DIY Rusty Shovel Garden Art Craft Project
If you want to complete this craft project for a smaller or indoor garden try using some rusty spades. They are the perfect miniature shovels.
For this rusty garden art craft project you will need:
Rusty Shovels (However many you want)
Exterior Paint (In a variety of colors)
Polyurethane
Paint Brushes (Smaller Artist Brushes)
You can find rusty shovels at yard sales, your own yard, friends and family. If for some reason you can’t find any you can make your own. Buy some new shovels; paint them with a faux rusting treatment like the ones for sale at Lowes. If you get stuck buying new shovels though, maybe family members and friends would let you swap out for their old pieces.
Choose different type of shovels for this craft project. The fun is in the details. Small army shovels make great children. Taller square shovels would make a great father type figure. A snow shovel would also be a fun starting point in this garden art craft project. You could cut the handle short and create the family pet on the large flat part of this shovel.
You will be standing your shovel up by the handle, so the face will either be the concave or convex side of the shovel. Paint a face on the shovel using your exterior paint. This is a great project to do with the entire family because you can paint a shovel for each person in the family. Take inspiration from other folk art or even legendary artists like Picasso. Let our creativity shine through.
Once the paint has dried apply at least three coats of polyurethane to the metal part of your shovel. Allow each coat to dry before you paint on the next. This will protect your� garden craft project from the elements.
Stand you garden art people shovels in the ground by stabbing them in handle side first. Create varying heights by changing the depth at which they are inserted into the ground. Group them together throughout the yard verses standing them alone. This way your craft project will make more of an impact.
For some added interest you could add some clothing items to your garden art shovel people. Scarves and hats are a great starting point. A toupee or wig would be fabulous and funny. If you live in a rainy part of the county why not a rain hat and jacket?
If you want to skip painting on the face you could take a three dimensional route with this garden craft project. Use items like rusty screws, old tools, and old hardware for added details. An old doorknob would make a fabulous nose. A rusty old screw might also make a great nose. For the mouth try cutting a tin can with tin snips into the shape of some lips. A rusty red colored can would be great. Finally, you could always cut shapes out of a sheet of tin and paint them with the exterior paint. All of these three dimensional details would be best attached with an epoxy glue. Allow the glue to dry for twenty-four hours before you place your garden art outside.
To add arms to your garden art shovel people twist on heavy gauge copper wiring that you can buy in the plumbing section of any home improvement store. Lay your rusty shovel flat on a work surface. Drill a hole through the wooden handle at arm height. Place your heavy gauge copper wire through the hole. You will want to have the wire hanging out on either side like an arm. Give a more finished look to the arms by twisting the wire into circle shaped hands. Then twist the wire into whatever position you would like. For a little fun insert a small glass vase into the circle and place a flower inside. This is the perfect addition to your garden!
