Footprints vs. Handprints for Young Children

It’s incredibly simple, and our friendly staff is always eager to assist – don’t hesitate to ask for guidance!

When it comes to capturing those precious memories, opting for footprints rather than handprints is ideal for the littlest ones, usually under the age of 2.

For more complex designs requiring multiple colors on one hand or foot, the minimum age is 5 and up for these designs. For example, Santa hands and Hamburger hands.

Best Times to Visit the Studio for Prints

Ideally, during the week. For younger ones or multiple kiddos – it is best to come in during the week when the studio is a bit quieter. Our weekends are often full of energy and excitement, and our staff may not be able to give you the full attention you deserve if you are doing multiple prints – though we will do our best! Please ask for current hours or visit us at www.wallsofclaymckinney.com.

A special note during peak season (November & December): Saturdays and Sundays during the holiday seasons are the busiest days for us in the studio. If you need special attention such as assistance with brainstorming ideas or a bunch of hand/footprints – the weekends might not be the best time to visit our studio.

Though we understand the needs of working customers and/or busy schedules, we know the weekends might be your only chance to visit us – we will do our best to give you the attention you deserve.

Calling Ahead for Newborns through 6 months

For newborns through 6 months, we suggest calling the studio first to make sure we are not too busy and have someone on hand who specializes in the tiniest of tiny little ones.

Recommended Paint Colors

First, we always recommend pressing the print on a bare surface (no background or base coat). Printing on bare pottery or bisque allows more detail in the print to come through.

Second, we recommend darker colors since we only ” press” the print once. For example, a darker pink or blue versus a pastel pink or “baby” blue.

Exercise caution when seeking inspiration online, as numerous designs utilize acrylic paints. While acrylics offer opacity, they lack the luster, durability, and kiln-fired uniqueness inherent to ceramics and pottery. Please ask – we are here to help and guide you in the right direction.

Paint Safety and Washability

Paint is lead-free, non-toxic, and super washable, so no worries about getting paint on clothes or hands/feet.

Here are a few quick questions to get you to the next step:

Will your plate, platter, mug, etc. be an everyday piece or for a certain holiday? This will help in choosing colors and designs.

What do you want to do with the print? Do you want it to be just that – a hand or footprint with a decorative edge or border? Or do you want to embellish it to turn the print into something such as a Christmas tree, snowman, garden, and so on?

We have lots of samples and handprint/footprint books – just ask, and you are welcome to breeze through them.

Do you want to complete the piece or leave it for us to finish it?

You are welcome to do either and keep in mind that you can always come in, get the prints, leave and come back when you have some spare time to sit, relax and paint! No one says you have to figure everything out at once! If you have us finish your piece, whether it’s a full design or just lettering, our custom artwork charges start at $30/hour.  Custom work (when we take a brush to your piece) has a 2 – 3 week turnaround time, depending on the time of year.

Custom work; when we take a brush to your piece….

By nature, we are a paint-your-own-pottery studio which means YOU paint-your-own-pottery. However, we realize that there are occasions when you may want a little (or a lot) of extra help! There are two different situations when we take a brush to your piece…

Personalization

Personalization is adding a quick name & age to your piece, typically “tucked” by a foot or handprint. The charge for this is $2/print if we are just personalizing your piece. This may add a few days to the usual turnaround time of 7 days because of the volume of personalization requests. Additionally, this is in a “handwritten” font, nothing fancy schmancy, and under 1/2 “ in height.

Customization

Customization is when WE take a brush to YOUR piece and do more than the personalization noted above. It’s really a matter of what YOU are comfortable with based on your time, mood, and desire to paint – or not to paint!

If you are not painting because you’re intimidated by the process, please let us know! We have oodles of easy-to-do tips, tricks, and techniques to assist you. That is the BEST part of our job – helping you along the painting journey. Back to customization…

We can provide full customization (for those who never want to pick up a brush) or partial customization. Customization charges are based on an hourly rate of $30. This is in addition to the piece itself and charges vary based on the customization amount and the time it will take to complete. Most hand/footprint pieces are $30.00 – $45.00 for custom art charges. 

Full customization includes turning a handprint into a hamburger (a great gift for Dad, btw!), footprints into snowmen, handprints into turkeys – the ideas are endless!

Partial customization means we are putting the finishing touch to your masterpiece such as adding a decorative border. Or, in most cases, writing on your piece, Whether it be a sentiment such as “Bless this Home”, “Merry Christmas”, “Grandma’s Angels” or a verse or phrase such as “Every good and perfect gift comes from above” James 1:17.

If you have an idea – bring a picture or a sketch; a visual will help us land on the same page with what you had in mind. And, we have a LOOK BOOK with pictures and samples around our studio.

Please note: Saturdays and Sundays during the holiday season are the busiest days for us in the studio. If you need special attention such as assistance with brainstorming ideas or a bunch of hand/footprints – the weekends might not be the best time to visit our studio. Though we do understand the needs of working customers and/or busy schedules, we know the weekends might be your only chance to visit us – we will do our best to give you the attention you deserve.