vibrant wings, employ various colored pencils like green, red, yellow, and orange. Apply quick strokes for a realistic feather texture. Once you've finished coloring the turkey, your project is complete.
- Enhance the feathers by gluing candy corn to them for added color.
- Add feet to the bird by drawing them with yellow pencils.
