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Techniques: Make your own materials

hands gesturing towards a yellow and red sculpture on table. It looks like the sculpture is being observed and drawn.
hands gesturing towards a yellow and red sculpture on table. It looks like the sculpture is being observed and drawn.
Photograph: Shepherd Manyinka
Written by
Ewelina Bartkowska Published date
05 March 2021

Making your own physical materials can be a fun way of recycling. Ewelina tells us more.

As artists, designers and makers in the era of Anthropocene - the time during which humans have had the most substantial impact on our planet- we must remember to stay sustainable and choose our materials wisely.

Here are some fun and budget-friendly recipes for making your own materials at home:

Make paper from unwanted recycled material

a newspaper left discarded on a pavement
Photograph: Robert V. Ruggiero on Unsplash

Leftover newspapers, paper scraps, junk mail and receipts can all be used to create handmade paper. Follow paperslurry.com tutorial to get started.

Once you perfect the technique you’ll have material to use for sketchbooks, model-making and more.

Want to make your own sketchbooks? Follow Oliver and Hamish’s demo in our ‘how to’ section

Make glue

an image of a person squirting glue from a bottle
Photograph: Still from How to/ Techniques: Make your own sketchbook video.

If you want to take things to the next level, snappylivng.com has put together 11 different glue recipes. Their post includes recipes for a super glue alternative!

Make papier mache and paper mache paste

Overhead shot of hands and papier mache materials
Photograph: Still from paper mache demo. Ewelina Bartkowska.

Papier mache is made from paper strips dipped in a glue mix (papier mache paste) and you’ll need to shape it round a form - a bowl or wire as in Ewelina’s demo

Paper pulp or clay requires a bit more effort to make. However, it allows you to give detail and dimension to your work.

Get some beginners tips for paper mache on medium.com

Discover sculptures made from paper pulp and plaster on laurenclay.com

Explore papier Mache architecture and design projects on dezeen.com

Make modelling clay and play-dough

a top down image of a person working with a clay ball
Photograph: Still from modelling clay demo. Ewelina Bartkowska.

Want to try out working or thinking in 3D? The process of making modelling clay will help you think about shape and form. Watch Ewelina’s demo in full

Find modelling clay and play-dough recipes on clay-itnow.com

Make dye (or paint) from food waste

Fabric and paper with natural earthy and pink coloured dyes applied
Still from How to/ Techniques: Create natural dyes video. Rafin Jannat.

Rafin’s ‘how to’ videos show you how to create natural dyes from different fruit and vegetables.

Watch Rafin’s demos to see the final results achieved on paper, fabric swatches and ribbon (like the photograph above).

Interested in thinking and making in 3D?

Explore all UAL undergraduate courses in this subject area

Interested in textiles and materials?

Browse all UAL undergraduate courses in this subject area

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