Supplies

A board and some Elmer's glue

Besides seeds and a design, all you really need to make Crop Art is a board and some Elmer's glue.

Put down a small amount of glue on your board. Maybe a square inch or so at the most.

You might want some toothpicks to help you pick up the seeds and maneuver them into place.

Use just a tiny dab of Elmer's on the tip of the toothpick and you can pick up a seed very nicely. Use an amount that is just enough to lift the seed out of the seed-pile, but not enough to keep it stuck to the toothpick when you try to put in on the board.

The board should be something that will hold up to getting wet with the glue and not warp. You are going to spend a lot of time working on this thing, so you might as well put it on a durable background.

Masonite is very good (you can use either the bumpy side or the smooth side). Other kinds of composition board are pretty good.

Cardboard will probably warp. Foam-core or Alligator board may not warp, but they will flex and your seeds may not stay stuck.

A dark board is better background for the seed picture than a light board. Seeds pasted on a light background look dirty. Seeds pasted on a dark background look colorful.

Framed

You may want to consider a frame before you get the board. While not strictly required for Minnesota State Fair Crop Art, a frame can really add a nice finishing touch.

There are frames for reasonable prices at most hardware stores, and at department stores.

Another good frame source is an antique store or junk store. Sometimes a nice frame will have a bad picture in it. Buy the whole thing, ditch the picture and get a board cut to match the frame size.

Finishing up

After you've got all the seeds pasted on a framed board you might want to slather the whole works in polyurathane. You can get it in glossy or in matte finish. The polyurathane coating helps keep all the seeds on your board, and it helps keep your art from rotting. Plus, it may discourage rodents and insects from dining on your art.

Hey, these things are seeds after all!