Head outside to collect some twigs, then turn them into a rustic frame for your artwork with this simple kids’ craft project.
Nature has been an inspiration to artists ever since people began making art. You can make some fantastic art using objects found right in your backyard — like twigs that you can glue together to make a picture frame.
Photo © Andrew Greto Photography, excerpted from Art Sparks
It’s fun to walk outside and find things from nature that inspire you. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you do:
Take your time and look around so you don’t miss anything.
Be respectful of rules and of other living creatures. Make sure you have permission to take things if you are in someone else’s yard or a public space. Try not to disturb (and definitely don’t take) anything that seems like an animal relies on it or lives in it — like an active bird’s nest or a chrysalis.
Clean off what you find, if necessary, before you turn it into art.
Twig Frame
Use this rustic frame for any small drawing or painting you make. Sticks for this project can be smooth or bumpy.
What You’ll Need
- Paintbrush
- Piece of cardboard the size of the drawing you’re framing
- White glue
- Drawing to frame
- 4 sticks
- Low-temperature hot glue gun
- Piece of twine or string
Step 1. Use the paintbrush to cover the cardboard in white glue. Press your drawing onto the cardboard and set it aside to dry.
Photo © Andrew Greto Photography, excerpted from Art Sparks
Step 2. Have a grown-up cut the sticks so that they match the four sides of your drawing.
Photo © Andrew Greto Photography, excerpted from Art Sparks
Step 3. Use the hot glue gun to glue the sticks around the edges of your drawing and to attach the two ends of the twine to the back of the frame, near the top.
Photo © Andrew Greto Photography, excerpted from Art Sparks
Text excerpted and slightly adapted from Art Sparks © 2019 by Marion Abrams and Hilary Emerson Lay. Photography © Andrew Greto Photography. All rights reserved.
