Sustainable Art Projects

In a world where products come and go, and so much ends up in the landfill, it is very important to adopt sustainable practices in your life. Art can bring peace and joy into our lives, so blending it with sustainability is the ultimate form of protecting our earth and benefiting our life. 

Source: Abby Sanchez - Pinterest

Sustainability is being able to avoid the depletion of natural resources which helps maintain a natural ecological balance. Oftentimes during art projects, many new materials such as paint, paper, tools, glue are required. With a little creativity, many things can become art. The key ways of creating sustainable art are: reducing, reusing, recycling, natural sourcing, and low-energy production. Sustainab

le art doesn't need to be expensive or complicated, it can be done by anyone. If you're creative and want to create beautiful art that you can display or use for functional uses, here are some ideas for you that come from a fellow artist.

Simple Projects: Suitable for beginners, children or a casual activity

• Note that some of these simple projects require nails or power tools, so a parent or trusted adult needs to be the one handling these tools if working with children.

Source: Carolyn Peirce, Monarch Butterfly Recycled paper collage

1. Recycled Collage Art

Have you seen lovely collages or scrapbooks floating around online? Well, you certainly don’t need to buy any new stickers, paper or materials since all the materials you need can be found in your home. 

Materials you can use: old magazines, wrapping paper, newspapers, scrap paper, old stickers or cardboard, glue, scissors, various craft materials.

2. Leaf Printing and Plant Pressing

Leaf printing and plant pressing are beautiful ways to preserve plant materials, such as leaves and flowers. 

Source: Imogene Grey 

Materials needed: leaves, flowers, scrap paper, water-based paint or pigments, paint brush, book

To leaf print, gather some leaves from your yard, school or local park, but make sure to only take a few leaves and leave the rest for insects and animals. After you gather a variety of leaves that you find unique, lightly paint on a thin layer of water based paint or natural dye onto the leaf and lay down the paint side on paper and press it down. After pressing it down, gently lift it up to reveal a beautiful print that shows the intricate details of a leaf.

Source: The Imagination Tree

If you don’t have paint or brushes at home you can press your plants instead. For this, you need some flowers or leaves you want to preserve and a book. Place your leaves in the middle of the book in between two sheets of paper to protect the pages and close the book slowly with your plants layed out and spread out from each other. Then place the book down flat and put more books or use something as a weight to put on top. Then wait a week or two for your plants to dry and get pressed into place. After giving the plants ample time to dry, carefully open the book and you have preserved plants! You can use these as decoration or add them to cards, gifts or collages. 

3. Tin Can Lanterns and Planters

Tin cans and many other containers we use on a daily basis can be transformed into something beautiful. Yogurt containers, playdough containers, glass bottles and tin cans, make great vessels to hold various things. 

Source: Thinly Spread

Materials needed: used cans, nail and hammer, small candle, dirt, seeds

Tin cans are sturdy and great for this project and  are easily available, especially after cooking dinner. Two ways you can use tin cans are as a lantern or as a small planter. 

To make a lantern, clean your can and make sure the top lid and label is fully removed. Then use a nail as a tool to create holes. Carefully punch the nail with a hammer into the can and create whatever design you like. Stars, flowers and words look great. Once done, place a small candle inside and now you have a small lantern you can use outside during cookouts or late night talks! 

Source: Family Focus Blog 

Cans can also be used as planters. This project is very easy. All you need to do is clean the can and put dirt in and plant a seed or an existing plant. Consider adding holes to the bottom of the can with nails or a power tool if your plant requires drainage. You can also decorate the front of the can if you’d like. These are just a few ways you can reuse a tin can. 

Advanced Projects: For artists, educators, or people with more experience and tools

1. Textile Art

If you know how to sew, embroider and dye fabric, textile art might be the perfect project for you. This is a great way to give old clothes or thrifted clothes a new life.

Source: One Green Planet 

Materials needed: Used cotton fabric, natural dyes, upcycled fabric, string, sewing machine, needles.

You can thrift old blankets or fabric and cut them out into squares or shapes to sew them together to create a unique quilt. You can also add designs to the quilt with embroidery. 

Source: Edible LA

You can also bring old clothes to life in a couple of different ways. You can cut out designs from fabric or other clothing and make patches you can artistically place the piece of clothing you want to customize, or you can just add some strategically placed embroidery. You can also try to use natural dye to dye white pieces of clothing. I recommend using beet juice since it is very dark and pigmented. You can blend beets into a juice and let your clothes soak in it. This will leave your clothes a shade of pink. You can also experiment with other foods like coffee, onion skins, and spices! Upcycling old clothes always creates something unique and keeps clothes out of the landfill. 

Source: Stephanie Kilgast

2. Recycled Material Sculptures 

If you have been to the desert or an art installation you may have seen sculptures made of recycled metal, trash or plastic. These sculptures are usually very large and attract a lot of visitors, but you can certainly do a scaled down version at home. Depending on your skill level and types of trash, your materials will vary. 

Materials needed: plastic waste, scrap metal, scrap wood, nails, glue, string, hammer

This project will be guided by your creativity and materials. If you have a lot of scrap wood, you can try carving some or nailing it together into an interesting shape or object. Metal and trash can be hammered and glued in place as well to create a one of a kind sculpture you can display in your yard or community garden. 

Source: Customs House Museum and Cultural Center 

These are just a few projects you can do to make something new out  of the endless amount of waste we humans create. It is important to remember that reusing and upcycling is essential to making your creation sustainable. As you go about creating your sustainable art, remember that reducing the amount of single use items you use daily can also make a great impact to the environment. So before you buy new art supplies or tools, look around your house or community to see what nature has to offer and what you already have at home or what you might be able to reuse. Sharing your art on social media and at local art fairs or events can spark up the conversion about sustainability. It shows how it can be done by anyone. Next time you feel creative, try your hand at some sustainable projects!