Painted pots

Playful projects to try out

Cardboard Constructions

I’ve always loved cardboard. It’s such a simple material, but there’s something endlessly playful about it. Maybe it goes back to childhood—those “Blue Peter” cereal-box projects sparked a love for making things out of what was lying around the house. That’s part of the magic, I think: cardboard is often available from delivery boxes or packaging and because it’s cheap and disposable, it never feels too precious. That makes it the perfect material to experiment with. You can paint freely and loosely onto it, cut it up with scissors, and construct whatever you like without overthinking it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about ceramic artists who’s work move beyond function, those who create work that’s expressive and sculptural. I started this project by looking at the work of Betty Woodman, whose ceramics have been a favourite of mine for years. Her pieces are full of energy; they seem to explode with vibrant colour, bold patterns, and painterly gestures. You can see some images of her work Here

Materials

Cardboard - single walled is easier to cut than double, especially for children.

Paint - I used cheap acrylics for these ones

Varying thicknesses of paintbrush - it could be that foam rollers are nice to use as well

Scissors

I started by painting onto the cardboard, loosely and rough in different colours. I painted some pieces in block colours and others i added patterns and details; zigzags, spots, lines, wiggles and marks, I let some areas dry and went back to add more details over the top. Some pieces i painted on both sides of the cardboard and others i just left bare. I wanted the painting to feel big and bold and loose

I cut slots using scissors to the half way point on two pieces of card, i made the slots roughly as wide as the thickness of the card i was using and slot them together to create a 3D construction that would stand up. I used these as my main base to keep the everything stable and then cut and added more pieces of interlocking card onto it. I wanted to cut out irregular shapes and so i cut these in a playful and quick way

I also had some nice shapes left over and extra cardboard so I made a few flat pots by sticking the pieces down with glue. I added extra textures and details with some vibrant oil pastels on top.

This is a fun project for loosening up if you’re an adult and also enjoyable for children too. The joy for me is in working on flat surfaces and then easily being able to turn it into 3D . Create a little exhibition or set them up and photograph them from different angles. please do share with me if you make these. I would love you see!