Sometimes I like to be crafty.

Every once and a while, I get this bug to pull out my art supplies. It’s like an itch that doesn’t go away until I give in and scratch it. Maybe it’s my ties to my old high school days, when schooling wasn’t just about cramming information into my brain, but also about having some fun and being creative. Thinking back, art class holds a lot of my more fonder memories.

I blame my boyfriend for this most recent urge to do something that involved getting my hands dirty in the name of art. I helped him paper mache and paint a mask that he wore to PAX. Anybody looking for a quick, and odd, laugh, I share with you the video that inspired his costume: Cool Guy Has Chill Day.

Anyway, running my hands through the paper mache mix and picking the dried paste off my skin gave me that giddy feeling which only creating something can give you. Being a double science major, art gives me that creative release that I find myself randomly craving. Oh, the smell of paint can be so intoxicating. It speaks to a part of me that nothing else can touch. And that’s why I will dabble in art for the rest of my life. In fact, I’m looking forward to being a parent for many reasons, but a big one involves impromptu craft afternoons and making the biggest of artsy messes!

I’m in the middle of transitioning through roommates at the moment. My old roommate just moved out this weekend, and took with her a mountain of stress. With my new roommate not moving in until later this month, I’m left feeling a rush of relief and the urge to bring something new into the space. Coupled with the sudden need to dust off my paints, and an offhand comment made to Brandon that I was going to make him watercolor with me… the answer seemed simple: art needed to be made. That was all the reason I needed to spark an idea that ate away at me until I drew up plans. The question: How to cover my wall in art without painting directly on it or tacking a lot of things on it (since I’m living in a rented apartment that does not allow it).

The following pictures shall document the process, if for no other reason that I feel a surge of pride and want to share something that I feel is a part of me.

The schematic drawing that started it all. Because while I like to be artsy fartsy, I often have to have a logical plan behind it.

Trying to come up with a color scheme and whatnot.

Again, trying out some designs and figuring out which one was my favorite.

All my art supplies freshly dug out of my basement at home. :) Everything needed for the job.

Step one: Cover paper with random glue designs.

Amazingly enough, flinging glue on a piece of paper is very fun and doesn’t take much precision at all!

A close up of the process. Had to switch out the paper laid down to keep the table clean about every ten sheets because so much excess glue built up on it.

The first batch of glued paper.

The second batch. Did more this time, as you can see… but I’ve still only got about half of the sheets of paper I need covered!

So that’s part one of the project. Which, if you didn’t gather, involves putting glue on sheets of paper that shall later be covered with watercolors. If you didn’t read the little numbers on one of the schematic drawings, I need 61 sheets of this to do the design I wanted. And of course extra will have to be made just in case. All in all, that just means a lot of paper, and a lot of glue! Although, I’m loving every minute of this. Of course I’ll update you as things progress until I reach the final piece. I’m hoping I’ll find ample time this weekend to work on it.