Decorated lunch bags for my two kids
November 14, 2013 10:03 AM Subscribe
Decorated lunch bags for my two kids
For the past year and change, I've been sending my two sons two school with custom lunch bags that I make for them every day that they're at my house (i.e., half of the time). I've painted, drawn, collaged, cut, and stenciled. Sometimes I make an image based on a historical event that happened on that date; sometimes the boys request a particular illustration; and sometimes I just go with my muse. I guess there are a handful of parents doing this in various ways, so it's not the most revolutionary thing ever, but I'm pretty pleased with how a lot of the bags have come out, so I thought I'd share.
For the past year and change, I've been sending my two sons two school with custom lunch bags that I make for them every day that they're at my house (i.e., half of the time). I've painted, drawn, collaged, cut, and stenciled. Sometimes I make an image based on a historical event that happened on that date; sometimes the boys request a particular illustration; and sometimes I just go with my muse. I guess there are a handful of parents doing this in various ways, so it's not the most revolutionary thing ever, but I'm pretty pleased with how a lot of the bags have come out, so I thought I'd share.
Role: Artist/parent.
Stormyteal:
I do try to keep the bags when they come home intact. I have most of them preserved in archive-quality larger paper bags, inside my archive-quality closet.
I wonder about the downloadable stickers you suggest - I'd probably have to stop making so many bags that say "Max" or "Reuben" on them, unless I wanted a very circumscribed market! Other friends have suggested selling prints, selling the original bags, or self-publishing a coffee table-type book. So far, I've basically pursued none of those ideas, probably because I'm too busy working and raising children, and spend my free time making elaborate lunchbag drawings. I keep hoping a publisher of coffee table books will just materialize and offer me a contract.
posted by Presidente de China at 12:53 PM on November 18, 2013
I do try to keep the bags when they come home intact. I have most of them preserved in archive-quality larger paper bags, inside my archive-quality closet.
I wonder about the downloadable stickers you suggest - I'd probably have to stop making so many bags that say "Max" or "Reuben" on them, unless I wanted a very circumscribed market! Other friends have suggested selling prints, selling the original bags, or self-publishing a coffee table-type book. So far, I've basically pursued none of those ideas, probably because I'm too busy working and raising children, and spend my free time making elaborate lunchbag drawings. I keep hoping a publisher of coffee table books will just materialize and offer me a contract.
posted by Presidente de China at 12:53 PM on November 18, 2013
These are awesome!!! I don't know about the prospects of coffee table books. I'd just photoshop a few of these onto t-shirts and throw them onto Etsy or setup your own Shopify site and see where it takes you. Handbags, canvas shopping bags, backpacks, lunchboxes -- that's your thing. Law meh. Art yeh!
posted by pallen123 at 10:16 PM on December 28, 2013
posted by pallen123 at 10:16 PM on December 28, 2013
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It makes me wonder, though - there's a lot of parents would would like to do something like this, and paper lunch bags are a pretty standard size. Would there be a market for your art if you sold in in downloadable, printable form that parents could cut out and paste on their kids' lunch bags?
It makes me a little sad, too, that these are likely getting used once and then thrown out - I'm SO glad you're taking pictures of them to share!
posted by stormyteal at 11:58 AM on November 17, 2013