How do I make Assemblage Art?

You need to start by collecting stuff! All kinds of stuff - bottles, cups, cutlery, electronics, keyboards - anything and everything can be used! Bigger items can also be broken down into smaller parts, such as pump bottles and white out strip machines. Consider EVERYTHING as having potential. 

Consider the shape of the item, its size, composition. Is it solid or hollow? Can it be painted, glued, drilled, screwed? Is it plastic, wood, rubber or something else??

How are these items going to be connected together? What additional pieces do I need to completed my project? Do I have the right tools to be able to make this happen at all?? What do I need to purchase - screws, specialty glue, wire, twine, the list goes on.

All these questions become relevant during the construction phase.

As the project moves forward, these factors can make or break your piece. Even the construction method may need to be modified to help make your project come together - literally. Does it need to move? Is it fixed? Does the item require reinforcing to help it stay upright?

Take the below nutcrackers. The bodies started as coffee containers and a juice bottle. The one in the centre is a shaped coffee container, primed and painted, with some felt accents, ribbons and button details. The legs are dowel that has been screwed into the container from the inside and from the base, which is an MDF coaster. His arms are also dowel, attached through the body with a bamboo skewer. The head is a plastic cup,  primed and painted. The crown centre is a styrofoam shape and the outer part is cut from craft foam. Hair is scraps of fur.

To the left and first right of centre - these are made from a cylindrical coffee cans, upside down (lid on the bottom). The same parts for the legs and arms as the centre guy. Hats are aerosol spray lids and cardboard pieces cut to size.

Far right is a square juice bottle, with a polystyrene ball for the head. Upside down plastic shot glass for the hat with a bottle cap in the top. Thinner dowel arms and legs give a more delicate look. Feet are biscuit joiners that are shaped like a pointy elipse or squashed circle. More close-up detail below:

Hands are wooden plugs from the hardware store.

Ribbon, sequins, cardboard, googly eyes, embroidery thread, craft foam - all stashed items used as finishing touches.

Below is my version of an Australia Day Nutcracker, complete with beer and Aussie flag. This one was great fun to make! I hunted everywhere for a beer the right scale and found it in a keyring from a discount shop. His flag is a novelty toothpick and his tshirt logo was from a temporary tattoo:

Many items that I use on a regular basis are listed below:

• bottles, bottle tops, lids
• plastic cups, yoghurt containers, sample cups
• coffee containers
• wood pieces - biscuit joiners, plugs, balls, beads, dowel, bamboo skewers
• container lids
• coasters (for bases)
• ribbon, fur, felt, fabric, sequins, braid
• paint, primer
• glue, screws

Essentially, anything can be used - it just depends on the look you are going for.

Contrast the above in both size and materials. Left started as a moisturiser bottle, while the right was a body wash bottle. The scale difference meant a variety of different materials were required. The soldier on the left has been primed and painted. Lots of shiny bits and a feather to finish off his hat.

The chef on the right started with the cap from a can of whipped cream - the rest was chosen to fit the theme and scale. Spoons for hands, razor blade handles for arms, bottle caps for top of sleeve. Gingham fabric glued to dowel for the legs that look like chef pants.

This one was a prize winner in 2021 in the Christmas decoration category. This has since SOLD.

Other options have involved Ferrero Rocher containers, paint and assorted embellishments added. This one painted to look like leather, finished in a Steampunk style.

This one was a napkin with assorted instruments and some printed images, layered decopage style. Feet are toothpaste lids and beads. 

The hardest part of working with found objects is finding the right "thing" to do the job, which is why a large amount of stash is required, but the joy when finding just the right thing is amazing!