How to Design Your Own Belt Buckle
You absolutely adore those custom belt buckles you keep seeing around town. Some have bold biker designs, others are adorned with flowers and still others feature dragons and rhinestones. You can go one step better than all those, actually, if you design your own belt buckle. A few supplies and some imagination are all you need.
Instructions
-
-
1
Gauge the size. Decide how big you want your belt buckle to be by taking a ruler and measuring the area near your waist you want it to cover. The buckle can be any shape you wish, but try to get a feel for the general area it will cover.
-
2
Sketch a frame. Using the measurements you chose, sketch a frame on the piece of paper so you know what parameters you want to fit during the design.
-
-
3
Conjure up a design. Belt buckles can range from ovals containing short words or initials to snake heads and skulls and crossbones. Decide what design you want on your buckle. You can get inspired by recalling other belt buckles you liked or looking at a wide array of buckles to generate ideas (see Resources). You can also think up a design by focusing on what your passions, hobbies or favorite things are. Pet lovers may adore a dog belt buckle while a sports enthusiast would have fun with a belt buckle shaped and painted like a soccer ball.
-
4
Draw the outline of your design. Keeping within the frame you sketched, draw your buckle's design. You may want to photocopy or trace the frame onto several sheets of paper.
-
5
Add any extras. Once you have the basic outline of your design established, sketch in any extra details. These include any lettering, eyes for your skull, rhinestones for your crossbones or scales on your snake head. Also indicate any colors and materials you wish to use. Metal is one of the most durable and popular.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Remember belt buckles should be fairly bold, not containing any lettering that is too small. Refrain from having pointy sides that can dig into your flesh while you're wearing it. Also remember the base of the buckle needs to be large enough to cover and hold the top of the belt. It cannot be so small that a belt cannot be attached to it. If you'd like to take the next step and have your custom belt buckle design made into an actual buckle, find a company that offers such a service. Some will be able to exactly match your design as long as you provide the artwork. You may find such companies locally in shops that customize license plates and other metal objects. You can also find such companies online (see Resources).
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
