Using ordinary materials to create art has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, limiting ones palette means having to work around problems that may arise as well as relying on variable quality of the materials available. On the other hand, there is an implicit element of novelty and there are inherent opportunities for imbuing works with multiple meanings. These artists and materials may be unusual but the results range from conventional to extraordinary.

Creative Carvings from Ordinary Objects: What do egg shells, books and pencils have in common? They can all, in the right hands, be carved into iinteresting works of art. Shells are delicate though this makes delicate carvings in them all the more impressive. Pencils seem like such simple objects until a skilled craftsman dissects them in completely unconventional ways. Books are already filled with meaning, images and words which can be brought out in unique ways by carving them in different patterns.

Portraits and Sculptures from Ordinary Objects: Who would have thought toothpicks could be turned into incredibly intricate sculptures, that nails could be used to hammer out a gigantic portrait or that packing tape could be transformed into compelling layered portraits? Whether it is the sheer amount of time and materials or the aesthetic result, these artists stick to their essential materials and replicate and develop their work from each piece to the next.

Even More Art from Ordinary Objects: This collection features some particularly compelling works of art from ordinary materials. One painter uses hands as his canvass and creates beautiful animals by using a combination of paint and proper shape and angle for photo-documenting his creations. Another raises awareness about trash and reuse by shaping used cell phones into strange sculptures. Yet another takes everyday push-pins as the basis for composing pointalistic portraits of friends and family.

Creative Art Cars and Art Car Designs: Nothing is more ubiquitous than the automobile in modern culture. Most of us take what we get and live with it, fix it when needed and fret over bumps and scratches. Some people trick out there cars for efficiency and speed. And some people take things to the extreme and transform their ordinary vehicles into amazing works of mobile art.

Brilliant Book Artists and their Art: That’s right: books aren’t just for reading anymore. These book artists transform, cut and sculpt books to bring out new layers of meaning from old text. Some of them create statements while others invite a broad diversity of interpretations.

Furniture and Architecture from Paper and Cardboard: Paper and cardboard sound like some of the flimsiest materials and yet some designers have employed these in the creation of relatively complex and sturdy industrial, architectural and furniture designs. While some of them can only survive indoors others have actually been constructed to resist wind, rain and other outdoor elements.

Post-It Note Pranks, Sculptures and Murals: The Post-It Note as a universal and rather conventional material which some creative people have turned into works of comedy or even art. From pasting them all over a car to creating complex patterns or interactive art installations the possibilities turn out to be practically endless – all the more surprising given the relative simplicity of a Post-It Note itself.