Artist, Cassandra Tondro, has come up with a fabulous, fun way of recycling house paint. She gives it a second life by using it to make abstract art, while at the same time, helping the environment. She’ll also be inadvertently helping you to clear out that little corner where you store your paint containers, because I can’t be the only one who hangs on to the stuff, but rarely ends up using it.
Materials
- house paint
- paint sticks
- stretched canvas
- large garbage bag or drop sheet
- masking tape
- rubber gloves (optional)
- paper cups or plastic containers to hold paint (optional)
Instructions
1. Tape a large garbage bag or drop sheet onto a table or floor. Place the canvas you will be using in the centre, and outline it with a Sharpie. Remove.
2. Open all the recycled house paints you will be using, and mix well. You may want to use rubber gloves at this point.
If you think the paint containers will be too big for children to use, transfer some paint to smaller plastic containers, or even paper cups. Carefully begin pouring/drizzling the paint onto the plastic sheet, in and around the area you outlined.
Continue with all the colours you will be using.
3. If you prefer to use a canvas with a base colour on it, prepare it in advance so it is dry before the next step. Take a stretched canvas and press it onto the paint, right side down. Carefully remove and allow to dry. How cool was that!
ArtClubBlog 
How fun! And I’m about to have a lot of leftover house paint!
Oh that’s right! Although you may not want to look at paint for a long time 😉
Oh, the textures are heartbreakingly beautiful!
The textures are cool, but I’m not loving the colour combos. Will have to give that another try!
Oooo! Great project for my kids to do this summer! Pinning!
Thanks Ashley! Glad to hear you’ve got some of that old paint hanging around too 😉
Thanks for sharing my art and my process. It’s addictively fun, isn’t it? And I think your color combinations look great! Using leftover paints gets you outside the box of using the same colors that you always use. The whackier the color combinations, the better, in my experience.
What a really nice surprise! Love your idea, and the beautiful canvasses you’ve made. It truly is addictive, and I love that children can easily participate in the process. Thanks so much for visiting 🙂
Wow! I love it! Instant gratification without kids worrying about “getting it right.” This is so spontaneous and fun – and if the results don’t please on the first try – just gesso over and go for it again!
Yes, it is a fun one for kids, for all the reasons you mentioned!
You don’t even have to gesso over it! You can press it again, right away, while it’s still wet. Or you can let it dry and then re-do it. These paintings take quite a long time to dry, though. And best to let them dry slowly, not in the sun, or they crack.
Makes sense – the paint is soooo thick. Thanks for the great tips!
What a great way to brighten up a wall space! Just make a lot of these little paintings!!!
Esther
esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
I could see this becoming quite addictive.
It is totally addictive! In a good way, of course.
This is a lovely idea – really love this splash of colour would look lovely on any wall!
Thanks Emma!
They turned out so lovely and are easy enough that even I could become a “painter.” Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday on Organized 31.
Thanks Susan 🙂
Thanks Susan 🙂
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
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Such a great idea, and the end results are awesome! Thanks for sharing!!
LOL…Love it. That is really cool.
Thanks Pam!
LOL…I love it. Great job…..