Stories in a Bottle

Creating a simple 3D outline is such an easy way to make a container, a storage jar, a bottle, or a specimen jar . . . which could contain all sorts of creative items. I chose to make a ship in a bottle, but have tried to make this more creative by attempting to construct it as if it was sailing on the sea.

All of the parts of this artwork are built from scraps, the background is an old Amazon envelope, the cork and ship are made from pieces of cardboard tube, and the sea is simply constructed from scrap box card and corrugated pieces.

The sea itself was just build up with three simple ‘layers’ . . . this is a technique I use a lot, and one that appears in a number of the projects in my book ‘Art Shaped’. The layers are cut and glued in from the back to the front, with ‘cardboard bricks’ inserted between each layer to increase the three-dimensional effect.

The ship itself is a great example of the kind of collage techniques I use. The subtle curves of cardboard tubes can be used to suggest the direction each element is facing, a good example being the sails here. Also, the use of corrugated card to break up the design and add some texture, which almost seems to make it look more detailed than it really is.

Obviously, the design could be made much simpler, especially the ship. As you can see here, it still works and is really effective. The 3D effect on this version is much flatter, and the ship only has very basic details.