DIY art

Make It Monday: Page-Turner Art

Written on November 16, 2009 at 6:05 am, by Art Actually (Katie Leporte)

No worries. I didn’t cut up my collector’s edition of Lord of the Rings. But that book I bought in haste at the airport five years ago? Not the page-turner I’d hoped for, so I turned it into art.

Hated a book? Hang onto it. Tear out a few pages, set aside. Better you destroy it than let someone else read it.
Plexiglas. Way more affordable than buying picture frames. I found five pre-cut Plexiglas pieces at the hardware store (8 x 10 inches). Or, you could buy a larger sheet of Plexi, measure equal sections to your desired size, score repeatedly with a utility knife, and snap.
Magnets. Get those tiny round ones in a package, found at the crafts store. You’ll want 36 small magnets for five Plexiglas sheets. See layering instructions below.

Make layers. (See diagram below for layering.) Position four magnets in the four corners on top of the first sheet of Plexi; adhere with tiny dots of strong adhesive glue (or glue that dries clear). Place four more magnets on top each of those. Add a dot of glue only to the tops of these.
Layer another Plexi sheet on top of the double-stacked magnets, making sure the sheet is perfectly matched and adhered in position to the sheet below. Add four dots of glue in the corners on top of this second Plexi layer, then add magnets. Stack another layer of magnets, add glue dots to the tops, layer Plexi. Repeat until you have the desired thickness/layers. The more layers, the more dimension your art will take on. Along with book pages, I used scraps of colored vellum, printed acetate, and photographs to layer in between the Plexi.

TIP: Using a black fine-point Sharpie, number the layers, top to bottom. A small number in a corner won’t be noticeable. If the layers get mixed up, some of the magnets will actually repell each other and not lay properly.

Total? Less than $20. Plexiglas: $12. Magnets: $3. Glue: $2. Picture hanger: $2 (adhere to the back of the bottom Plexi sheet with glue).

Photos: Marty Baldwin. Projects: Katie Leporte.

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6 Ways to Create Instant, Affordable Wall Art

Written on October 1, 2009 at 2:47 pm, by Team DIY

1. Double your money

Purchase an inexpensive Jackson Pollack poster and cut it in half to wrap around two small canvases. The same process works with a horizontal landscape or a detail-filled urban photograph.

2. Play with art

Showcase kids’ art by enlarging or reducing favorite pieces on a copier. Slip the copies into classic frames to fill an art wall at your house. Make sure to have the artists sign and date their works.

3. All in the frame

An ornate frame painted classic black provides a striking silhouette for any art wall. Look for frames—from large to small—with intricate details and unusual shapes.

4. Spray paint silhouette

Create a plant portrait with an “X-ray”-like effect by placing a fern or other leaf or flower on top of a stiff white board then spraying over it with black paint. Before the paint dries, carefully lift off the plant material to reveal a white silhouette.

5. Got my eye on you

For a playful twist on a framed portrait photograph, zero in on a loved one’s favorite feature—their smile or sparkling eyes, for instance—by enlarging it on a copier or by using a scanner.

6. A lot on your plate

No canvas? No frame? No problem. We embellished plastic sushi bowls (plates work well, too) with allium designs using paint from a craft store.

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