Hands On Crafts for Kids

By Prudy Vannier

Madagascar

An interesting fact about Madagascar is that the people there only use spoons for eating utensils. Painting a spoon for a Madagascar project seemed the perfect thing to do. On my wooden spoon I have an outrigger canoe painted because they are common in this country. I recently saw a picture of a beautiful Madagascar girl with a checked scarf, so I painted the checks around the handle of my spoon. On the back, is the flag of Madagascar.

Painting lesson: Use a variety of brushes for different effects, complimenting the painting with pen work

Main supplies:

Wooden spoon
Fine point black permanent marker
DecoArt® Satin Varnish
DecoArt® Americana® Acrylic Paints: Light Buttermilk DA164 , Indian Turquoise DA087, Titanium White DA001, True Blue DA036, Baby Blue DA042, Sand DA004, Milk Chocolate DA174, True Red DA129, Burnt Umber DA64, Lamp Black DA067, Kelly Green DA055, Golden Straw DA168
Royal® Brushes: #6 flat, ½” flat, liner, small scruffy brush
Painting supplies:

Painting supplies:

Royal® water basin
paper towel
Royal® graphite paper
tracing paper
pencil
Roya®l palette paper and stylus

Instructions:
1. Use the ½” flat to basecoat the entire spoon with Light Buttermilk. Dry.
2. Put all colors of paint on your palette. Divide the front of the spoon into 3 sections. The top section is the sky, the middle one is water, and the bottom is beach. Use the #6 flat to paint across the bottom of the sky with True Blue. Stroke upward, but load the dirty brush into some Titanium White – continue working up so that the paint blends and the sky turns lighter at the top.
3. Do the same thing with the water. Start at the top of the water with Indian Turquoise. Work the paint down, loading with some Titanium White so that the water turns a little lighter at the bottom.
4. The beach is Sand. As the scene dries, work on the handle.
5. Pencil 3 long lines down the handle. Use these as guides for your checks. Use True Blue with the #6 flat to paint squares in a check pattern down the handle.
6. Draw or transfer the canoe pattern onto the dried background. Paint the canoe True Red, the inside Ebony Black, the sail with Golden Straw. The mast is Milk Chocolate.
7. Use your liner to paint a little strip of beach in the background with Sand, then the strip of grass and palm tree with Holly Green. Put a tiny bit of Milk Chocolate on your brush to “dirty up” the sail. The add Titanium White streaks as sunny reflections.
8. With a scruffy brush, little pat Titanium White to make waves and surf.
9. Outline everything with the pen, including the checks.
10. On the back, paint the Madagascar flag, if you like. Use Titanium White, Holly Green, and True Red. The flag pole is Milk Chocolate.
11. Finish by varnishing with satin varnish.