Some of my best mixed media supplies come from a hardware store. Here's some of my best finds...
Drywall Tape
Have you heard of drywall tape? It is hands down my most favorite thing to use in collage! If you're not familiar with it, it's a roll of perforated paper with an adhesive backing.
It's two inches wide and there's about 50-75' of it on the roll, a massive amount. But wait, there's more! The white side is thicker sturdier paper with an adhesive on the back. The backing is brown, light weight paper without adhesive, sorta slick. Both pieces can be used, so you actually get twice the amount of paper. The whole roll was somewhere around $10 or less (can't remember exactly) at Lowe's in the drywall department.
I take pieces of it, either piece, either side, and spray paint it. I like to spray paint it as it's quick, easy, gets in all the holes and dries very fast here in Florida. My favorite color to spray is metallic gold (also from the hardware store). Then I use matte medium or ModPodge to glue it onto my collages. Love this stuff! I've used it for borders, as accents, even as stencils and mats when spraying other paints. I've used it to press impressions into joint compound (modeling paste for some of us, lol) and spread joint compound over it (and then removed it) as if it were a stencil. There's so much of it and it's so cheap you can't go wrong.
Mesh Tape or Scrim Tape
This is a yellow or white, fiberglass or plastic, adhesive mesh. I am currently out so have nothing to show you so here's a link to it. It comes in a large roll, is easily cut with scissors, takes spray paint beautifully and, most importantly, is only a few dollars for 300' of it! I love it, which is why I'm out.
Gutter Guard
Gutter Guard is a roll of black plastic used to keep leaves out of roof gutters. It's about 5" wide and you get 20' of it in a roll and it has this interesting diagonal pattern to it.
It cuts easily with scissors. Lover of gold metallic, I cut small pieces and spray it gold and use in collage.I've also used large pieces as a layer in wall hangings.
Joint Compound and Spack
I use this stuff in a number of ways. I spread joint compound/spack through stencils just like modeling paste. I also spread it directly on my pieces rather thickly and impress images and textures into it. Sometimes I spread it on very thinly and roughly to add visual texture to flat pieces.
Joint compound can be colored before applying it, mix some with some paint or dye in a small cup then spread. I find you need to make it a bit darker than you want your final color. I've mixed Dylusions and ColorWash as well as cheap old acrylic paints with it. You can also paint or spray it after it's dried on your piece.
If you get white spack, you can do the same thing, but some brands of spack have a color tint so that you can tell when it's dry..."goes on pink, turns white when it's dried"...and this really screws up the ability to get the right color when adding paint or dye.
Want to see what a real artist can do with joint compound? Then check out Paul Bozzo.
Metal Tape
I'm not talking about duct tape. I'm talking about Metal Foil Tape...like what some craft industry giants talk about and use. This is adhesive backed aluminum tape in a big roll...for a buck. I've had crafters try to sell me pieces of this, or even a foot of it, for considerably more then I spent for the whole roll of it at Lowe's! Go to the department with a/c vents and it's right there, 50' or more, for a buck! I've seen smaller rolls of this at the dollar store.
Here's a collage using various hardware store finds...I'm not a good photographer, even worse scanner, but you get the gist, don't you?
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