Day #2 of Bird-Day Week: Angry Birds Can Toss Game

I have thrown quite a few parties, but most of them have been for little girls. This week our party will be for boys...lots and lots of little boys. Very active little boys. I need activities. Lots of activities. Not coloring and art projects like I do for my daughters parties...I need lots of hands on...active...activities. So today I spent the day painting cans. What? Hold on, there is a point here. I painted tin cans for one of the Angry Bird games. Take a look:


I think these turned out really cute! I started with cans of vegetables. They had a pull top lid, so the can was left with a smooth, clean edge after it was opened.

I started spray painting the cans, which gave a nice smooth finish, but the color just wasn't right. If the color isn't right, it just doesn't look right. I took our Angry Bird stuffed animals to Michaels and used them as my color palette to compare to the new line of paints from Martha Stewart.


These paints are awesome. The colors come out nice and thick, so they cover well. You know what I mean...the difference between a quality paint and the cheaper ones that are watery. This is good paint. The colors I used were Yellow Jacket, Beetle Black, Tartan Red and Spring Pasture. These colors are ideal for painting the red bird and the pigs.

I painted a layer of Spring Pasture over the spray paint. Next I took a picture I found online and enlarged it on the copier 400x the original size. I cut out the snout and eyes as my pattern.


I placed the pattern on the can and drew a dotted line around the edges for my guidelines. This helps to ensure that I keep the correct proportion and will keep my figures looking more accurate.


I took some of the Spring Pasture green and mixed it with some white I had. I needed to have a lighter version of green to paint the snout.


Next I painted the white portions of my outline. This is a lot like coloring in a coloring book. Take a fairly small brush that is not really soft, it will make it easier to control your paint.


Next I painted the red and black parts of the pig. I apparently got ahead of myself here, because I forgot to take step by step pictures...sorry.


You can see how close the can looks to the original picture. I finished off each eye with a small dot of white inside the black pupil. This makes them look a lot more realistic.

I will coat these tomorrow with a clear sealer. I am hoping this will help keep their faces intact for the party, but I am assuming they will begin to chip off as soon as the boys start hitting them. These are not likely to be long term toys, but they are great for the party.


I found these small, red playground balls at Party City. I am using the same technique I used on the cans to paint Angry Bird faces on the front of the balls.


I outlined my design with a permanent marker.


I painted in my areas with two coats to create a good solid color. Again, the Martha Stewart paint covered really well. The white paint I was using, was not so easy. I will buy the Martha Stewart paint next time.

After the solid areas were dry, I went in with a fine tip brush and outlined my pieces. I think it turned out really great.


This game is going to be a big hit (pun intended) at the party!



I am linking up to these parties: