Module 3c of “Using the Arts to Create Joy & Connection”

Visual Arts: Shaving Cream Print Making

Please watch the video above. The text below, is the written version of what you’ll see and hear in the video.

Welcome Back to Module 3, Activity #2, which is Shaving Cream Print Making. I think you’re going to love this. It’s certainly one of my favourite art activities. One of the reasons I love this activity so much, is because people are always so surprised at what they’ve created. It’s do-able by just about everyone - of any age and any level of ability. A white or light coloured card stock is ideal, although any weight of paper will certainly work. You might want to think ahead to how the prints will be used in order to determine the best choice of paper. Will you be framing them and hanging them on the wall or using them for “one of a kind” greeting cards for friends and family, or using them as part of a larger collage project, scrapbooking paper, wrapping paper or book marks? If you or your loved one or client don’t have any immediate ideas of how they’ll be used, then try out card stock if you have it because it’s a little less messy and very versatile. If you don’t have any card stock available, then plain old white paper will work just fine. Let’s take a look at the materials that will be needed for this activity and then we’ll move right into the process.

1. To begin with, fill the foil tray about ¾ full with shaving cream, flattening the top as best as possible with a knife or piece of cardboard or plastic. It’s a bit like icing a cake.

2. Using a variety of different colours of food colouring, gently “drop” the food colouring onto the surface of the shaving cream.

3. With a wooden skewer, gently “draw” the skewer through the dots of food colouring to make different patterns. Have fun experimenting with lines, swirls, zig-zags, etc. Be careful not to “stir” the colours together, or they may mix to form a muddy looking surface.

4. When you are happy with the pattern or image you have created on the surface of the shaving cream, make a print by gently placing the card stock on top of the pattern. Smooth out the card stock with your fingers to ensure it has made contact with the surface below it.

5. Lift the card stock off the shaving cream, and use a spatula, stir stick, tongue depressor, or edge of a piece of cardboard to scrape off the excess shaving cream. Surprisingly, it doesn’t interfere with the pattern! It makes an actual print of what you created on top of the shaving cream!

6. Allow the new print to dry. Any shaving cream that is still on the print will brush off easily after it is finished drying.

7. The print can be framed, used as a greeting card, made into a book mark, or cut into shapes for future creative projects.

Did you enjoy that? I hope you’ll try it out real soon. Try it on your own first, so you have a good sense of what kind of a set-up you’ll want to create in repeating the activity with your loved one or client. It is a perfect activity to be working on alongside others so you can enjoy each other’s results as well as your own.

I look forward to seeing you in the next video, where you’ll learn how to make knuckle bopper puppets. The fun & creativity just never stops!