Earth Day Celebration

Hello Everyone,

Well tomorrow is Earth Day, so in celebration, my Art Anthology project this week incorporates recycled elements. Our entire Dream Team has been working on recycled products for this month's posts so be sure to check them all out over on the Art Anthology Blog

I think to make art with recycled elements is so rewarding. I love to incorporate unique items in my art and recycling really provides so many opportunities to do just that. You can also use recycled elements like bubble wrap, paper towel, tissue tubes, etc for some really cool effects on your art.

This week, I have used bottle caps, that I have been saving for quite some time, styrofoam packing, corrugated cardboard, wire, and magazine paper beads.

Here are some pictures of the completed piece...

I started by peeling off the top layer of the cardboard to reveal the awesome corrugation underneath. This can be time consuming, but stick with it, because the outcome is awesome.

Next I wanted to add texture. I used Liquitex heaving modeling paste applied with a pallet knife, and some drywall tape from the hardware store...these elements together make great texture.

While that was drying I started on the heart. I just drew a heart shape with a sharpie pen on the styrofoam then cut it out with a knife. I used a sanding block to round the edges.

I wanted a background for the space between the bottle caps so I mod podged some left over tissue paper I had to the top of the heart then sprayed it with Art Anthology Colorations spray in Hottie.

Now to color up the background.

I started by applying . Art Anthology Velvet Dimensional Paints in Aloha and Fiji.
I then added a deeper layer of color with the Art Anthology Sorbet Dimensional Paint in Veridian

I added highlites of Vegas Gold using the Sorbet Dimensional Paints 

To grunge it up a bit, I sprayed randomly with Art Anthology Colorations Sprays in Silk Tie and Raider then a couple of quick mists of Hottie

Now back to the heart while that dries.
I first had to bend the bottle caps to go around the edge of the heart. I used the edge of my art table to do this...I KNOW, crazy right, but it worked to get the initial bend, then I just squeezed until I got the right angle...I smashed them into the outside edge of the heart. I then placed the other bottle caps on the top of the heart until I got them all arranged, then just pushed them right into the styrofoam.

I got out my awesome Art Anthology Gesso ( best Gesso every!!!!) and covered the entire piece.

Once that dried I started laying down different colors using Art Anthology Sorbet in Red Velvet and Mi Bella, and Velvet Dimentional Paint in Desire. The outside bottle caps were colored with Art Anthology Velvet Dimensional Paint in Fiji.

I did a couple of coats of each color then let it dry. I then sprayed it with the Colorations Sprays in Silk Tie and Raider to grunge it up (see above link).

After all of that dried, I got my sanding block out again and started sanding the edges and high points of the bottle caps and it started to reveal the metal underneath and I loved it...I also used an old black nail file to get into some of the tighter spaces.

Before adhering the heart to the background, I got out some white caligraphy ink and splattered it around randomly.  I adhered the heart with hot glue. Be sure and let the hot glue cool a bit before putting the styrofoam down.

I used my dymo labeler for the quote words and adhered them to my over spray paper from the mist spraying I did through out the project, then glued them down to the background.

I used some left over chicken wire wrap to make a hanger for the piece, and I strung magazine paper beads to it and just ran the wire through the top part of the corrugated cardboard.

I hope this piece inspires you to make some art using recycled elements. I had so much fun with this and it looks great on the wall of my art studio.

Have a FaBuLoUs Day
Monica