Sometimes art begins with a spark of imagination. The humble peanut shell, with its bumpy texture and quirky shape, suddenly transforms into the long-necked wonder of the animal kingdom.

You can also add a few strokes of pen, and a giraffe appears, peering out from your page as if ready to nibble leaves.

It’s a playful reminder that creativity lives in the simplest materials, waiting for you to notice.

Materials Needed

• 4-6 whole peanut shells (choose ones with elongated shapes for the heads)
• White paper or cardstock
• Black pen or fine-tip marker
• Scissors and glue
• White and black craft paper (or googly eyes)
• Optional: colored pencils or watercolors

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Select peanut shells that resemble heads and bodies. The longer shells make the best giraffe faces.

Step 2: Glue one peanut vertically on the paper for the head. Then add another peanut horizontally below it to form the body.

Step 3: Use white paper to cut out small circles for eyes. Next, draw black pupils with a marker and glue them onto the peanut, or simply use googly eyes.

Step 4: With your pen, draw long necks, stick-like legs, tails, and ears around the peanuts. You also add spots for extra detail.

Step 5: If you’d like, color in a background, sketch a tree with green leaves or a sunny savanna sky to give your giraffes a home.

Step 6: Let the glue dry before showing off your herd of peanut-shell giraffes.

Tips:

When I tried this, I found that positioning the peanuts slightly tilted gave the giraffes funny personalities, some looked curious, others sleepy.

Don’t worry about perfect proportions; the charm lies in the playful imperfections.