Why You Should Start Using Trash As Your Canvas

If you dabble in art, you will know by now that it can get pretty expensive in most avenues. Constant refills of paint add up, as well as the need for materials to paint/draw on such as paper and canvas. What you may not know is that one of the most versatile and inexpensive kinds of canvas is probably sitting in your own home. Yes, I am talking about the random boxes and paper bags that you have not thrown away. You may even come to love this style of backing for your work.

I came around to using cardboard and other trash objects as my canvas when I wanted to test some new techniques without wasting my precious canvases. I noticed I had a surplus of cardboard boxes lying around, so I thought, “Screw it, why not use them for my work.” After that day, I have become obsessed with trying to push my limits on what I can use as canvas. Fast food bags, cereal boxes, you name it, I will paint something neat on it. Using these methods has made me want to create more, because I now know that I always have something available to draw on.

I think it adds a bit of charm to the art as well. Using professional canvas sometimes made me feel like my work was not worthy enough for how expensive each canvas actually was. My usage of cardboard, along with other various pieces of so-called trash, has made me feel a lot more comfortable with my work. Maybe I am just very weird in that sense, but I feel if you try it, the same outcome will occur. The other upside that I briefly mentioned earlier is that you can completely cut out the cost of canvas, as your trash can becomes the new source of canvas.

Now what are the downsides of using rubbish as your canvas? To start, it is trash, so take that as you will. Second downside is that it may smell weird, which is never ideal if you are trying to sell that specific work of art. Some people may not like that it says Taco Bell in the background of your work, but it seems like everyone is an art critic nowadays. A more serious con is that you cannot be picky with the amount of space you are given while using scrap boxes, since many boxes are not that big. If you are trying to produce massive paintings, then you may be out of luck with using garbage. The variations in sizes could easily be used in one’s favor, as it can make you use the space in ways you never thought possible.