DIY Dog Paw Painting Keepsake

Sarah Dickerson DIY & Dog Lifestyle Writer

Sarah is a designer, photographer, pet lifestyle expert, health & animal advocate, wife, and devoted dog mom (humble servant) to her loving Shih Tzu, Coco Bean.

Since joining the Pretty Fluffy team in 2012, Sarah writes feature articles on dog treat recipes, dog DIYs, dog lifestyle tips and designed the “52 Weeks of Treats,” and “Frozen” eBooks, authored by Pretty Fluffy founder Serena Faber Nelson.

Simple, beautiful and inexpensive, this DIY dog paw painting makes a lovely keepsake to display in your home.

My goal with this project was to bring a touch of doggie inspiration to the decor in my home office, while keeping it stylish.

Of course I want to be ‘in’ with the current Pinterest trends, but for me, it’s also important that the items in my new workspace have meaning, memories, and represent who I am – including my little furry family!

So, Coco Bean and I had a little painting party and designed some of our own custom prints. Literally, paw prints!

If you’ve been looking for crafty inspiration around how to make dog paw prints with paint, we think you’ll love this.

I’m thrilled to share our paw print art project with you today…let’s get started!

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How to Make a DIY Dog Paw Painting

My inspiration for whipping up this DIY paw print keepsake was to bring a touch of love and dog mom spirit into my home office. It was basically a gift to myself!

But what’s so great about these sweet dog paw paintings is they make a unique, personalised DIY gift idea for dog lovers too, not to mention a beautiful pet memorial tribute to your best friend.

Do you have a young puppy at home? This would be a super cute project to revisit throughout your puppy’s first year, documenting their growth with a new paw print and their age underneath.

What a special keepsake that would make!

Things you’ll need:

• Paper of your choice (I recommend a thicker weight)
• Paint brush
• Non-toxic washable paint (I used Martha Stewart’s Craft Paint)
• Fine tip ink pen
• Picture frame
• And your dog of course!

Preparation tips:

• Paint and dogs…who else can see this mess coming from a mile away??  To avoid your home turning into a puppy Picasso painting, I recommend spreading out an old sheet to protect your floors and furniture. Of course, you can always take the painting outside too.
• Have a bowl filled with a hint of dish soap and warm water ready to wash off those little paws. The Martha Stewart paint washed off of Coco’s paw in seconds, which made for an easy clean up.
• Having a towel handy to dry off the clean paws was helpful. If you’re outside, air drying is always an option too!

Instructions:

1. Choose the paint colour you want your paw print art to be. I had a hard time deciding, so Coco and I practiced with a few different colours before we landed on black. That is what is great about this DIY dog project – the options are endless!

2. Take the paintbrush and carefully paint your dog’s paw pad. If your dog has ticklish paws, you may need an extra set of hands!

3. Gently press your dogs paw onto the designated paper. Press and hold for a couple of seconds and try to lift the paw straight up to ensure zero smudging. Let the paw print dry for around 10 minutes.

4. While your paw print painting is drying, wash your dogs paw in the soapy water. Towel dry any excess water.

5. Once the paw print is dry, you can use a fine tip ink pen to write their name and age underneath.

6. Frame and hang!

Not every paw print will turn out perfect, but I think that’s what makes this DIY so special and unique.

You can see that in Coco’s paw print her hair also made some ink marks, making it look like it came from a wild animal, which is kind of awesome. She’s pretty wild sometimes, so it’s a perfect reflection!

I hope you enjoyed this DIY project and have the opportunity to make some paw prints with your own pretty fluffy at home.

The end result is a wonderful touch for any room in your house that you can cherish forever.

Enjoy! x