DIY Fall Artwork – Mosaic Art with Beans or Seeds

I stumbled across this awesome project while paging through my son’s artwork from school. He is always bringing home little mosaic projects with beans and seeds and I laminate them for long term storage/showcase in the house. Please note, the following images and content were copied from Cheryl at Crackof Dawn Blogspot.

Materials
posterboard, cardstock or thin cardboard
scissors, pen
tacky glue, sharpie
yarn
assorted beans
glossy clear spray paint

Note: I recommend dying the seeds or using the natural colors of the raw beans versus painting them to cut down on any potential mess! If you choose to dye the seeds, place ¼ to ½ cup of water in small cups, add a TBS of vinegar and several drops of food coloring to the cups. The dry seeds should soak in the mixture for 2-4 hours and then allowed to dry overnight.

1) Start by tracing simple Halloween shapes (free templates below) onto a piece of cardboard that’s thin enough to cut easily but thick enough to hold a thick layer of glue and heavy beans.  If you are making these for a class, choose the pumpkin for easy cutting.

2) Place a thin line of glue along the entire edge of the shape.  Starting from the top, wrap a length of yarn around the edge, forming a hanging loop when you reach the top again.  The yarn “frame” will help the seeds stay in place.  Set the shape to dry on something that you’ll be able to peel it off from (some glue will likely stick to the bottom).

3) Gather assorted beans. We used “red” lentils (they look orange), black beans, navy beans, and lima beans. Tapioca pearls or rice would also work well. (Red lentils are a key ingredient in dahl, a type of Indian soup, so you may need to check out the Indian food section of your grocer to find them.)

4) Smear the shape with glue. We used tacky glue, but school glue would work, too.

5) Have your kids form the eyes and mouths (and fangs!) first, then let them have at it!  Use a sharpie to add pupils to eyes or other features.

Feel free to try this out and make your own mosaic and don’t limit yourself to just Fall themes – you can make practically anything, for any time of year with these same instructions!

A Special Thanks to Cheryl from Crackof Dawn Blogspot for this kid-friendly idea!

   Liz