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Unusual/Experimental materials

  • 07-11-2008 05:15PM
    #1
    HouseHippo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭


    I'm currently doing a portfolio and am experimenting with different materials such as tinfoil and candle wax.

    Has anyone some suggestions as to other fun and unusual materials I could use. They must be cheap enough or easy to get hold of.

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    coolwings
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 3,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭coolwings


    Dehydrated veg, peas, seeds, sand, beads and white glue ......


  • #3
    ThenComesDudley
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 519 ✭✭✭ThenComesDudley


    try painting with pva mixed with tissue paper!


  • #4
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    Think of whats available around the house I have seen great work using soot, bleach, coffee, thread, wool, rice, nail varnish.

    Experiment with them as how you use or combine them reveals their different fabulous effects....


  • #5
    stitchlily
    Closed Accounts Posts: 69 ✭✭stitchlily


    When I was in college I'd take a technique, and just explore using it, I found it easier that way. Eg, since your talking about wax, take batik. Use tjantings, paintbrushes, pens, sticks, and batik everything around you to see what would happen. Try every type of surface, eg different types of cloth, paper, even sandpaper. Sandpaper looks great batiked, but just paint on the dye rather than immersing it, and iron out the wax...


  • #6
    shellz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭shellz


    I've used plastic shopping bags to great effect for embroidery projects. Lay some bags flat between some sheets of parchment paper and iron them flat. They will melt together and create a "textile" that's pliable and usable. If you iron a lot or on a very high heat, the plastic will begin to shrink and deteriorate.

    Bubble wrap is great too. Slap some paint onto it and heat with a craft heatgun. Use heatset textile/craft paint and allow to dry for a few minutes before using the heatgun. The bubbles will warp and pop, and the whole thing will distort itself.


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  • #7
    monellia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 284 ✭✭monellia


    Soot as an alternative to store-bought charcoal

    Sprinkle sugar to create a sparkling effect.

    Beetroot is one of the best colourants. I use it to colour my lips sometimes :p


  • #8
    thebaldsoprano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 827 ✭✭✭thebaldsoprano


    1mm - 2mm fencing wire can be useful for this kind of stuff as well. You should be able to pick up rolls of it in garden shops and hardware shops fairly cheaply.


  • #9
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    monellia wrote: »
    Soot as an alternative to store-bought charcoal

    Sprinkle sugar to create a sparkling effect.

    Beetroot is one of the best colourants. I use it to colour my lips sometimes :p

    Funny you should mention beetroot..... last night some of the juice of boiled beetroot got spilled in my fridge and I thought mmm good strong colour would be interesting to use for water colouring etc etc;)


  • #10
    Jabcity
    Closed Accounts Posts: 100 ✭✭Jabcity


    you can get some great results by painting with bleech onto fabrics.

    gesso is also a great material, its not too expensive, like ready made papier mache mix, really versatile.

    staining with tea bags, & drawing with coloured chalks onto wet paper looks great too...


  • #11
    StackODinos
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭StackODinos


    artieanna wrote: »
    Think of whats available around the house I have seen great work using soot, bleach, coffee, thread, wool, rice, nail varnish.

    Experiment with them as how you use or combine them reveals their different fabulous effects....

    bleach can make boring fabric really cool - saw it once on Project Runway


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  • #12
    CeilingCat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 164 ✭✭CeilingCat


    I'm currently messing about with all kinds of recyclables and packaging like aluminium & steel cans, PET plastic etc.


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