Craft Ideas Using Button Art
There are so many ideas around when art can be constructed from buttons. Our craft today is no exception! Creating button art is a challenge in some respects because the type of button art you can create is only limited by the imagination. I have seen lambs, hearts, sunflowers, jellyfish, and mosaics that will bring a gasp because they are so intricate and beautiful.
Great Button Art Projects
You
Today’s Project – The Button Art Tree on a Canvas
I decided to make a tree for our project today. Before I got started, I realized that I needed to have a tree silhouette for my canvas. Instead of copying someone else, I created a whole new tree silhouette and placed it in my resource library – look for #241 and #242 for you to download. This is a free file for you. I have it in 2 versions: SVG (for those with a Cricut) and PDF (for those who prefer to hand cut).
Materials
- Buttons in multiple sizes.
- A canvas or cardstock for the artwork.
- Patterned paper or acrylic paints. For this project, I used a patterned cardstock for the background just to save time.
- Glue – a glue that will hold the weight of the buttons when the project is framed. I love E6000 and tend to use it a great deal. You may have another type of glue you prefer to use.
- Tree template – download the template as either an SVG or PDF file from the resource library.
Preparing the Canvas
If you are going to use paint on a canvas, you will need to prep the canvas with the colors you will be using for the background.
If you are using heavy card stock, as I did for the project, then you can cut the paper to approximately 12″ x 12″ for a larger tree or 8.5″ x 11″ if you want to make a smaller one. I used 12″ x 12″.
Drawing the Button Art Tree Outline
Make sure you have downloaded the tree silhouette from the resource library before starting this part of the project (it is sized for an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper so you will not have to make any adjustments when you upload it to design space). Note that I used 12″ x 12″ paper. All I needed to do was upload the file, insert it into my project, then save it and make it. The silhouette came out perfectly although the weeding (taking the tree off the cutting mat) was touchy as some of the branches are thin and I had no problem.
If you are hand cutting, you can print the tree on any color (except black – it will not show) and cut the outline. Remember the cuts do not need to be perfect, you are after a barren tree look.
In the image below you can see the tree silhouette I cut with my Cricut Maker. You can achieve the same look with scissors except your branches may be a bit thicker. It does not really matter which way you do your cut, it will work.
Adding the Buttons
This is absolutely the most fun part of the project. You will want to layout your buttons before gluing them down to make sure you have the arrangement you like. I tried several layouts before I decided on my final one. See the image below on how I made my arrangement.
The finished project will look so amazing!
Finishing up your Button Art Project
Now is the time to glue your buttons to the art. Make sure you have a glue that will dry clear and not show on your finished canvas. As an option you could sew on your buttons – this will take a lot more work but you will be assured that your buttons will not fall off your project.
More Reading on Button Art
A Little Button Art Video Inspiration
Recycled Button Crafts Ideas – Easy DIY Button Projects
Button Bowls are Beautiful
Last Word
This project took several hours just because I needed my canvas to dry in stages. The creative part was exciting and I was able to use many different colored buttons in the project. I had a box full of old buttons (never throw out old clothing without taking off the buttons and saving them for projects such as this one).
I am so pleased with my results!
Don’t forget to read our other articles from this week: Paper Plate Weaving – lots of fun and Ideas for Creating Art with Toilet Paper Rolls. These are just a sample of what we produce each week. During the 100 day challenge, you will find great paper craft ideas and more.
Did you do a button art project? Don’t forget to share it with me in the comments or on my Facebook page.
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PS The password for the resource library is love
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– thank you! Happy Crafting…
