Art:

Splatter Painted Plant Pot

 

            Today's Snack: Put a paper napkin in front of you and take a half-teaspoon full of shelled sunflower seeds. Now stick out the pointer finger of your left hand, take the spoon in your right hand, and neatly and gently "splatter" the seeds all over the napkin. Do it by bonking the spoon into your left pointer finger, making sure the spoonful of seeds is pointing toward the napkin. Now comes the best part: "un-splatter" your seeds by picking up two edges of the napkin, making the seeds fall into the center, and then lift the napkin to your mouth and tilt the napkin so that the seeds fall - up and into your mouth! Wash down with a box of pure apple juice.

 

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Supplies:

New or cleaned-up clay pot | acrylic paint, any colors

Sponge brush | any size of bristled brushes | Q-tips |

Newspaper | clear acrylic top-coat spray

 

 

            Here's a fun way to beautify your front porch or back patio, or make a nice gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, or any time. Splatter paint almost looks like a mistake or a mess, but it's a really fun paint style. The pictured pot was a little girl's way of inventing a whole new galaxy of neon green stars and planets. Pretty cool, eh?

 

            Day before: if you're using a new clay pot that has a pricetag stuck on it, or are recycling an old clay pot that has some dirt on it, soak the pot in a tub of water for an hour. Then brush with a plastic cleaning brush. Let dry completely.

 

            (Note: it's nice to paint a matching clay saucer to catch drips once you get your pot finished and planted.)

 

            Lay down newspaper to catch drips. Now paint two or three light coats of base paint in any color or colors you choose. Do the outside, and go one or two inches down the inside of the pot, to below where the dirt line will be. Do the same thing with the matching saucer, if you have one.

 

You might want to thin the paint with a little water if it's too thick. Let dry between coats. Use a sponge brush to lay on paint evenly, so there aren't any lines or ridges. Try for two or three light coats instead of one heavy, blobby coat. Depending on the weather, you might need an hour between coats to dry.

 

            When your pot is completely dry, choose a completely different color - or two, or three -- for your splatter paint color. Use a different brush for each color. You might want to practice on newsprint first, to try different techniques and make sure the splatter effect is what you want. Try different sizes of brushes to get different sizes and shapes of splatters. You can just shake the brush at the pot, smack your hand holding the brush against your other hand so that dots fly onto the pot upon impact, stand on a chair high over the pot on its side on the ground (on newspaper) and let drips fall and splash . . . whatever floats your boat.

 

            Then, making sure to protect the surface with newspaper, go ahead and splatter to your heart's content. Let dry for at least an hour, and preferably 24 hours. Clean all brushes immediately, following the container's directions; hopefully, you can wash them in the sink with water.

 

            Once your pot is dry, the last step calls for more newspaper to be laid down. Now spray-coat two thin layers of acrylic top-sealer onto the outside of your pot, and 1 inch down the inside top. Let about 20 minutes pass between coats. This clear layer needs to dry for 24 hours before you give it away or plant it with a flower in a color that will look pretty. This will keep your paint job from chipping, and make it easier to clean off smudges of dirt in the future.

 

            You don't want anything to conceal your work of art!