Using a single household supply and a simple process, turn recycled paper roll tubes into sophisticated and striking cardboard tube assemblages!
Bend ’em, cut ’em, glue ’em – no matter how you use them, cardboard tubes are a fantastic material for kids to work and the stars of today’s recycled art project. An artful activity that’s perfect for kids of all ages, these easy collages combine simplicity of supplies with an engaging process that encourages all sorts of creative outcomes.
I’ve laid out a basic project step-by-step below, but keep in mind there are so many opportunities to make this much more about the process if that’s your jam (I’ve included a few ideas and variations to explore at the bottom of the post!).
One of the most convenient aspects of this project is that you really don’t need much for it! Save up your cardboard tubes. A week of saved cardboard rolls will give you enough material to work with. Paint is not required, and almost any school or craft glue will do, so it’s a good one to save for those times when you may be low on other supplies, or want a quick, virtually mess-free creative invitation.
Press play on the video to watch the simple project setup process…
It’s always fun to play with mixed mediums and get crazy with color and decorations, but there’s a lot to be said for keeping it simple with one supply, too! When you only have to focus on one material, more time can be spent investigating the specific supply and exploring it’s many possibilities. Here are a just a few prompts you can use with kids to encrourage playing with cardboard tube rolls as an art supply:
- What happens if I crush the cardboard roll?
- What happens if I tear apart the tube?
- When I cut the paper roll tube into rings, how do they look when I turn them on their side?
- How do things look if I use different sizes of cardboard rings?
- Can I make different kinds of shape outlines with the cardboard tube rings beyond ovals or circles?
- What are some of the different patterns I can create with the cardboard tubes?
You can also use this project to dig into composition and discuss art elements and principles. Shape, form, space, balance, proportion, rhythm, unity, and variety in composition – this has it all (an art class keeper!).
Looking for more ways to turn old cardboard into art? Try our scrap stamp shape collages or recycled cardboard castle building blocks!
For your own cardboard tube assemblages you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains either our own printable products, or Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As Amazon Associates, we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- A piece of scrap cardboard or heavy cardstock
- 4-5 cardboard tubes
- Scissors
- Craft glue or a hot glue gun (I like using this adjustable temp kind with kids)
DECORATIVE SUPPLIES:
- Paints and a paintbrush
- Foam boards for larger collaborative works
- Playdough
How to Make Cardboard Tube Assemblages – DIY Instructions:
Gather a variety of cardboard tubes
The pieces shown here as examples probably only used about four cardboard tubes each, so if you only have short, brown paper tubes, that will work just fine.
If you do happen to have different types (longer paper towel roll tubes, different colors of tubes) the variety is a nice bonus!
Use a piece of scrap cardboard for a base
Find a piece of scrap cardboard, heavy cardstock, watercolor paper, or another sturdy flat material for the base. The side of a cereal box would also work well. 
Consider the canvas you want to work on. Do you want to make a square or rectangular piece of artwork? A circle? And would you like it to be horizontal or vertical?
Paint the cardboard tubes (optional)
This is an optional step, and if you’re going for simplicity and low-prep, you can skip this.
If you would like to add a little color or more variation to your tubes, it’s easiest to paint them now while they’re still in one piece.
If this art project is more about the process (and it’s a good one!) you may choose to introduce paint after kids have had a chance to fully explore the plain tubes first.
Cut the cardboard tubes into multiple rings
Use scissors to cut the tubes into rings of varying sizes. I cut a few long pieces and a few shorter pieces so there would be an interesting dimensional aspect to explore. 
Arrange and play with a composition
And now it’s time to play! See what kinds of compositions and designs you can create with your cardboard tube selection!
Glue your final composition to the cardboard base
Once finished you can use craft glue or a glue gun to glue all of your cardboard pieces to the base. I tried both, and found it was easiest to fill a shallow bowl (I actually used an old peanut butter jar lid, and it worked perfectly) with regular old Elmer’s school glue, then dip the rings in. It’s the fastest and simplest way to cover all of the edges and is less fussy than trying to use a hot glue gun. 
You can skip this step and just allow kids to continue playing with the tubes. Maybe they want to create towers, or mix in a few different supplies?
Tape a simple wire or string hanger to the back (optional)
Use masking or duct tape to secure a simple wire or string hanger to the upper center of the back of your artwork. You can skip this and display these as sculptural tabletop pieces as well.
Your cardboard tube assemblage is ready to hang on the wall! From one simple supply…a star of the art room is born!
Variations on our cardboard tube art
We kept our cardboard art fairly simple, but there are so many lovely ways to decorate your assemblages! For more ways to work in different art mediums and nature items you can...
- Use cardboard tubes with playdough. Working with younger kids or looking for art that’s a little less permanent and maybe gives a bit more room for play? Instead of gluing cardboard pieces to a backing, roll out some playdough and set out with quite a few cut cardboard pieces. Let kids experiment with making patterns, using the tubes to stamp into the play dough, or just see where the materials take them!
- Introduce color to your cardboard roll collages. Fill your finished artwork with color. You can experiment with combining different mediums like paints and chalk pastels, or fill the cardboard rings with different hues of homemade colored rice.
- Make paper roll mixed media collages. Introduce new supplies like pebbles, sticks, bottle caps, or buttons to give the project an entirely different feel.
- “Draw” with cardboard tubes. Using loose cardboard tubes and rings, try using the pieces to create 2D representations of objects like flowers, trees, etc. – a fun invitation to “draw” with the cardboard.
- Make collaborative cardboard tube art! Turn this project into one big collaborative art wall. You can have kids design their own squares or diptychs (sets of two), then hang them all together, or hang large pieces of cardboard or chipboard on a bulletin board and slowly fill in throughout a season or semester.
For more process-oriented art projects, visit our scrap wood sculptures, melted crayon art, or process art play tiles.
For more art favorites, stop by our tutorials for kinetic paper shape art or Memphis paper shape sculptures. or use ALL of these ideas with our free printable kids’ art challenge for an epic exploration of art mediums!
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
