Making Art from Recycled Materials

Cardboard makes an ideal base for paper mache art. You can cut it with a box cutter or a craft blade. However, don't allow children to handle these tools, or they might cut themselves. If kids will be cutting the recycled cardboard, have them use scissors instead. Chipboard from cereal boxes or gift boxes may be easier to cut and works just as well as corrugated cardboard in recycled art projects. Use tape or staples to build a base from the cardboard. Then mix up some wallpaper paste with water or mix one part flour with two parts water to create the paper mache paste. Tear up strips of newspaper and dip them into the paste. Place the paper mache strips over the base, overlapping them. Allow the paper mache to dry for about a day and use leftover paints from other projects to decorate it. Some ideas for art to make out of paper mache include decorative masks and sculptures of things like human figures, animals and trees. When painting your paper mach art, try to use leftover paint that otherwise would be discarded.

The easiest way to make mosaics or collage art from recycled materials is by using old magazines, newspapers and advertising flyers. Cut out various pictures from the recycled paper and arrange them in an attractive pattern. More advanced artists can use these pieces of paper to create a recognizable image such as a person, an animal, an object or a building. You can do this by cutting out the paper in light, dark, and different colored patches. Then, using a picture or a still life as a guide, arrange the paper pieces so that they match the patterns of light, dark and color that you see in your subject. Use glue to adhere the pieces to a recycled surface. Broken tile or glass can also be to create mosaics, but children should not be allowed to handle the broken pieces directly.

Recycled wood is also a good material for creating sculptures. Old furniture and tree trimmings can provide you with a source of material. You can even use old tools that you'd ordinarily discard to carve and shape the wood. However, be careful that you don't use carving tools that are damaged, rusty or have rough or jagged edges. For best results, use a 3-dimensional still life as a guide for carving your sculpture. Then use some recycled sandpaper to sand it down. Be sure to reuse your sandpaper several times to get the most mileage out of it. Another idea is to use cans to build a sculpture. Recycled aluminum and tin cans such as soda, vegetable and coffee cans work best. Use them to build anything you like, such as a robot, a person or an animal. Tape or glue them together, then use leftover house paint or old clothes to decorate them. You can involve older kids in these projects, but supervise them closely when working with carving tools and paint.

These are just a few of the art projects you can make with recycled materials. If you get creative you can come up with plenty more ideas for reusing items that you have lying around. For more ideas on making art with recycled material, read Craft Project: Make an Airplane from Recycled Paper and Craft Project: Make a Fish from a Recycled Bottle.

Sources:

"Recycling," EPA.gov http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/recycle.htm