People often ask me questions about the techniques I use to create some of my work, particularly the smashed beverage can paintings. Hopefully, this post will address everyone’s questions and shed some light on my overall process. I tried to be as complete as possible in my description, but if there are questions please leave a comment
Why Smashed Cans?
I started using the smashed cans for a canvas in 2001. I came up with the idea during my walks when I lived in NJ. I discovered all of these discarded beer and soda cans in the streets and thought it would be cool if I could make something out of them. I’d try to find 24-oz size cans because they give you more surface area to work with. Since moving from New Jersey to Charlotte, NC, I had to 
slightly adjust my methods for getting cans because Charlotte is extremely clean and I can’t find as many cans on the streets anymore. Instead, I buy some cans and crush them with a 5lbs. rubber mallet from Home Depot. Then, I put them on the floor of my garage for a couple of weeks and drive my SUV over them while coming and going.
Preparations
After finding the cans, there is some preparation work that needs to be done before painting on them. In order to get the surface of the cans smoother and ready to adhere the base collage, I use Golden Extra Heavy Gel - Matte Finish
Base Collage
The base collage is created to add depth. As each detailed layer is added, the background recedes. For the base collage, I flip through magazines and look for pages with colors or images that look interesting. Most of this collage will be covered up and in the background so I don’t spend much time thinking about the imagery or text. When I select something that looks interesting, I rip it out of the magazine, or use scissors to trim any excess off the sides, and glue it down to the smashed can’s surface with Glue Stick
to seal the collage. Once the medium is dry, I pick a background color and do a wash of diluted acrylic paint over the can. This light wash of color unifies the background and provides a good base to work from.
Main Image
The characters come from my doodles and a sketchbook I always have with me. I scan the sketch as a line drawing with my scanner at 300dpi and save it as a Tiff file. Once the image is scanned, I import it into Macromedia Freehand
After the character is printed, I decide if I want a rough edge around the character or a clean edge. For the rough edge, I just rip around the printed character. For the clean edge, I use scissors to cut around the character. After it’s ripped out or cut, I paste it on the can’s surface with Glue Stick. Sometimes after it’s glued down, there will be some glue on the surface. Just wash the paper with water and a brush. This will also pick up some of the toner and create an aged look.
After the glue and the water wash is completely dry, I start painting the characters with acrylic paint. I use the acrylics like water colors, diluting the paint and changing the color from dark to light. 
The darker areas get more paint the lighter areas get less. After the darker areas are built up, highlights are put in the lighter areas with opaque use of the acrylic paint.
The Big Finish
Once I’m happy with the finished paint on the character, I coat the can with a thin coat of acrylic medium. I use printed words and numbers or cut them from magazines to finish the composition. To add some additional visual interest, I add some other painted details in the form of circles and shapes. After the details are completed, I finish the piece up with a coat of matte medium and then two coats of Matte Varnish.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this step by step walk through of how I go about creating my smashed can pieces. If you would like to see a bunch of my smashed can pieces visit my smashed can flickr set.
↓ James @ March 12th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Yay! Charlotte! Thats (close to) where I’m from!
Nice work on the cans, good to know you are making something of the trash. I hope you get some good shows around there. Very interesting stuff! I like it!
↓ Lotus Vele @ March 13th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Wonderful work! Your explanation of the process is very clear. How long, on average, does it take for you to complete a can? Do you have a method of displaying them (in groups or singularly)? I would love to take a peek at your sketchbook!
↓ Trackback: How to: Rik Catlow’s Smashed Can Art @ March 13th, 2007 at 11:43 am
[...] I was reading drawn today and they alerted me to the fact that StreetRes homie, Rik Catlow gives up the secrets to how he does his smashed can art. [...]
↓ Rik Catlow @ March 13th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Thanks Lotus. They usually take about 5-6 hours of work for each. I just hang them on the wall using fishing line. I have some pages from sketchbook posted up on flick
↓ Brendan Stromboli @ March 13th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Absolutely genius.
↓ payal machave @ March 14th, 2007 at 3:02 am
i wonder what do i call this art, more than can art it is, eco art/ product graphics/ cans relived…but whatever the art is named its a good piece of work. its aweeeesom!!!
↓ Jacque Davis @ March 14th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Wowzer, love your bold graphic lines, quirky characters and great compositions. Your work is great fun. Your explanation of your “how to� was clear, easy to understand and incredibly generous. ‘Love your work – and truly appreciate that you wrote how you do it! THANK YOU
↓ Trackback: Rik Catlow adds art to smashed cans? at Didn’t You Hear… @ March 14th, 2007 at 11:07 am
[...] [Rik Catlow - Painting Techniques: Smashed Cans] [...]
↓ Luc Latulippe @ March 14th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Nice! Thanks Rik!
↓ Trackback: How-To: RIKCAT’s painted cans @ March 14th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
[...] Catlow (previously) graciously offers up a step-by-step description of the process he uses to create his unique smashed can-as-canvas artworks (Flickr set). [...]
↓ Dot R. @ March 16th, 2007 at 11:16 am
This artist in Germany has been painting on squished cans for awhile - he paints directly on the can.
Check it out!
http://toontoonz.com/canart/canartmain.html
↓ Trackback: Blog Archive » A Arte de Rik Catlow @ March 26th, 2007 at 2:29 am
[...] nas imagens: latas — latas esmagadas. No seu site ele explica a quem quiser experimentar como fazer — pelo que vi a pessoa terá de ter paciência, porque é um método demorado. Mas valerá a [...]
↓ Fallout75 @ April 14th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
You know, I always wondered how you got such smooth lines on your artwork. I thought, man this guy is doing something with a computer or he’s got a surgeon’s hand. I’ve always loved your work and I’m glad that you use print-outs on your art, that makes me feel unashamed if I do so. I’m all about the final product. Keep it up you always inspire me to “think outside the box” per say. :)
↓ Sam @ April 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Thanks for an inspiring post - it was great being able to see the process from start to finish. I can’t wait to try out these techniques myself. I also enjoyed checking out your sketches!
↓ Bbert Goo @ June 30th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I am a xeox artist. I recently staerted a series of smashed can pieces. so.. I was attracted to your paintings. I xerox the can on a copy machine then blow it up bigger on the large format #” wide paper machine at kinkos. It is used primarily by people copying blueprints of houses and yards etc. I wallpaper paste the paper to plexi or plywood, sometimes using tempera or dye to color, wipe of etc so that the paper gets dyed. the paste Has to be dried to avoid tears rips etc Once dried again I cover with ACE hardware spar varnish to seal , darken age etc. Rough application with drips texture … when dry I frame, cans have been in 3 separate frames. I also blow up fragments of newspaper and old mens magazine ads. The current piece is 2 plywood sheets 36′ x 58′ that started as a 3/4″ square of image. I will mail a cd or attach images if you like. Love your work Thanks, Mark Randall aka Bbert Goo in Lake Oswego, Oregon
↓ sophie @ January 13th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
great way to promote recycled art!!
↓ RIKCAT - The Art of Rik Catlow - Blog Archive - Style, Process, & Growth @ March 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
[...] the years that makes my work pretty distinctive. I’ve documented and shared this process in this post. At times the process becomes to mechanical and not spontaneous. I don’t like knowing what a [...]
↓ Sara @ March 18th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
wow! that’s really interesting. i love the technique and the final piece is pretty amazing. i’m inspired. thanks for sharing your process!
↓ Dan @ April 1st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Great process post and great work. I remember seeing your work at Green Rice last summer. Thanks for scoring some coolness points for Charlotte.