Picture-amulet “Horseshoe”

Since ancient times, finding a horseshoe was considered to bring good luck. According to popular legend, the blacksmith who shoed the unclean man made an agreement with him: he does not enter the house where the horseshoe hangs with its horns down. Every home should have a talisman. Who else but he will protect the inhabitants from evil spirits? Will it preserve peace, good luck, and prosperity in the house? But where can you find a horseshoe in the city now? So you have to take everything into your own hands. It should be noted that natural materials are traditionally used to make the amulet. For example, burlap symbolizes abundance and prosperity, a tree symbolizes the unity and strength of the family. I hope you get a lot of pleasure from the manufacturing process, and your relatives, friends and acquaintances enjoy present. Amulets are not made for oneself, they are made for others.

To work you will need:
- a rectangular base (size 250x200 mm - depends on how you want your work to look). This could be cardboard, plywood or a ready-made photo frame;
- burlap, 10 mm larger than the base on each side (270x220 mm);
- shaped wooden glazing beads (ordinary ones are possible);
- paper napkins (any);
- furniture stapler;
- acrylic paint in black and bronze colors. Acrylic black paint can be purchased in a can, no matter what kind - matte or glossy;
- glue gun or any glue, but not office glue;
- PVA glue, sponge, marker, small brush, scissors.



Stages of creating the painting “Horseshoe”
First, let's prepare the base. We cover the rectangular blank with burlap and fasten it with a stapler or glue.



We attach glazing beads, previously measured and cut at an angle of 45°. To do this, we use glue (stapler or small nails).



We prepare flagella from napkins. To do this, cut a napkin folded in half into strips of 10-15 mm. Wet your hands with water or a sponge and twist the flagellum. Let it dry. This will take 4-5 napkins, depending on the size.



Based on the panel, we draw a sketch of a horseshoe with a marker; you don’t need any artistic skills for this. You can draw a sketch on a piece of paper and cut it out, then trace it.



Using PVA glue, we lay out a pattern in any shape with flagella, starting from the outline. Here you can experiment, lay out the flagellum in a zigzag or twist it into a ring.




We fill the space of the horseshoe as tightly as possible. It’s not scary if you need to use a short flagellum somewhere; in the end, it will give the product more charm.



In the places where the horseshoe was supposedly fastened, we imitate the fastening. You can twist the flagellum into a ring shape. In this case, we attach coins using a glue gun.



Let the product dry for a day.
Apply black paint. It is better to do this on the street or balcony. Let the paint dry thoroughly again.




Apply bronze acrylic paint carefully, without taking a lot of material onto the sponge, using light blotting movements.




That's all.The amulet painting is ready. Good luck!