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This year, April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a day celebrated by millions of people across the world. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the United States has made tremendous progress improving air quality, cleaning up contaminated lands, and protecting our water resources. EPA
I am going to challenge each of you to create a piece of
I am going to challenge each of you to create a piece of
"elevated art" using at least 90% recycled materials.
"elevated art" using at least 90% recycled materials.
When I refer to "elevated" I am looking for something that is not simply a re-purpose of something old in a new different way,
not something too craft or cliche and try to avoid something you might see from someone much younger than yourself.
I want you to surprise me with creativity!
I am leaving the challenge open to interpretation, but I will also provide you with an idea for a jumping off point if you feel like you need it!
My inspirational Jumping Off Point starts here:
Plastic Jug "Mask"
Plastic Jug "Mask"
I went Pinterest crazy and found artists, craftsman, recycled art websites.... and I found some common images, FACES!
Materials
Materials
Plastic Jug
Plastic Jug
Milk Jug
Laundry Soap or Fabric Softener
Paint container
Really any plastic jug with a handle will work
Clean your chosen jug, inside and out. If there is a label on the exterior, you could consider incorporating it into the design as you can paint on a paper label. If you want to remove the label you might need a citrus oil cleaner to remove sticky residue left behind.
Tools
Tools
Scissors
Box knife
Hot Glue is essentially a melted plastic. Again with the careful warning... it's called HOT glue after all.
A glue like Elmers or a glue stick will not work.
If you have access to "specialty" glues, read the label to see what materials it will bond.
Gloves
Depending on the items you might use to decorate your head there are other tools you might need to use
Drill, pliers, wire cutters, metal snips....
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Here is where you would use what you have - be resourceful
Here is where you would use what you have - be resourceful
Other plastic items - bottles & lids, buttons.....
Aluminum cans (cut apart carefully)
Found objects (broken toys, a lone single item that was once a pair...)
Spray Primer (the type that sticks to plastic)
Acrylic Paint (only if it will stick to the jug, this is why you would need a primer)
Felt or fabric scraps (hot gluing onto the plastic works if you aren't able to paint on a primed surface)
Sharpies or oil based paint pens will stick to plastic (stay away from water based as they do not adhere to plastic)
Wire
Cardboard
Electrical Tape
How to start
How to start
Cut a flat "back"
Cut a flat "back"
Position the jug in a way that the handle is facing you. This is a cool 3 dimensional feature and it would be nice to incorporate it into the sculpture.
If the position you choose doesn't allow the jug to rest there without rolling around, you may need to cut the back.
I chose the vinegar jug and this is the "back" side of my head form.
I drew first and then carefully poked a hole with the box knife and cut that entire portion off. I used a mix between the scissors and box knife.
Please be careful when cutting through tough plastics, wear gloves and don't be afraid to ask for assistance.
Now here's the crazy part. Just GO. Your materials will dictate where you go with this design. I will show you mine and explain what I did. I even realized as I was making it, I would discover new materials and bring them into the mix. It wasn't a process that was easy to document because it wasn't very "linear." Sometimes I thought I was going to use a particular material in a certain way and then I changed my mind. It was messy and took hours, you might want to set a table up in a garage space and work over a period of days. It may even take a few days to gather all of the materials you MIGHT want to use. I gathered my materials and studied their shapes and colors before I started.
My Progress
My Progress
As you can see I placed the vinegar jug "upside down"
The eyes are the lids from coffee creamer with the cap cut off
inside of the cap the oval shaped dispensing spout was the same shape as the tab off the top of my bubbly water
The mouth area is the cap of the vinegar jug open and I hot glued the curve from my bubbly water can design onto it.
The head area is decorated with a rubber strap, a trimmed frozen yogurt spoon and a cheap green plastic toy from a birthday party gift bag.
The yellow and blue stripes are electrical tape
The red hair is a red solo cup
I used a small hole punch on the eyes and inserted copper wire (scraps from electrical projects)
All of the metal and plastic stuck with hot glue
I used some paint pens to trace around the shape of the spoon on the head, under the black strap and around the rim of the eyes for some contrast.
More inspiration from Masks around the world
More inspiration from Masks around the world
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