UNUSUAL SURFACES FOR COLLAGE AND PAINT

Try Collaging or Painting on Unusual Supports or Dimensional Objects!

Tired of creating art on the same old surfaces, in the same old shapes? In this post you'll see some unconventional "canvases." Paint and collage almost anything from a large animal bone to an entire vehicle! Breathe new life into a battered briefcase or hard-sided suitcase. Rescue a scruffy table. Unusual collage surfaces or painting "canvases" include far too many materials to mention them all here, but I hope you'll take inspiration from some of these ideas.

Robert Esquivel is a very talented artist who has done wonderful mixed-media work on old LPs ! He painted Captivation, below,  over a collage done on an unwanted vinyl record.

An old album cover might be perfect, especially if you use clear gesso on the front and also gesso the back. 

Collage/painting using old LP cover as the substrate.

I used the round format to collage and paint a mask on a  discarded dinner plate. 

                                                                              Here a game board served as my collage base. 

Game board substrate.

Wooden cases, salesmen's sample cases...these can
easily be collaged and painted. (Lightly sand and gesso 
first if necessary.) 

I can't wait to use these!

Large cow bones can be painted, too! 

Bone Mask, cow pelvis, acrylic paint.

(Always clean bone thoroughly and let dry before painting. You can apply gesso as a first coat if desired. As a final step, a layer of varnish is suggested.)

Other unorthodox "canvases" include vintage book covers (above), old bowling pins or decorative metal tins (after sanding and gessoing). 
Rejuvenate an ordinary bottle into a fantasy genie bottle with Lumiére or glass paints, fibers, beads, found objects, and more. Even a shoe can become a blank canvas--create cool kicks that you can actually wear, if you dare.

                            Go ahead, be re-creative  with any funky object you can revamp!