Coloured Pencil Art Display

Here’s a pretty idea to recycle old lead and wood pencils. Let your imagination run wild and create a unique design or recreate a pattern or word that inspires you!

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What you'll need

Small rectangular canvas

Tissue paper (choice of colours)

Scissors

Nontoxic glue and varnish (like Mod Podge – your choice of matte or gloss)

Small paintbrush

Old lead and wood pencils

Shears

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Next step

Step 1

Cut several strips of tissue paper to an approximate width of 2 cm (3/4 in) and the length needed to cover the canvas.

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Step 2

With a paintbrush, apply glue (Mod Podge) where you plan on layering the paper strips over the canvas. Place the first paper on the strip of glue, then very gently cover paper with a second layer of glue (this will also serve as a varnish).

Proceed the same way with remaining paper strips, until the whole canvas is covered in tissue paper. Let dry around 20 minutes or according to the maker’s instructions. Apply a second coat and let dry again.

(Tip: Should you happen to rip the tissue paper, apply a little glue to the area that needs fixing, place a patch of paper the same size as the rip, and cover with glue.)

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Step 3

Select old pencils according to colour and size. Using shears, cut down to size as needed to form a fun shape or inspirational word. To ensure the best arrangement, test a few layouts by positioning pencils without gluing.

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Step 4

Once you are happy with the final arrangement, glue each pencil using a hot glue gun.

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Step 5

Hang your artwork on the wall where you can admire its colours and originality every time you walk by!