I’ve been experimenting with making a few wall pieces out of the humble yet ubiquitous cardboard toilet paper roll. I really like the fact that, when squished and glued together, they look vaguely like a honeycomb, or something cellular.
I found some beautiful and inspiring work being made out there using cardboard toilet paper cores: the narrative, miniature worlds of Anastassia Elias’ Paper Cuts series, the expressive masks of Junior Fritz Jacquet, and Yuken Teruya‘s branching corner forests.
I think the next step for me may involve color, and possibly unrolling the tubes themselves to create different shapes. It’ll be fun to keep experimenting — and the media is almost never in short supply.
at 9:11 am
Everytime I see what you can do with toilet rolls it blows me away! Seriously- I love this. xo Suz
at 9:21 am
Thanks, dear Suzanne!
at 7:03 pm
i’m visiting for the second time today, just to gawk at this gorgeousness. and think i might do some tp-roll experimenting myself. the wall above my desk is awfully blank….
at 10:08 pm
hurrah and go for it! i’d love to see a photo of your creations.
at 8:47 am
This is AMAZING. I love the idea and execution of it! I need to try something similar!
at 8:43 pm
Hi Erika,
This looks fantastic! I came by after seeing this on notcot! I love the idea, it’s a brilliant idea for sustainable art/design and recycling.
at 12:15 am
oh i mentioned Mz donovan cos your stuff totally is like a domestic version of hers, lovin it!
oh theres that other girl who cuts twing shapes into bog rolls, whats her name?……. Ill get back to you…
at 12:04 am
hey ever seen tara donovans stuff? sculpture pop star takes everyday materials to the extreem, google her youll fall in love, i know i did
love your work
at 8:04 am
Oh wow, she’s amazing! I’d seen photos of her plastic cups piece, but I didn’t know her name. You’re right, I love her work – totally inspiring. Thanks for the tip.
at 11:13 pm
I have the very same thing that I made a few months ago…mine are painted gold on the inside. Really nice when the sun catches it – I have mine in the top half of a window. Awesome!
at 12:19 am
Sounds beautiful, Lauren! What’s the best way to paint the insides of the cylinders? Do you cut them first? I’d love to see pictures.
at 7:46 pm
Okay, that’s awesome. I just may have to try it myself. Perhaps with a picture as a centerpiece with these as a frame around it. Absolutely inspiring!
at 11:04 am
I submitted this to notcot.org. It’s gorgeous!
at 9:08 pm
Thanks, Shannon! I hadn’t heard of notcot.org before — it’s great!
at 10:43 am
I am amazed. I send mine off to the recycling center, hoping they really get recycled. But this? is just too cool.
they look shorter – cut in half? thirds?
at 9:14 pm
Thanks, Laurel! I cut the TP rolls into thirds for this one.
at 10:18 am
…I collect these also, so cool what you’ve done, yes, they look like cells, happy little dividing cells, creating something beautiful, something I’m fond of since studying biology and microbiology recently.
at 12:01 am
Thanks, Zahara — I love their cellular quality, too. My parents were both science educators, so I’m inspired by the natural world as well.
I think it’d be such fun to create something like this:
http://epobio.net/images/plantcellwall02.jpg
out of the humble toilet paper roll.
at 9:43 pm
Brilliant! How did you fix them together? Hot glue?
at 2:15 pm
Thanks, Jordan. I actually used “Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue” and clothespins to hold them together during the drying process. The clothespins really help everything stay together.