Valentine Day Arrow Tutorial, Riverside, CA Child Photography

 

Maybe it’s because I have three little boys and know how hard it is to get good props for boys, but this bow and arrow set was perfect for our Valentine’s Day session.  This tutorial was made by my very own designer, Deneese.  Thank you for sharing your talent.

What you will need:

Felt, Sticks, String, Hot Glue, Scissors, Template

1. Pick your sticks- For the arrows, you will want to look for straight sticks similar in size- cut them down so they are all about the same length. For the Bow- look for a longer stick/branch that has a natural curve to it. It needs to be pliable to hold the bow shape without snapping.

2. Pick your felt- have fun with the colors you choose! These were for a Valentine shoot so I chose to go with traditional Valentine colors. I buy my felt by the bulk but any ol’ felt will do.

3. Make your Template and trace it- You will need 2 templates- 1 for the arrowhead and 1 for the feather (fletching)-yes I googled that! Your templates don’t have to be perfect. I just eyeballed it to the size I wanted and cut it out of card stock. Trace your templates onto the felt. Use any writing utensil you prefer- I use a ball point pen. REMEMBER- Every bow will need 2 of each stencil.

4. Cut them all out

5. Start with the arrowhead- hot glue 2 sides together to make a little pocket.

6. Squirt a little hot glue inside the pocket and insert the stick.

7. Seal the arrowhead closed with hot glue along the third edge.

8. Hot glue 1 feather directly onto the bottom 2 inches of the stick.

9. Hot glue other feather directly on the other side so they are lined up.

10. Seal the top and bottom edges of the feather with hot glue.

11. Cut your fringe- You can do as skinny or wide as you want- I slit mine about every 1/4 inches. Do both sides.

12. For the Bow- Bend your stick to the desired shape you want- tie your string in a knot to one side and string it along to the other side and finish it off with another knot. I doubled up the string on mine to make sure the string didn’t break. Voila!! You have an adorable bow and arrow!