painted pennies

I love introducing an unusual surface, one the kids have never thought to paint on before, in the studio classes.

In the preteen class that unusual surface were now defunct Canadian pennies. When Canada stopped making pennies several years ago, I of course began to hoard them and have quite a stash in a large baggie in the studio. I brought them out for the students to rummage through and told them to find one they would like to paint on.

meadow landscape, 13 year old

Then using water-based oil paints in primary colors and the world's smallest paintbrush, told the girls to create a painting on them.

the queen, 11 year old

The students went into the project a bit insulted that I had handed them such an easy task, one they felt they would accomplish in minutes. Imagine their surprise when they realized it was none too easy to get an image to read on such a small surface.

landscape, 13 year old

Great thing was they could just wipe off their attempts until they started to figure out a process that worked for them and by that time all the students were hooked on painting pennies!!

strawberry cupcake, 11 year old

Each of them painted several in the end and if the class had lasted longer, they would of still been painting pennies.

I have always loved anything in miniature and so there is something about these paintings that I just respond to instinctively.

honeybee, 11 year old

pink angel cat, 11 year old

I love them. I find them so enchanting and I think the students did too.

clouds by10 year old 

this artist fell in love with the rough, worn texture of this penny

In the end, I ended up mounting them for the girls on a sturdy white paper and then framed them in some double mats that I had picked up for a dollar each on clearance.

Again, hoarding at it's best. I bought 30 or 40 of them at that price not really sure what I would ever do with them but knowing they would come in handy from time to time, which they have!!

abstract, 12 year old

waves, 10 year old

wolf, 10 year old

The artwork all looked so pretty hanging together in a group on the walls last week before they went home. I hope they bring as much happiness on their walls as they did to me while hanging in the studio.