Making Materials

As part of one of my coursework submissions I was asked to create a material that was both new and interest whilst keeping a environmentally aspect in mind. This got me thinking about various environmental issues I see on a daily bases. A came to the decision that making a useable material out of plastic bags would be the most appropriate solution, because know matter how much supermarkets promote the use of bags for life you still see plastic bags littered over the landscape, stuck in trees and floating in the ocean.

To address this problem I found a few bags whilst taking my dog for a walk, I took them home, washed them in cold water and soap gently cleaning them, then left them to dry. Once’s dried I cut them into A5 squares and painted them with Matt white wall paint leaving two of the pieces to be painted blue so they could be used as the cover and back of the new book. Once all the pieces were dry I stitched them together to create the book which is ideal for drawing with posca pens and inks. It was a simple process that can be done with any plastic bag and saves it from being dumped into our environment like so many others.

Bethan x