Button Mannequin Display Heads

Heather Brown
by Heather Brown
5 Materials
$20
6 Hours
Easy
My "mother-in-love" buttons everything! She was so excited to meet the "Button King" at the peak of her button hobby. You should google him, he's a hoot! I cannot wait to show you some of her impressive projects. From a huge wall picture of Van Gogh's Starry Night to portraits of everyone in her immediate family, she takes buttoning to another level. But first I'll show you her button heads!
In 2015 I opened my 6th resale boutique and asked her to make me a few displays. I showed her a few painted wooden heads that I loved online and she bought a styrofoam head form from Hobby Lobby and set out to make me 1920's flapper girls we call "Cherie" & "Lola."
This is "Lola!"
This is Cherie!
To start this project, pencil out your hair design. Shirley used photos of mannequin heads I had found on google images to guide her. Then she painted the face and neck a flesh tone and the hair design brown with acrylic paint.
The buttons can be easily attached with hot glue. After an area is completed, the back is the easiest to begin with, you can run a dry toothbrush over the area to remove the stray glue strands.
When you are working around the face, don't be afraid to use various shades of flesh tone. Shirley would even paint buttons if she didn't have the shade she was looking for on hand.
For the eye area it helps to switch to beads. Here you can see the false eyelashes glued down and even a bottom row of lashes created with a black marker. Tip: Start with the pupil and work out.
Don't you just love the lips?!
Don't you just love the lips?!
Have fun creating sweeping hairstyles!
Front view of Cherie 💗
Front view of Lola 💗
Cherie "on the job" at my boutique.
Cherie displaying a head wrap.
And a floppy sun hat!
This is such an easy fun project. Enjoy!
Suggested materials:
  • Styrofoam head   (Hobby Lobby $6 (with coupon))
  • Acrylic paint in brown/black and flesh tones   (Walmart $4)
  • False eyelashes   (Dollar store $1)
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