I have been waiting to share these amazing body tracing self portraits with you but kept putting it off because I forgot to take pics of the actual body tracing part. Alas, I realized I’ll probably never get a chance to take those photos so I’m just going to go ahead and share what I do have, especially since this id such a perfect art project for Back to School.
Jean from The Artful Parent has done a ton of body tracing activities and I’ve always admired them. This is definitely just the beginning for me of exploring self portrait body tracings. They are so much fun!
You’ll Need…
SuperTuff Double Sided Drop Cloth
Steps
1. Cut out a portion of the drop clothe and lay it out with the plastic side up. This drop clothe is amazing because one side is smooth and plastic, while the other side is absorbent like watercolor paper or a sturdy paper towel. I can’t recommend this stuff enough. It’s huge and super cheap. I will be sharing a bunch of ways to use it for collaborative murals in the upcoming months.
2. Have your child lay down on the drop clothe and trace their head and body with a sharpie, plastic side up. I just did from the torso up because I was working with a lot of kids at once, but if it’s you and your child, I would recommend doing the whole body. If you have an older sibling they can do the tracing.
3. Still working on the plastic side up, you can play a game of Simon Says with your child to add all the details of their self portrait. “Simon Says draw your eyes…Simon Says draw your nose.” Or just invite them to add any details they want. We then used fun chalk markers to color in some of the details.
4. When they are done adding all the details with sharpies, turn the self portrait body tracing over to the absorbent side and begin to add color. We used lots of vibrant liquid watercolors and droppers and sponge brushes. I like to keep mine in baby jars. They are the perfect size for kids. First we taped the portraits to the wall to apply paint and then on the second day of class we placed them on a table. Both ways worked really well.
The kids loved squeezing the colors onto the absorbent surface with the droppers. It was a pretty gorgeous sight.
5. The final step was to cut out the silhouette of the body tracing and glue it to a poster board backing. Once it was dry I cut out the silhouette again. This makes the body tracing firm so you can hold it and hang it without it flopping around. Someone also suggested mod podging the whole thing for stiffness, instead of using the poster board, which seems like it would work great as well and then you can hang it on a window and the light will shine through.
Overall, this was a killer project. The kids enjoyed it so much and it was pretty incredible to see all the body tracings hanging together. I didn’t want them to leave the art studio!
All the kids looked around for their tracings and were so proud to take them home. They kept kissing and hugging them.
If you like this project, you might want to check out these All About Me self-portraits. Thanks for following along and happy Back to School. xo, Meri
Oh, this looks like so much fun. I just wanted to clarify the kids are decorating the plastic side of the cloth? I am teaching a class of 3-5 year olds this semester for the first time. I have had a lot of fun looking around your site. 🙂
Hi Kirsten, Yes, the plastic side is where you do all the sharpie and fun chalk markers. Then you turn it over and paint with the watercolors on the absorbent side. Then you flip it over and get a beautiful unveiling of the final piece. Hope that helps!
Where did you get the mini photo albums you used? I haven’t been able to find any on web.
Hi – I am doing this now with my kids. They love it and my son has not been into art lately so I am thrilled. Should I save the smaller pieces of drop cloth for future projects? I think you said you’d be posting more on using them. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
Hi Christine, So glad you’re trying this! You can definitely keep them in a ziplock or something. I haven’t found a specific use so far but you can collage with them and I’ll keep you posted if I think of anything else. Thanks so much! Meri
Thanks again! My daughter finished hers and loves it so much that we hung it on her door. My son is still working on his.
Yay!! So happy to hear this! Send a pic when you have a chance.
I did this project with my 4 year old Kindergarten class and it was amazing! My kiddos absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for the wonderful idea!
Yay Lauren! Thats so great!!! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Meri, I just started teaching at a lower School in the U.k (reception – Yr 8). I’m use to upper school art so I needed some inspiration for the early years. I found quite a few projects from your blog which are fun harnessing the wonderful naivety of small children. Thank you!
Thank you so much! It’s my pleasure!
I’m a bit late to this post, but what would you suggest instead of the drop cloth canvas (except butcher paper)? We unfortunately cannot get it all the way here in South Africa but this is such an awesome project I am dying to try it with my students! I think it’s the effect of the watercolours that make it extra special… Podge on canvas/calico fabric maybe?!
🙂