Animal Stencil Art

Children love to see their artwork on display. Fill the walls of their bedroom or playroom with these easy-to-make silhouette paintings. You can download and print out any type of picture you want to use as a stencil. The ones used here are animal stencils.

Tools and Materials

• a silhouette printed on paper
• a canvas (we used an 8"x10")
• paint
• paintbrushes
• double-sided tape or Glue Dots
• scissors.

Directions

1. Print the silhouette(s) then cut the shape(s) out of the paper. (Your child's initial would also be a fun option for the project. Just print the letter in your favorite font.)
2. Cover the back of the cut-out shape with either Glue Dots or double-sided tape and adhere it to the canvas. Make sure all small points (i.e., the giraffe's tail) have something on them to hold them down.
3. Pick out your paint colors and place them in your palette (a paper plate will do just fine). Start the brush strokes on top of the silhouette and radiate them out toward the edges.
4. Work all the way around the silhouette, always brushing away from the stencil. We went all the way to the edges and varied the shades of pink around the canvas, but you can let the kids be creative with how they want to paint it.
5. Let the paint dry and then peel off the silhouette leaving just the white space beneath.
6. Hang the artwork on your child's wall and admire.