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Create Colorful Wall Art with Foam

Budget: $$, D.I.Y. Project, Home Decor, Office, One Day Project, Renter Friendly, Wall Art
By Josh Rhodes

Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets The other day I was at the craft store getting something for some projects. I don't even remember what (sometimes it seems like I spend more time there and at Lowe's than here at the office; it all blends together). While wandering the aisles, I spotted some colorful sheets made out of foam. I didn't know what they were for, but I liked the colors, and an idea starting forming. I thought I could cut and layer the foam and make some kind of wall art, or at the very least, something interesting to look at. The sheets are super cheap and even cheaper if you buy them in bulk online. Along with the shadow box frames, each piece costs about $30 to make! I scooped up a bunch of colors and headed back. I love how easy it is to work with the sheets (I've since learned that they are often used to make stamps). I'm pretty stoked how the pieces came out. Check out the process I used; it's super-duper easy and fun.

Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Supplies:
-foam sheets (I used about 13 sheets per piece)
-shadow box frame (I got 12" x 15" ones, half off I might add. I was pretty proud of my thrify find.)

Tools:
-X-Acto blade
-straightedge/ruler
-cutting board (optional)
-pencil

Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Step One: First thing I had to do was cut the foam sheet down to fit the frame I was going to use. Then I carefully drew the shape on the first sheet, which I chose to be white. I made sure to allow a bit of space around the "x" to serve as a visual border. After I had the "x" penciled in, I cut it out using the straightedge and X-Acto. Remember you can choose any simple shape your little heart desires for this project! 

Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Step Two: After I had the initial shape cut out, it was just a matter of repeating that shape just a bit smaller for the next layer. I cut the next sheet down to fit the frame using the first one as a template.

 Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets Step Three: To get a uniform progression between layers, I cut a scrap piece of foam down to 3/8" wide then used that to make the lines for the next layer of foam. Once I had the next layer down traced, I cut it out. It was just a matter of repeating this over and over till I couldn't go any further. The number of layers that you end up with depends on the shape you choose as well as the width of the piece used to make the offset lines (the "o" was 13 layers and the "x" was only 8).

Pretty straightforward right? One tip that I'd like to stress is to keep your lines neat, and when you're tracing for the next layer down, make sure your sheets are lined up. Since you are tracing from one layer to another, mistakes are carried through. On the other hand, the repetitive mistake might end up looking kind of cool, so don't stress about it too much; it's all for fun anyways! 

Create colorful wall art using layered foam sheets After you have all the layers cut, put them in the frame and hang. Since the foam is super light, the pieces don't end up being heavy at all. The layered foam looks great behind glass but was impossible to photograph without getting dumb ol' reflections; we need to employ a vampire who knows how to take photos!

Credits // Author: Joshua Rhodes. Photography: Joshua Rhodes and Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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