Sometimes a tin can isn’t just a tin can.

I came up with this idea when a lady brought some flowers that she had grown into the restaurant where I work, and she had them in a plain old tin can. For some reason, it caught my eye; I thought it looked “rustic” and different from your average boring glass vase. I liked it for some unknown reason. We have home-grown flowers delivered twice a week and I’d never seen anyone arrange them in an ordinary tin can. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, but I would have it no other way than to go directly to my “unsimplify” mode.

So, first, you get a tin can. I definitely recommend either the 20 oz. size can or larger, and the more space that the can has without those “ridges” running around it the better. The restaurant that employs me (the starving artist) uses very large cans of tuna, and the cans have none of those “ridges” going round them; just a plain smooth surface. which in the end caused further complications, which I will go into later. To find cans that have some smooth “ridgeless” area to paint on, get your friends to save them, go through recycle bins, ask friends who work in restaurants, change foods you buy for the cans that they come in. I have even shopped for the cheapest foods I could find just for the can, and dumped the contents out. Not a good idea, but it was in the name of art.

You’ll need three (for the minimum) artists brushes (you’ll have to decide what size is best for you, but I find that they cost about three bucks and up at the crafts store) and some inexpensive acrylic paints, in your choice of colors. Acrylic paint is a wonderful thing. It’s water based, and until it dries, you can clean up with soap and water. But once it dries, it’s on there for life (you have to clean brushes with acetone; it will never come out of clothes). You can paint on virtually anything with it, and it won’t fade. I have a couple of photos of cans that I painted that have been sitting outside in the Florida sun for at least six months or more; I started to include a couple of those pictures here, but I decided, enough with the pictures already. But they don’t look any different than they did when I painted them.

We’re going to start with painting vines, leaves and flowers (everybody likes that theme, right?), So I recommend green and yellow paints for sure (which can be mixed to produce different shades), and your choice of purples, oranges, blues, pinks, etc. I pay 94 cents per bottle at Megalomart. You can get by with three or four colors to begin with….The brushes should be two of those flat-bristled ones, one about 3/8” wide and a smaller one, say ¼” (of course,you can go smaller or larger to suit yourself), and one regular “detail” brush, which is a longer-bristled brush, and not flat.

I began by making all of the cans to be planters, so I used an ordinary “churchkey” can opener and punched five or six holes in the bottom for drainage, then spray- painted the cans at least twice with one of those outdoor rust-proof spray-paints… I started out using only a terra cotta color, to imitate a flower pot, but if you prefer, you can get these same paints in any bright color you desire if you shop at the right places. I prefer not to mention these stores by name at this point, but I’m sure you can figure it out… Just think huge “corporations”, home improvement stores or Megalomart. The good brands are not dirt cheap, but not too expensive (four bucks a can or less), and one can of paint will suffice to paint at least five or six tin ones.

Okay, now we’ve got a can, we’ve got it spray painted inside and out with at least two or three coats to prevent mean ole mister rust. Hopefully the paint job is nice and even with a minimum of drips and runs. Now what do you do? Say you can’t paint a straight line? Well, neither can I. Straight lines are the enemy! Never forget this, unless you’re some kind of freak who has the ability to do this. In the beginning I did this a lot (see photo at the very top of this post), and it’s a lot harder to do than you’d imagine. Think curvy lines, squiggles, and dots. Anybody can do that, right? That’s doodling. And almost everybody likes vines and leaves and flowers, so that’s where we’ll begin.

Start at the top portion where the can is smooth (no ridges) and just paint a curvy line all the way round (some shade of green). You may have to go over it twice, depending on the paint. Then, change brushes to the smaller one, and change colors to a different shade of green. (We’re painting vines now). Just go over and under the original wavy line; over and under, over and under, until you reach the end. If you wish, incorporate little stems coming off of the vines. You can always practice this with pencil and paper if you wish until you become comfortable with it. It’s very easy when you get the concept. Then just use dots and variations thereof to make flowers and leaves. The effect is that people will actually think you’re some sort of artist!

An optional thing that I love to do is superglue some of those little rhinestones (also bought at craft stores or Megalomarts) as the center of the flowers, or just “around” wherever. I tried beads but whatever you use must have one flat surface in order for it to stick. The superglue that I found that works best, after trying four or five types, was the cheapest, 99 cents. Doesn’t dry up or clog. It comes in a container that resembles a missile or bullet. I’ve been using the same container for months. Just follow the simple directions. When I go for weeks without using it I’m always amazed that it still works, and hasn’t dried up to rock-hard consistency like most of the others do. HINT: small rhinestones can be tricky to apply with superglue. I use tweezers to hold the stone (with the glue on it) and apply it to the can, and any small long tool (the metal part of a paintbrush, a crochet hook, a very large needle, etc.) to hold the stone in place while you remove the tweezers. That darned superglue, it wants to stick to everything like glue. For an exercise in futility, try using your fingers!

Now, as far as those ridges go, if you feel the need to take it further, as I said, do not try to paint them in straight lines unless you’re some sort of masochist. Instead, more dots and squiggles or abstracts in whatever pattern you desire is infinitely easier, or just leave them alone and paint some more vines and flowers on the other smooth portions that will be either in the middle or the bottom of the can, or both. I also sometimes like to finish by coating the whole thing with a clear gloss spray paint….. Makes it shiny. If you wish to do this, and you’re using the rhinestones, either wait until you’ve done this step, then glue the stones on, or take a Q-tip, coat the stones with vasoline, spray the gloss on, then wipe the Vaseline off of the stones. That gloss paint can dull the rhinestones.

This may sound like a lot in print, but the whole process (except waiting for the paint to dry, which doesn’t take long at all) should take about an hour, and you can easily sell these for five to twenty dollars or more (with a plant in them that I’m going to tell you about), no problem. The price depends on the area you live in and the market you’re targeting.

Okay, our next step in creating art from ordinary tin cans, after we have the can painted, and assuming that this one is going to become a planter, is to put a plant in it! My favorite plant for this, the one which I think adds the most effect and looks nicest, is the jade plant. I realize that I have a distinct advantage with this one, living in Florida , but as long as they are kept indoors during freezing weather, I don’t see how one could go wrong. I have several very large jade plants (had them for years, can’t kill them) that I regularly take cuttings from to grow new ones.

There is no plant that I have found that is easier to grow from cuttings, with the possible exception of coleus. I don’t water them, I don’t fertilize them, they grow in sun or shade (although they do prefer outdoors, but what plant doesn‘t?). The secret is to completely ignore them. I know it’s hard to do! You want to baby your plants, and water them regularly, and feed them, etc., etc. The only thing that I do to insure their survival is to start with a very good potting medium, which for me consists of approximately 2 parts good old central Florida yard dirt (sand and dust, mostly), 2 parts peat (spagnum) moss, and one part vermiculite or perlite. Mix well. Put some small rocks, pebbles, or broken pottery shards in the bottom of the can to further aid drainage. Drainage is very important. Take cuttings with a sharp knife, place deep enough into the damp soil mix (in those small plastic plant nursery containers) to keep the cutting standing, and firm the soil around it. Keep it nice and moist for about a week, and out of the broiling sun. Then, after that, I have always just completely ignored them, and they grow like crazy. I swear I have gone for months without watering them. I think that’s how most people kill them, is over-watering. They are, after all, a succulent, therefore a member of the cactus family.

Choose a particularly nice-looking young plant from one of your established cuttings to install into your painted can (of course, you don‘t have to use jade plants, you can use whatever you want). Or if you’re not the gardening type, buy a plant. There is another thing I love to do as a finishing touch, it adds so much for so little. This is to throw in some polished stones, or “river rocks”, which are also obtained in craft stores or craft departments at Megalomart. They come in a wonderful variety of sizes and colors. (usually in a small net bag, I’m not talking about the huge bags of white rocks used for landscaping). I just place a few, or a lot, depending on my mood, around the plant. Then I like to toss in several of those glass “blobs” (also found in little net bags at the same places), in various bright colors. You’re done.

Well, you’re probably done, but I can’t seem to leave well enough alone. This, which is known as “getting carried away” has always been my downfall. Remember those big tuna cans I mentioned? They have no ridges at all, just one big smooth can (or can-vas) that just absolutely has to be covered with “art”. You see, the problem that I have is that I just can’t keep the same simple practical idea that I started with, and utilize that good old “KISS” theory (an acronym for keep it simple, stupid). All of my life I have started with a simple solid idea, one which I could more than likely make profitable, and before I know it, it has morphed into something incredibly time-consuming and impractical. Take this website, for example….

Think about the simple project I just explained. As I said, it should take an hour, hour and a half to complete one. Then along came the tuna cans with all that unadorned smooth “space”, and I begin to get “carried away”. Now this is a great thing to do if you’re just making gifts, or doing it for your own satisfaction. But if you want to make a few bucks, forget it. If you have a desire to make a little money doing something fun like this, I’m here to save you from my mistakes of a lifetime. Just keep painting those simple flowers and vines, stick a small plant in the can (hopefully one you grew from a cutting), some pretty stones on top and call it a day. People will buy them, because they’re reasonably priced and everybody loves plants, and something a little different.

If you’re not interested in marketing your creations, or if you are just exceptionally talented and an outstanding artist, in which case I don’t want you reading my blog anyway ( Just kidding!) , you will want to continue on into the “getting carried away” portion of this story. I ended up spending more and more time on each one, getting more and more involved, more and more detailed. I thought I was painting the Sistine Chapel all over again. Unless you know of a market that I don’t,you will never get anything close to what you should reasonably get for your time. For instance, in the end, I was spending 10-15 hours per can, and getting paid two or three dollars an hour for them. But it was fun, I did enjoy it. It’s just not a money-making endeavor. Here are some examples of what can happen when you get the “carried away” syndrome….

Now, here’s a little secret; Most of this stuff I cannot just pluck out of my brain without a little help. Most all pretend artists, and even some of the real ones, use inspiration from other peoples’ work. That’s where you get ideas. Here’s what you do. Say you want to paint a frog. Simply go to Google “images”, type in “frog drawings” or “frog illustrations”, spend an hour or so wading through the thousands of images you will come up with. Choose your favorite ones, right-click on the image, copy it, and paste it into a word document. Yes, I know I said “word” document, and there may be a better way to do it, but this method works fine for me. Unless the images are very large, you can fit several on one page. When you’ve had enough of digging through the online mages, copying and pasting them, save your document in a folder called “frogimages” or something like that, then print it. Paper clip your pages together and file them away. Now you have them saved in two formats; digital and hard copy (for me it’s difficult to paint or draw on a can while attempting to view the computer monitor at the same time; I would rather use the paper copies). I have collections of all types of images categorized; flowers, fairies, cats, birds, etc., that I drag out and use for inspiration. Look them over again and pick out our favorite ones. The way it works for me is this: I like the face on this one, the position of this one, the feet of this one, etc., and I end up with a combination, and then add some touches of my own (all this using pencil and paper). Then I use either an ordinary pencil or one of those fabric marking pencils to sketch the result on the can. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just a rough sketch of the main element, or focus point, in order to have a guide to go by when painting, to get the size and proportions in place. When I start to paint, the paintbrush sort of takes over and is much easier than the drawing part of the process. Then you can begin getting “carried away”: add flowers, vines, butterflies, dragonflies, abstract designs, whatever your little heart desires. I only sketch the “big” parts of the design on the can; the other embellishments I just paint as I go along. Use the rhinestones or not, make a planter, a candle holder, a “catch-all”, or just a decorated fancy painted can that sits on a shelf.

Your Mom will love to have one.