I love preserved spider web art. I’ve been admiring it for years, yet despite how crafty I consider myself to be, it’s never crossed my mind to try it for myself. That is, until a large, scary spider decided to take up residence on my porch and surprise me with the most beautiful art each day.
While the “Gothic – Halloween loving – Fan of anything spooky” girl in me likes spider imagery….. I am NOT a fan of the real thing. REALLY NOT a fan!! They completely freak me out! So… when I came home one evening, and found a large spider on my porch, sitting on a web that stretched from the handrail to the steps, my initial reaction was to run past it as fast as I could. (While I am well aware that running was unnecessary, and this spider was not going to leap towards me… the old basements in my town famously have a breed of part spider-part cricket that LOVE to jump right at you – Yes, it’s the stuff of my nightmares – so irrational fear kicked in and I ran!) Based on every other spider sighting I’ve ever had, I would have asked my husband to relocate the spider so I wouldn’t have to walk passed it again, but for some reason I didn’t. As time passed, I grew more comfortable walking passed her (Yep… I even decided it was a girl, and starting saying hi to her). I only saw her at night, and in the morning she’d leave behind the most magnificent cobweb. It would get destroyed by wind, or rain, or sometimes shopping bags, and the next morning… a new one. I became fascinated by what she was able to create each evening, and I wanted to try to preserve her work.
Preserving spider webs is not a new concept. There are tons of people out there who do it, and tons who have written or filmed tutorials about it. I am not recreating the wheel, but I wanted to share this tutorial (along with a few lessons learned along the way) in case you are someone, like me, that never thought to try it, and never realized how easy it actually is.
I loved this project so much for so many reasons. Every morning I looked forward to seeing what my spider had created, and it was exciting to see if I was able to fully preserve her masterpiece. But each day the perfectionist in me would think to myself…. I could do this better. The reality is….. some cobwebs will be more beautiful than others, some will be easier to work with than others, some days the conditions make capturing the web more of a challenge, there will always be different tools and tweaks to the method to try, and some days there are just simply mishaps in the process. All you can do is wait until the next day and hope you can both create something beautiful.
I say all of that, because I had to stop at some point to write this tutorial. After all…. it is my first official Halloween Season post of the year!! Woo Hoo!! As you know by now…. this is a new craft for me. As with most of my projects, I find something I want to try, I teach myself how to do it, and then share my findings with you. I am far from an expert at preserving spider webs, and I still have other methods and supplies I’d like to try, but I wanted to share what I have learned, so you have the chance to start experimenting. There is plenty of time to find those cobwebs and make beautifully spooky art….. whether to hang on your walls everyday or just as a Halloween decoration! I have every intention to preserve as many of my spider’s magnificent creations as I can, and I promise to update this post with any new or useful tips as I come across them.
Before we get started…. This post contains some affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thanks! Click HERE for more details.
Here’s my supply list:
- Spider Web
- White Spray Paint or Chalked White Spray Paint
- Black Cardstock – 8.5 x 11 , 12 x 12, or 22 x 28
- Adhesive Spray
- Clear Acrylic Spray Paint
- Frame
Step 1: FIND A SPIDER WEB
This step is up to you. If you don’t have spiders creating magnificent webs outside of your door each morning… the best place to find them is in wooded areas. Take a walk in the woods, and you are bound to see plenty. They tend to be easiest to spot 1st thing in the morning when the sun is up and can glisten off the silk! I hope this goes without saying, but do not attempt this project on a web that has a spider on it. Find a web that is abandoned.
Step 2: PREP THE AREA / NOTE THE WEB’S ANCHOR POINTS
You only need this step if you have to be careful of getting spray paint on the web’s surroundings. I wanted to point this step out, because the 1st time I tried this project, I didn’t pay close enough attention to the anchor points of the web. I had some loose items on my steps, and cleared them out of the way, so I could put paper down, and did not realize that the bottom of the web was anchored to one of those items. When I pulled it away, the web collapsed, and I was only able to preserve a partial.
Step 3: SPRAY PAINT THE WEB
I tried both regular white spray paint, as well as White Chalk Spray Paint. I wanted to see if the chalk would adhere to the web and provide a slightly thicker line for visibility. I didn’t see much of a difference, but I did notice that the chalk would sometimes rub off onto the cardstock after I had adhered the web to it. I have a few other tests to try, to see if there is any variation that would produce thicker lines, and I’ll update this step if I find something that works. When applying the paint, spray gently. These webs are fragile, and a rocket launch of spray paint will break the threads. Even a gentle spray will sometimes break threads. I use small gentle bursts of paint, until I felt it was completely covered. Spray the front and the back if you are able.
This is a look at the spider web while still attached to my porch railing, after I spray painted it. It was difficult to see, so I placed a piece of black poster board behind it.
Step 4: CHOOSE CARDSTOCK
Select the piece of cardstock based on the size of the web. I kept a handful of different sizes available, because the part of the web worth preserving was a different size everyday. You may also want to choose the size based on your frame.
Step 5: SPRAY ADHESIVE
Again…. GENTLY spray an even coat of Spray Adhesive onto your cardstock. You don’t need a ton because the web itself is also sticky. I tested several brands, and liked Krylon best. I had trouble with some of the other brands spraying clumps of adhesive which would be visible on my cardstock. Some other people like to use hairspray or spray acrylic.
Step 5: ATTACH THE WEB
Do this step while the layer of adhesive on your cardstock is still tacky. Coming from behind the cobweb, with the adhesive side of the cardstock facing the web, align the cardstock so the part of the web you want to capture is in line with the cardstock. Then simply bring the cardstock towards and through the web (from behind it) until the web sticks to the cardstock. As the web pulls loose from its anchor points, the design may shift slightly, so be mindful of the excess threads. I usually just fold them to the back of the cardstock by hand.
Here are two examples of what the web looks like after it has been attached to the cardstock.
Step 6: ACRYLIC
Once the adhesive on the cardstock has dried, spray a coat of acrylic spray onto the sheet of cardstock. This helps to seal the web, so it doesn’t lift off of the page, but also so the paint doesn’t smudge or fade.
Step 7: FRAME
Depending on the size of your frame, you may have to trim part of the web in order to fit. To do this, first lay your frame opening over your web to determine what part looks best. Turn it in as many directions as you can, and move the frame to different areas of the web, because every angle gives a slightly different look. Even the difference between a rectangular vs an oval frame will capture very different angles of the web. Once I determined what part of my cobweb I planned to frame, I used the glass from my frame as a template. I held the glass against the cardstock, and cut around it. Place the cardstock and the glass in your frame…. and voila – an amazing piece of preserved Spider Web Art!!
So simple right?!?! I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to try this! I hope you enjoy this tutorial and are able to make beautifully spooky art for your walls!
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