Faux Dried Orange Slices from Cardboard

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I adore the look of dried fruit, especially in the Fall! Something about it screams warm and cozy. So, the other day I was looking to make some dried orange slices for my new farmhouse centerpiece (you can see that DIY HERE), but I didn’t have any oranges on hand. And if I’m being truthful, I don’t live super close to the store anymore, and was NOT going to drive far to get them. So, I turned to trusty ole cardboard for these faux dried orange slices… and I actually love them! Let me tell you how to achieve this easy DIY too…

what you need

cardboard
light and dark orange paint, brown paint, white paint, and a white paint pen is optional but HELPFUL!
spouncer brush and chip brush
scissors
something small and round to trace

how to make faux dried orange slices

Use your small round item and trace multiple circles onto your cardboard. However many you make is up to you and what you plan to do with these! Cut out the circles!
Use your lighter orange paint and cover the circle completely. Whether or not you should paint both sides, once again, depends on your plan with these.
I used my white paint pen to create an inner circle, maybe about 1-2cm in from the edge and then added a little dot in the center.
I drew about 5 lines all the way through from edge to edge and through the center dot. These don’t have to be perfect since nature isn’t perfect. Same goes for the circle around the outside.
After making your lines, you’ll want to go in and fill them up a bit, maybe add little soft “triangles” where the line meets that circle on the outer edge. You can look at the photos to see what I mean from the last step to this one. It makes it look more realistic and life-like!
After doing that, take a darker orange, mix it with brown (just a bit) and gently fill in the outer edge, between the white line and the actual edge of the cardboard. This is the orange rind. Again, no need to make it perfect.
Grab your spouncer brush, dip it in water and gently dip it into the brown paint, making sure to wipe off any excess on scrap cardboard- you don’t want a lot. Watering down the drown is what gives it the faint color you want. Push down all over the orange to create a “dried” look, and messy is perfect here. After covering the entire orange, dip the spouncer brush in white and repeat the same thing, but don’t cover the orange completely. Make this one a bit more sporadic.