Dinosaur Footprint Craft

A few years ago, I bought these cute dinosaur print wall hangings at Hobby Lobby for my son. I thought it would be adorable to make one with my son’s footprints to hang along with them since he is such a big dinosaur fan. If you are interested in how I made it so you can make one of your own, see below for the directions.

*I made my own wood canvas so that it matched the size of the other wall hangings, but you can buy pre-made wood wall hangings at craft stores if you want to skip that step (however, they may not be the same size).

MATERIALS NEEDED

  • Wood Glue
  • (3) 3” x 9” x 0.5” wood pieces/boards (had to cut these from one 3” x 48” x 0.5” board)
  • (2) 1.5” x 9” x 0.5” wood pieces/boards (had to cut these from one 1.5” x 36” x 0.5” board)
  • Wood stain (I used Minwax brand stain in Ebony)
  • Foam brush to use with stain
  • (2) large D-ring picture hangers
  • Non-Toxic Paint in Green (or your choice of color for footprints)
  • Foam brush to use with non-toxic paint
  • Pencil (for tracing/writing the letters)
  • Acrylic Paint in White for name letters
  • Optional (letter stencils in your choice of font – you will need letters that spell your name + “o-s-a-u-r-u-s”)
  • Small paint brush

DIRECTIONS

*You can skip the first step if you are not making the wood wall hanging piece.

  1. First, I had to make the wood canvas*, making sure to match the size and color of the other three wall hangings. The other three wall hangings are 9” by 9” so my husband helped to cut three 3” x 9” pieces from a 3” x 48” x 0.5” board. Next, I glued the three pieces of wood together with wood glue to make a 9” x 9” square piece. I glued the two 1.5” x 9” wood pieces vertically on the back 3 inches apart to be used with the hangers. I screwed the D-ring hangers on the vertical wood pieces at the top (making sure they were even so that the piece would hang straight). Then, using a foam brush, I applied several coats of stain on the piece (letting it dry between each coat) until I achieved the desired color.                                                                                                        *I made my own wood canvas so that it matched the size of the other wall hangings, but you can buy pre-made wood wall hangings at craft stores if you want to skip that step (however, they may not be the same size).
  2. Using painter’s tape, I taped off the space I would need for the lettering at the bottom of the piece to ensure my son’s footprints wouldn’t overlap. I also marked in pencil about where to place each foot on the piece. 
  3. I applied non-toxic green paint evenly to the bottom of my son’s right foot using a foam brush. I helped my son place his right foot flat on the right side of the piece above the painter’s tape so the green paint transferred onto the piece. I helped press each toe to make sure they touched down on the piece. I made sure he lifted his foot straight up after pressing it down on the piece so no paint got smeared.

4. We cleaned the paint off my son’s right foot and then repeated Step 3 for the left foot, pressing the bottom of his painted left foot down on the left side of the piece, next to the right footprint. Again, I helped to press each toe down and lift his foot straight up when finished so we didn’t smear any paint.

5. We cleaned the paint off my son’s left foot and then let the footprints dry.

6. I traced the letters I needed for my son’s dinosaur name off of the other wall hangings so that I could match the font. Then, I cut the letters out and traced them lightly with pencil on the board to spell out “Lukeosaurus” since my son’s name is Luke. 

*You may choose to create your own letters by hand, use letter stencils you already own, or use a font you like on the computer by printing the name/letters out you need in that font and tracing them.

  1. Once I was satisfied with the letter placement, I used a small paint brush and white acrylic paint to fill in/paint each letter. I only used one coat of paint because I thought it had a “prehistoric” look by letting a little wood show through. I let the paint dry completely
  2. Once the white paint dried, I hung it up with the other dinosaur print wall hangings to create a cute and personalized display for my son. 

 

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