Three freebie materials for making Posh Paper Mache!
Mixed media is marvellous because you can use pretty much anything as a material! Why fork out all your hard earned cash for art materials when they are just lying around for free?
Here are three of my excellent ideas for finding free stuff to make art with!
1.Newspapers.
Because I work with “Posh Paper Mache” I use a ton of newspapers. Thankfully there are plenty of newspapers in the world offering a ready supply, but you can't just grab some from a newsagents or raid someone’s recycling bin without getting into trouble with the law. Once people know that you need them there is less of a supply issue, but if you are just getting started and wondering where to get a quantity I suggest using Freecycle or similar sites such as Trash Nothing or Facebook Marketplace. I recently did a shout out on this platform as I was running low and now have made aquaintance with a lovely lady called Diane who saves up her daily broadsheets for me. I reciprocate with some home grown eggs from my backyard chickens and we both get a nice chat and catch up into the bargain!
2.Wood.
I have shed in my garden in which I store all the salvage materials that I have obtained for free in my travels. I have various methods of finding useful materials for sculptural purposes, but a top tip is to search "free to collector" or "free to a good home" on Ebay. You will often find generous piles of scrap wood offered for nothing in exchange for you clearing their junk. One persons junk is another persons treasure as they say! You may have to dispose of some less useful pieces yourself - maybe as fire wood, do check it's not treated first - but it should be a rewarding exercise. We all know the prices of everything are skyrocketing these days and wood is no exception so a bit of lateral thinking goes a long way! (Just for the record, my shed was also salvaged from Freecycle and cost free!).
3.Paint containers.
I don't know about you but working with my hands means that I am always washing goo off them, which makes my skin awfully dry. As a result, I get through gallons of hand cream in order that my sandpapery paws don't stick to fabrics like velcro... (nice mental image)! Which means I have developed a hopeless addiction to Astral moisturiser in particular and so end up with lots of empty pots. I also like to mix up my own colours of paint. But finding well designed stackable containers for keeping your paint in good condition that doesn't seem like an unnecessary expense is tricky. Instead of buying pricey containers with lids from art supply shops, why not save your hard earned cash, help save the environment and repurpose your creams and even cosmetics containers, then you can buy yourself that something else with the spare cash instead! Astral pots are great as they are flat on the top and bottom so can be stored on top of one another and the lids screw on nicely ensuring no accidental spills. The large lids also provide a generous area for labelling so you know what's in them - I like to paint the colour that is inside the tub on the top and name the colour with a marker. Just make sure you wash them out first with some hot soapy water or put them through the dishwater otherwise you will end up with some greasy paint! Astral pots are also great containers for nails and screws and general hardware which I also happen to have a lot of. Just let your imagination go wild! (I’m not currently an ambassador for Astral, but open to the possibility!).
Links:
https://astralmoisturiser.co.uk
