Art and Science of Pocket Shrines

Let’s say you want to make an art shrine.

Perhaps you want a pocket shrine to display on your desk or dashboard, or carry with you in your backpack or computer bag.

You could give it to a friend as a gift or make several pocket shrines for an art swap.

First, you’ll probably start with an idea.

Well, maybe.

It’s where most people begin. You know, “Oh, I MUST make a shrine to chocolate!” Or Elvis, Barbie, the Banana Splits, Harry Potter, or even the Planet Melmac. (There are many more zany ideas at sites like Fandom.)

However, where you should start—but of course, many of us never do what we should (LOL)—is with the container.

Since this will be a “pocket shrine,” of course the container should be small.

Select the Container

A dashboard shrine may fit nicely in a Pringles lid, which is what I used for the Superman shrine in the photo above.

Something for your pocket might go better in a matchbox, a small jar lid, or some other kind of packaging you were about to discard.

The point is, the container determines everything. Unless you want to collect images and then scan them (or color photocopy them) down to size, start with the container. You’ll be glad you did.

The Three Cs

Containers should meet the “three Cs” requirements: Cheap, Clean, and Compact. Charming is optional, kitschy is a plus.

Select a container. I highly recommend glancing in your trash or plastic recycling bin, to see what you’ve discarded recently.

Cleaned, any one of those items might be perfect.

Next, choose a theme

Your theme can be absolutely anything. Select a person, place, idea, event or holiday. I’ve already listed a few, but don’t stop there! Movie idols, personal obsessions, fetishes, and weird/quirky stuff are what we’re looking for.

Serious topics? Why not? Draw on your spirituality, or history, or your dreams.

But find a theme anyway. Maybe it starts with a toy you bought at random from the 25-cent dispensers at the door of the grocery store. Or the fortune card you received at the penny arcade.

Maybe it’s about spike heels, condoms, bubble bath, the Trix rabbit, or Elmo… or a scary combination of some of these!

The thing is, you need a fairly clear vision/theme. You can adjust it as you find trinkets and images for your shrine, so don’t get totally locked into one idea.

Gather shrine elements

It’s time to collect bits and pieces for your shrine. You already know the size you’ll need—something that will fit inside your container.

There are several elements to consider when constructing a shrine. Color… either lots of colors, or a single theme, such as Elvis and the color blue, referencing My Blue Heaven, Blue Suede Shoes, and “…a blue Christmas without you.”

Also, think in terms of dimension. Flat shrines are fine. No problem.

But, you can raise some elements above others, with foam tape or little blocks or something. Or go full three-dimensional, if you like.

Think about texture, too. You can improve interest in the shrine by using fabric to cover it, or to line it. Satin is an obvious choice. If you want to add something zany like mini-fringe or pom-poms for trim…excellent! (Dollhouse supply shops offer some wonderful trims.)

Of course, images are best if they’re the right size to start with.

If they’re not, you can digitally reduce any image to the right size and then print it. (If you’re not sure how to do that, take the original images to a print shop or copy center. They’ll help you.)

Online, I like free photo resources such as Pexels.com.

Your local public library may have some fabulous books to scan for images, and for inspiration, too.

(Keep copyright issues in mind, especially if you plan to sell your shrines. Above all, do NOT use copies of Disney images; even if your Disney images are legitimate originals, some sites like Etsy may balk at listing your art.)

Next, once you have your bits & pieces, you’ve reached the assembling phase.

Complete your shrine

The first issue is glue: Even “permanent” glue sticks dry in high heat and/or low humidity. The pieces fall off. Yep, done that… please don’t make that mistake!

Another poor choice is rubber cement. It can yellow and/or turn paper translucent as the years progress. One brand claims to be archival, sort of. Read the label, and decide for yourself.

I favor hot glue for the assemblage (3D) pieces, plusa Yes! Paste, or whatever you like for collage/assemblage work.

(Once I tried Yes! Paste, I never went back to any other paper collage adhesive. Yes! Paste is pricey, but the jar will last nearly forever, and it does everything we want when we’re working on collage.)

Mostly, be prepared to change your mind about what goes where. (At least for several minutes, Yes! Paste is repositionable. That’s important.)

Even if it means cutting up the collage elements to rearrange them, it’s important to feel “in flow” with your art… not stuck, staring at a problem you inadvertently created.

Keep going, placing items on whim. Don’t get too logical about it. If you get one of those “this area needs something” nudges, find something to put there.

(One of my rules in art is: If your eye lingers too long on one area, either that area needs something more, or its counterpart in the image needs something more. In other words, if your eye keeps getting drawn to the lower right corner, either try putting something extra there, or put something in the upper left corner to balance it.)

Keep going until you lean back and smile as you think, “I like this!”

All done? Congratulations! It’s time to display your work. Dashboards are good, as are office desks, snack room tables, kitchen windowsills, and so on.

(If the shrine is small and/or flat-ish, you can also put a pinback on it and wear it, too.)

Sure, you can tuck your shrine in your pocket or purse, but please—take it out regularly and enjoy it!

Pocket shrines are made to display, show off, and flaunt.

Here’s how my Superman pocket shrine was displayed in our home. (It’s at the lower left corner of the photo.)

Pocket shrines are FUN! Enjoy!