Button up and stay warm this holiday season

Tracey Bengeyfield
Nov 17
2 min read

This lovely holiday themed tutorial is 'as cute as a button' and is one which can be adapted for different occasions or even as a simple still life.

If you are a 'collector' like me, you probably have a jar, box or tin, full of buttons tucked away somewhere just waiting 'incase' they might come in handy!

I started collecting buttons in my teens ~ carefully snipping the spare ones stitched onto clothes tags and tucking them away in a small bag. In my later years I have even been known to buy jars of buttons from charity (thrift) stores!

I think my love of buttons probably stems from the hours of fun I had making pictures out of the array of buttons found in the magical tin my neighbour kept under the bed in her spare room. I can still hear the sound of the buttons as I rummaged through the tin searching for a specific colour or shape. I can recall delicate mother of pearl buttons and large, brown, leather covered buttons that reminded me of a tortoise shell. So I guess this button inspired painting has been in the making for nearly 50 years!

If you are one of my in-person students you may have already tackled a number of buttons (about 10 years ago now!) ~ some of which are featured below.

It was at this time I had the idea to create a Christmas Tree ~ so I arranged and photographed my buttons to create the design we are tackling in this project.

In this tutorial we will loosen up a little as I show you a more painterly approach. We will add small touches of colour, working in layers to create soft edges. To begin, you can select the buttons you wish to paint and paint as many or as few as you want! You can even create different looks by scaling your buttons up/down or make smaller trees and even multiple trees!

Each of these cute buttons are available to watch as standalone videos from start to finish ~ so you can just jump straight to the one you want to try first and get painting! To find out more about this project, take a look at the short video:

Once you have learnt the techniques, you can apply them to your own buttons ~ perhaps ones that hold sentimental meanings like those from children's clothes, wedding outfits, prom dresses etc. And remember, buttons are not just for Christmas! You can alter the colours to suit different occasions too ~ just remember to keep the tonal values the same.

If you enjoy painting Holiday Season projects don't forget to take a look at some of the other available tutorials.