While hanging with Ramona and Jennifer this afternoon at Texas Art Asylum, we started talking about storage options. Ramona needs more storage and frankly so do I. Since I’ve decided to expand into mixed media work in addition to the photography, I’ve been adding art supplies to my little crafting area. Problem is, I’m running out of space on my shelves.
So on the drive home this afternoon, while I was pondering Ramona’s space problem, I started thinking about what I could do to store my paints, alcohol inks, small paper scraps, and other odds and ends. I thought about some of the things I already had and I thought about things I’d seen in magazines and other web sites. And I decided that the cigar boxes I bought a couple trips back to Texas Art Asylum were key. So I played around and found that with a little bit of finagling, I could get everything neatly into cigar boxes.
Paint Pots like my Stewart Gilll paints (Lower left corner) fit well in the deeper boxes and I could get a dozen in the box. My alcohol inks took a little more effort though, and I found that I could get 18 into a MonteCristo No. 1 box if I laid them in 3 rows of 6 (see box in the lower right corner). In the other boxes, one’s devoted to Artist Trading card blanks, one that is devoted to washers, and another that is devoted to odds & ends.
What you’ll need for this project:
1 (or more) Cigar Boxes
Gesso
Mod-Podge
Paper
Paint
Two labels printed on cardstock for your box (one to go on the front and one to go on the side)
Sponge Brush and regular brushes
Scissors
Images that you might want to use
Quick Tip: A quick and easy way to protect your work surface is to tack down some butcher’s paper with some painter’s tape. The painters tape is low tack and won’t leave behind any residue and if you put the butcher paper shiny side up you have a non-stick surface and the gesso and paint won’t stick to the paper.
I started with an unpainted cigar box.
I dump a bit of gesso into a plastic tray. I discovered tonight that the plastic forms that were over the alcohol ink sets were fanastic for holding gesso.
I used a sponge brush to coat the printed parts of the box with gesso. I really liked the look of the paper seals on the box, so I left them uncovered, but you don’t have to do that. Depending on how you are going to decorate the boxes, you may need to go back and do a second coat of gesso.
Right now, I’ve got three boxes drying.
Tomorrow, I’ll work on the decoration part.
Here’s Part II.
Here’s Part III.
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[...] Don't Be a Pickle Bump » Upcycling Cigar Boxes – Part 1 [...]
I do those! I use cigar boxes and boxes from thrift stores and hobby lobby. I decoupage them and sometimes make them 3d.I can’t wait to see where you go with yours!
[...] watercolors melt into each other. Last week I worked on making paper for my repurposed Cigar Boxes (Part 1 and part 2). I need to make some time to finish what I started because I have more to make. [...]
[...] long time ago, I started writing how I upcycled a cigar box for storage. Part 1 focused on prepping the box. Part 2 focused on decorating the papers I used to cover the box. And [...]