Painted Photo Portraits

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Total Time Needed:: 1 Hour

With our clever tracing technique, your kids can turn any family photo into a realistic painting, creating a picture-perfect present in the process. We used vellum, which is sturdier and more elegant than tracing paper and is sold by the sheet or the pack at many craft stores.

Check out more ideas for easy-to-make Gifts that Celebrate Family.

Materials

8- by 10-inch photograph or print of a digital image
8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of vellum
Masking tape
Pencil

Paintbrush
Acrylic paints
Craft glue
White paper

Instructions

On a sunny day, tape the photograph to a light-filled window and then tape the vellum over the photo. Using a pencil, trace the photo, making the picture as detailed as you'd like, then remove the tracing from the window.
To paint each person in the photo, apply the skin color first. When dry to the touch, add facial features and clothing. Once dry, fill in the background.
Glue the portrait to a sheet of white paper and slip it into a frame.

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