Altered Art

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

What is altered art?

This type of crafting may mean different things to different crafters. For me, it is all about finding an object that interests me such as a box or a tin or an ordinary , and changing it artistically to make a pleasing (to me) and original work of art.

Recycling found objects and making them works of art is another way to try this technique and it appeals to many.Being frugal with your crafting means you are altering the purpose of a recyclable object, thus creating altered art.

My own projects often wind up having a 3-d element or two to them. I like to find many items that can be used to create a collage effect.

Scroll down for more ideas.

What is Altered Art then?

"It's Art without rules...."

I went through a stage of altering matchboxes, for example.

Why Create Altered Art?

Altered art pieces are all about finding something everyday and ordinary and transforming it into a decorative piece for your home, or as a gift for someone special. It is a way of giving tired objects, destined for the trash bin perhaps, a new lease of life.

Once you get the idea of looking at things to see if they can be changed (in appearance or use), it almost becomes a crafting way of life. It's a very green way to live, in that you are recycling objects that may have wound up in landfill. It's a creative way of crafting, in that you are re-purposing objects in your environment in an imaginative and decorative way.You can create unique, one-off pieces that cannot be found in a factory or store yet they can have such value to you and to the people you gift them to.

It's also a lot of fun.

If you already make pieces like this and understand why it can become so addictive, please share some of your work with me. Scroll down to find a place to share.

How to Get Started

So how to people get started with altering objects around them and making them into art?

Often, people start by changing the look of a book, a box, a notepad or journal. Dressing up stationery is one of my favourite things to do. I love to have a decorated cover on my notebooks especially.

You can start smaller. One of the first things I ever altered was a set of metal brads.

These brads were plain brown and white. They didn't particularly inspire me to use them until I altered them by adding  rub-ons , stamped images and rhinestones to them.

I was so keen to show them to you, I didn't wait for the glue to dry properly to become transparent before I photographed them, but it did.

Another alterable surface is a scrapbook album cover. Here I decorated the cover of a circle journal using metal brads, letter stickers, a paper flower, a metal clip, ribbon and paper.

I then doodled words around the main elements with a Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker.

You may also think of altering such things as:

• Old or scratched CDs/DVDs
• Matchboxes
• Picture frames, old window frames (maybe to make them into newly decorated picture frames?)
• Photos themselves. Use manual techniques or digital ones
• Old post cards or greeting cards
• Buckets and tins and flower pots
• Mirrors
• Shoes, purses, clothing. Alter them with beads, shells or fabric paint perhaps
• Old Crockery and cutlery. Broken crockery makes wonderful mosaics and old cutlery can make a mobile when you bend it into the desired shape with pliers
  
• Birdhouses
• Empty plastic chocolate boxes

It's a list that only ends when your own imagination runs out.

Craft stored usually stock many raw objects made from unfinished wood, chipboard and paper. Second hand shops are also a source of delight when you are looking for objects to recycle and re-use. You can even decorate plain cardboard craft containers to make them more special.

Change the look of everyday and familiar objects such as tissue boxes, folders, clothing, etc.

Why not plan a trip to your local craft shop or second hand store to see if an unfinished piece is calling out for you to recreate it with some altered art techniques?

Be sure to think about how you can use your current stash of craft supplies to alter a piece into a work of art.

You can also look around your home for found objects that can be used in crafting such as:

• The netting from vegetables and fruit packs
• Lace, sequins and buttons cut from old clothing
• Egg cartons
• confetti shapes especially the foil ones
  
• ribbon and twine from gifts
• old wrapping paper
• Images from Tissue boxesor other packaging
  
• Magaizines, catalogues
• the fronts of cards
• thin paper from telephone books makes wonderful tissue paper flowers

Let me know if you can help grow this list for everyone by contacting me with items to add ot it.

Want more inspiration? Find over 700 altered art pieces in this collection from a lady on Pintrest!

You Are Invited to Show Off Your Work

If you have some of your own work that you would like to share, please do tell us about it. It's fun to see other people's work and it gives all of us new ideas.

Another altered match box.