How to make a scenic leather belt.

Chako · **on:** September 05, 2020, 01:36:06 PM

This is a project I did years ago and just re-found the images. Thought I would share.

This project is a scenic belt that I hand drew. In this case, the belt features an outdoor motif with various animals and even a fisherman with is log cabin.

For making belts, here is a good link to get started...

https://www.goldbarkleather.com/sourceblog/diy-belt-guide#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20a%20belt,the%20end%20of%20the%20belt.

Just be aware that some of the steps can be interchanged to suit your needs.

Here goes...

First thing to start drawing onto leather is to wet or case the leather with a wet sponge. This allows the leather to pick up on our drawing. I like to use a stencil made for leather-crafting as I can re-use the drawing on another project if I wish. I first measure the belt width and using a meter stick, draw my borders. I will then freehand draw what I want to transfer to the leather. Once done, I will case the leather and place the stencil on top of the belt and using a ball point stylus, trace the line work. This will transfer the image onto the leather. Once that is done, then I will take a swivel knife and cut the lines if you will. In the following image, you can see where I have cut the leather with the swivel knife. When using the swivel knife, remember to always cut towards you, and to only cut half way into the leather.

DSC02485A by Chako, on Flickr

The next step once all the carving is done, is to use a beveler. Place the deep end on the line and the shallow end on the side you want to push down. Using this tool will make your design pop and give it that 3D look. There are a bunch of different bevelers out there, so using the right one is up to the effect or look you are going for. Once I have beveled all my lines, being sure to selectively bevel the right lines, it is time to make the background really pop...and to do that, I use a background tool. Think of this as a mini meat tenderizer. Like the beveler tool, there are quite a few backgrounder tools out there. My favorite and the most labor intensive one I like is a tiny little one shaped like a tear drop. It is great to get into small areas. Now, depending on the steps, you can background before beveling as I have done with this belt here.

DSC02483A by Chako, on Flickr

In the next photo, you can see that I have started stippling the background. All those indentations will pick up the leather dye later on, darkening it. In this case, I was doing all the steps as I went along in little sections. You can do each step to the whole belt at the same time, and then go onward to the next step, or you can do them all in small sections piece by piece as I have done here.

DSC02487A by Chako, on Flickr

After beveling and backgrounding the leather, it is time to add details. I will use the swivel knife to do detail cuts. It is at this point, once I am happy with the general look of the artwork, will I use an oval hole punch to make my belt buckle holes. I will also use a regular round hole punch if there needs to be rivets or some other fastener required. I will also take a slicker and wet the edges and rub the slicker on the edges to get a nice burnished look. Wetting the edge with water and rubbing the edge with the slicker will give you a nice finish...that is of course after you use a set of edgers that cut the square leather corners into a more comfortable rounder form. Once I have everything pierced as needed, it is time to dye the belt. I like to use antique stains as you can quickly rub it off once applied, which will darken all the low points and cuts in your artwork. I apply this with a wool dauber in circles, and quickly wipe the excess off with a wet towel. Proceed down the belt till it is dyed fully. In the following photos, you can see the end result once the dye is applied. After the dye is applied, I like to use some clear acrylic finish to coat the whole belt. Once this is dried, I will then buff the finish to get a nice sheen.

DSC02492A by Chako, on Flickr

DSC02501A by Chako, on Flickr

DSC02502A by Chako, on Flickr

To finish off the belt, apply the hardware. In this case, I used a simple 2 piece belt set.

DSC02496A by Chako, on Flickr

DSC02504A by Chako, on Flickr

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial of sorts.