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What are Woodscapes?

Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

Woodscapes are wood craft kits that allow you to create your own artwork for your home. By painting and gluing together various pieces of wood, you can create beautiful yet affordable home décor. Even if you have no previous artistic training, you can finish a woodscape in just a few hours.

The style of most woodscapes is fairly traditional. Landscapes are quite common, although some woodscapes may also feature animals or flowers. Lighthouses and nautical scenes also appear to be very popular design options for woodscape enthusiasts.

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Most woodscapes are made from either spruce or basswood. Woodscapes made of basswood typically have a smoother appearance than spruce woodscape kits. However, since spruce kits tend to produce a larger finished project, many crafters choose spruce woodscapes when they are looking to create impressive displays for their homes.

The basic principle of a woodscape is a cross between a jigsaw puzzle and a paint by number kit. Woodscape kits include precut pieces of wood, paints, brushes, glue, and an instruction booklet. More complicated woodscapes may feature etching on some of the individual pieces.

When assembling a woodscape, organization is key. Spread the pieces out on a large table and check to make sure you have everything you need before you begin the project. If you’re worried that you might not complete the project in one sitting, store the pieces in small plastic bags until you need them.

After your woodscape is completed, you can apply a thin coat of varnish or sealer to protect the wood. Some kits have a frame included for easy display. However, if your kit did not include a frame, you can easily take your woodscape to a local framing shop to select a frame that matches your home décor.

Although most woodscape designs are intended to appeal to older crafters, children can easily complete a wood craft kit with adult assistance. Since the pieces of a woodscape are precut, there are no sharp tools involved. In addition, the paints in a woodscape kit are typically water-based acrylics to make clean up a relatively simple process.

Woodscapes can be purchased at most larger craft stores or online from specialty wood craft websites. Prices will vary according to the size of the finished picture and whether or not a frame is included in the woodscape kit. However, crafters on a budget may be able to find sales and specials with careful comparison shopping.

Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.

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Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Tomislav

Woodscapes seem like a lot of fun, but also kind of a lot of work too. I am not very good at puzzles, so hopefully they would have smaller, easier ones for beginners to get the hang of before moving to the more intricate pieces I have seen proudly displayed in some people's homes.

It is nice that you do not have to be artistically inclined to do this, as I am not much of an artist myself. I have always liked to participate in craft projects, but as I have gotten older I have strayed away from art.

I think these woodscapes would make a great present for a lot of people. I can think of quite a few people in my family who would hopefully be happy with a beautiful piece of artwork for Christmas. Usually I bake goodies for my family, but at least this would be something they can keep and treasure for a lifetime.

dimpley

I’m always looking for new ways for my kids to explore their artistic sides. This sounds like a simple and somewhat inexpensive way to do so.

I think that it would be an awesome idea for them to make their own woodscapes. I mean, what child doesn’t adore gluing anything? I’m telling you, if you have glue involved, you have a thoroughly lovable project in the eyes of a kid.

That’s not even mentioning how they can occasionally whap each other with the wood pieces. (Who are we kidding? They’ll like that part even better than the glue!)

Seriously, though, this sounds simple enough for my babies to do and something they can be proud to show off. This might even make great Christmas gifts for the grandparents.

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