The need for artistic creation is probably nearly as old as humanity itself. Rock and cave paintings in France, Spain, South Africa and elsewhere have been dated to an age of 30,000 to 40,000 years and more. The famous small sculpture of the "Venus of Willendorf," found in what is now Austria, was created nearly 30,000 years ago. Man also made music back then, as evidenced by a flute made of bird bones that was excavated in the Swabian Alb and dates to about 35,000 years ago.

The ancient testimonies of painting and sculpture also prove that man played with various means of expression very early on. Over the millennia, more and more materials and techniques were added.

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Corrugated board as a basis for works of art is not only quite original, but also still relatively young, because the first patent for this material dates back to 1882. It may be doubted that its inventor, the US American Robert H. Thompson, had art in mind when developing it. In the meantime, however, numerous artists are using the material, which was actually intended for packaging, to express their creative intentions.

A brief overview: What types of art are there?

Art is a broad field. In general, one distinguishes four major groups:

• visual arts
• Music(classical music, rock, pop, blues, jazz, folk music, hip-hop etc.)
• Literature (novels, poems, comedies, tragedies, etc.)
• performing arts (film, theater, dance, etc.)

What interests us in this article in connection with corrugated board is the visual arts. This, too, is divided into several sections, including:

• Painting
• Graphic
• Drawing
• Collages
• Sculpture
• Architecture
• Arts and crafts

To describe in detail the types of art that have existed throughout history and across all continents, one could certainly write several thick books and still not get an overall view.

This is because many works of art probably perished due to catastrophes, wars or other destruction, and many more were never documented.

There have certainly also been countless artists who were never able to realize their talent due to adverse life circumstances. Or some works of art - if you think of sculptures made of sand, ice and snow, for example - were blown away by the wind or simply melted in warmer temperatures.

Man has always tried to give form to his environment and his imagination in pictorial form, using a wide variety of techniques and materials. The oldest known evidence are rock and cave paintings and small sculptures such as the "Venus of Willendorf", which are 30,000, 40,000 and more years old.

What materials can be used for visual art?

That's another question that could either be written about in thousands of pages or have a short and concise answer: almost anything.

Oil, acrylic, watercolor and other paints made from pigments, solvents and binders are suitable for painting. As a base, depending on the nature of the paint, you can use stone, wood, metal, canvas, paper, cardboard - and, yes, even corrugated cardboard.

Artists make drawings with graphite, chalk, charcoal, ink and ink. Marble, granite, wood, clay, plaster, papier-mâché, metal, and plastic are shaped in different ways into sculptures and reliefs or serve as materials for architectural works of art. You can make collages from paper, cardboard, plastic sheeting, or fabric scraps.

Picasso sculpted a bull's head from a bicycle saddle and handlebars, and even used a flashlight to create light drawings in a darkened room that were captured on film.

Marcel Duchamp, a pioneer of Dadaism and Surrealism, created one of his so-called "ready-mades" from a standard urinal turned 90 degrees, which he merely signed with a pseudonym. Entitled "Fountain," the object is now considered one of the key works of modern art.

And a third artist should be mentioned at this point: the Swiss Dieter Roth. He worked a lot with chocolate, cheese and other foodstuffs, which he let slowly go moldy behind glass.

These examples certainly do not meet everyone's taste, but they suggest that art can be created from the most "impossible" materials and objects, even from garbage. Because there are virtually no limits when a creative mind wants to implement his ideas.

Features of corrugated board as a material for works of art

But let's get to the topic of this article and the question of what makes corrugated board special compared to other materials.

It is as light as paper, but much stronger and therefore suitable for more than just drawings and paintings. It can be shaped into a wide variety of forms, either by shaping it with your hands or by cutting and gluing it.

Plus: Above all, it can be had cheaply or for free, if you want. Because every day there are more or less shipping boxes made of corrugated cardboard somewhere, which are usually torn up and then end up in the waste paper. If you want to get creative with corrugated cardboard, all you basically have to do is ask around at a few stores or offices and ask them to save you some boxes. This will lay the foundation for your creative work with this material.

There are also (online) stores where you can buy corrugated cardboard. It is partly offered in the form of sheets as archiving material, these are white and light gray instead of brown, acid-free and aging resistant. The advantage:

Painting colors shine more brightly on a white background. On the other hand, brown corrugated cardboard has a very unique look that is ideal for some purposes. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what you like better or what suits your project better.

Corrugated cardboard is inexpensive or even free, it is easy to work with and is environmentally friendly because it is recyclable. In addition, it is stable enough to try out the most diverse art techniques with it.

Art from corrugated cardboard: basic material for painting

Corrugated cardboard can be painted well with all common colors without necessarily having to be primed. If you're using watercolor, you'll need to keep in mind that the transparent colors will take on a different tone and luminosity when brown cardboard is used than when white cardboard is used. However, this can be quite appealing.

If the paint application is too wet, corrugated board will also bend somewhat despite its stability. In this case, you must try out how far it can be smoothed out again. If you have used oil paints for painting, smoothing is impossible at first because the paints take a long time to dry completely. There is then a risk that the paint layer will become brittle. This can also happen with acrylic paint. It's best to try it out first with small pieces of cardboard.

Art from corrugated cardboard: carvings and more

Corrugated cardboard is suitable not only for painting, but also for collages, carvings and three-dimensional objects. These are works by the French artist Eva Jospin. One of her recurring motifs is the forest. She uses brown corrugated cardboard for her objects, which is not further combined with colors or other materials, but simply glued.

You can find a mixture of painting, collage and three-dimensionality at the Bavarian artist Paul Roier. His works are good examples of what can be created from simple corrugated cardboard with additional color and a lot of imagination.

Finally, we should mention the illustrator, graphic designer and artist Björn von Schlippe, who was born in Münster. He began working with corrugated cardboard when he was making play figures for his daughter. From this developed the idea of creating three-dimensional painted collages, which he has since presented to a wider audience in numerous exhibitions. Since almost all art styles of the modern era have designations ending in "-ism" - impressionism, expressionism, futurism, etc. - he consequently calls his type of art cardboardism.

You can create particularly interesting structures by scoring the top layer of the flat paper and peeling it off to reveal the waves underneath. You can use the alternation of smooth and wavy surfaces as a design feature and further differentiate with color, glued-on paper, etc.

Conclusion: Corrugated board is more than just packaging material

The possibilities described for making art out of corrugated cardboard clearly show how creatively you can use the material without having to dig deep into your pockets. Some artists conjure up fantastic works from corrugated cardboard that can actually be considered great art. Even Picasso worked with the material in his cubist phase and integrated it into his art.

FAQ

1. For what kind of art is suitable to use corrugated board?

   Corrugated board can be painted with common colors, glued with other materials or even shaped into three-dimensional objects and sculptures. There are virtually no limits to the imagination.

2. What are the advantages of corrugated board as an artificial material?

   Corrugated cardboard is lightweight yet strong, it's easy to work with, such as cutting with a cutter, and it's free if you use leftover shipping boxes. Of course, you can also buy it in larger sheets and unpunched if you're planning certain projects that can't be done with leftover shipping boxes.

3. Is corrugated board expensive as an artificial material?

   No. You can buy them quite inexpensively from relevant dealers if you absolutely have to. However, most artists who work with them simply use discarded shipping boxes. They can be had for free if you ask around stores, offices, or friends and acquaintances.

Cover image: stock.adobe.com © Andrew #592814427