How to Recycle Paper into Art

Ever seen that beautiful recycled newspaper art, in a gallery and wondered, "How do they do that?'. These pieces of art, which often have embossed or upraised designs in them can get pretty pricey, but never fear ~ it's easy to make your own at home. This can also be a fun and informative activity for the kids! All you will need is a water tight container ( a five gallon bucket works great), water, a little household bleach, a simple press made from widow screen, one by boards, and an old newspaper or two.

First , tear all your newspaper into small squares, about 1 inch square. When you have all the paper torn up , place it into the watertight container, and cover it with enough warm water to allow free movement. Think of the washing machine filling up in order to gauge how much water you need, the level of the water should be at least an inch or so above the top of the newspaper. Ad a couple of drops of bleach to the water, to prevent it from turning into a nasty smelly goop, and set it aside somewhere. Be sure to choose a safe, out of the way location in your home, as this process takes awhile.

Meantime, you can start constructing your press. This seems a daunting task, but it is actually pretty easy. A complex press can be made by constructing two squares of one by one lumber, into a 'picture frame' shape and stretching window screen over each piece. One of the frames should sit snugly inside the other. Make the largest frame whatever size you want your finished paper to be. If you don't have the tools, or the skills to do this part, most of the time stores like Home Depot will cut the pieces to your specifications for you. It will also simplify the process if you pick up some carpenter's clamps at this time , from the hardware store. They are easily found as they are used for holding furniture together while glue dries, and can be priced very reasonably, if you purchase the plastic ones. The clamps will be used later, but set them aside~ you will see their usefulness when the time comes.