Human creativity has no boundaries, and only a few things can stand in the way of an inspired mind. True artists with a will to express themselves will stop at nothing to make their ideas into reality. A lot of people might think that producing an art piece or even getting the skills to do it might be expensive, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Whether by design or by circumstance, these artists have used common items and tools found in regular households or in our surroundings to create beautiful pieces of art. They have very different styles and use different techniques but in general, the idea is the same – turning everyday things into art!
Graffiti Art
If we are talking about art that started out in poor conditions and was taken up by complete amateurs, we can’t sidestep graffiti. Of course, I am referring to contemporary graffiti art which grew intertwined with the Hip-Hop sub-culture back in the very beginning of the 80s. Since then, it has evolved a considerable amount, and the pieces might or might not carry a message (unlike back in the days) but if we are talking about the skills and virtuosity of an artists, it went further than anyone anticipated it would.
A piece done by Banksy, a UK artist using stencils and spray paint
Another beautiful example of street art done by an American artist Shepard Fairey
Some basic necessities that you need in order to start doing graffiti are spray paint (and/or house paint), cardboard for stencils and a legal wall to practice (some choose to disregard the legal part).
Paper Art
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not big on wasting paper and harming the environment through that. Most of the artists that use paper as the basic building block for their art use recycled paper. While simple drawing comes to mind as soon as you mention paper and art in the same sentence, I’m not really going to focus on that, at least not only on that. There are many different ways in which you can use paper to create, like origami and similar paper bending techniques, but there’s not only this.
This is paper shadow art done by Kumi Yamashita, a Japanese artist currently working in New York
Li Hongbo recreates classical statues using paper, but with a twist (or should I say with a stretch)
These are just some of the examples of how paper can be used to create art, and if you want to learn more about this, there are a lot of instructional videos and tutorials you can use to get a hang of the basics. After you do that, it all boils down to devotion and creativity.
Scrap Metal Art
Another thing that you can usually find around town and around most households is scrap metal. Old car parts, old bikes, pots, pans and so on are just lying around polluting the environment and serving no purpose at all, but a creative mind and a knack for crafts can turn this useless scrap metal into magnificent art pieces. There are more than a few examples of this.
John Lopez, an artist from South Dakota uses scrap metal to build life-size statues
Edouard Martinet is also an artist who uses scrap metal to create magnificent insect sculptures
If you want to attempt this type of technique, you might need some crafting equipment, like welding equipment and so on. Keep in mind that working with scrap metal can be dangerous and make sure to use protective gear and also, get to know the equipment you plan on using.
The Arts keep evolving!
There are people who believe that art will come to a full stop at some point, but just like language, you can use limited symbols to create an unlimited number of unique constructions. These days, people use their phones and basic apps like Instagram to create art. There is no limit to human creativity, and there will always be some new awe-striking pieces that are unlike anything seen before. We just need to give these artists the support they need and a room to try and impress us.