Portal Belen

The art of recycling and second chances allows us to see value where others see waste. While walking down the street, I found these discarded polystyrene blocks—the kind that typically protect appliances, toys, dinnerware, and other items. It is a material that is rarely recycled and takes hundreds of years to decompose. Instead of letting them end up in the trash, I decided to rescue them to demonstrate how simple carving, cutting, and painting techniques can transform them into an eye-catching structure. This project pays tribute to one of the world's most cherished traditions: the celebration of the birth of the Baby Jesus and the magic of the Christmas season.

Materials

Styrofoam

Acrylic paint

Soldering

iron Spackle

Scissors

Pencil

Craft

knife

The first step is to gather all the pieces of recycled polystyrene packaging. Observe the three-dimensional shapes of the blocks; the moldings, recesses, and natural contours found in the packaging for appliances, toys, and other items serve perfectly as frames, arches, and walls for creating the nativity scene.

After gathering various pieces of recycled polystyrene packaging, select the main piece that will serve as the façade or central body and place it upright to define the front of the structure.

Using a scalpel or utility knife, and with great care, trim away the excess or unnecessary sections of the Styrofoam. As you remove these leftover pieces, the base structure of the Nativity scene will begin to take the shape you desire.

Using one of the secondary polystyrene pieces, we cut and adapt the central block to shape the manger or crib where the Baby Jesus will rest. With precise cuts, we shape it like a rectangular box or wooden trough, positioning it right at the base of the nativity scene.

Using a pencil or a stylus, we mark and incise textures onto the polystyrene surface. We draw the relief details such as bricks, stone blocks, and arched cornices on the facades and entrance frames. This creates a rustic, realistic look inspired by the traditional architecture of Jerusalem.

Once the guidelines have been marked in pencil, we use a soldering iron or wood-burning tool to deepen the strokes. Taking great care to avoid burns, we emboss the marked lines by slightly melting the polystyrene. This heat defines the relief of the stones and bricks with greater depth, achieving a much more realistic, three-dimensional finish.

To achieve an interesting mix of textures in our Nativity scene, we incorporate structures with a rustic wood finish; we sketch organic lines with a pencil and trace the grooves using a wood-burning tool. This heat-based detailing accentuates the grain of the beams and planks, giving them a remarkably realistic appearance.

We apply a layer of acrylic stucco or drywall compound over the entire polystyrene structure using a brush. This process serves a dual purpose: it seals and hardens the material's surface while simulating a rustic mortar, plaster, or cement finish on the walls. Additionally, it creates the ideal porosity for the paint to adhere perfectly without corroding the polystyrene.

The time had come to bring life and color to the structure. Drawing inspiration from the warm hues of Mediterranean stucco, we first covered the entire piece with a uniform base of earth tones and oranges.

The real secret to bringing the gateway to life lies in dry brushing. Once the base coats are dry, take a flat brush with a light color, remove almost all the paint by wiping it on a piece of paper, and very gently brush it over the piece. You’ll see the paint catch only on the edges of the bricks and the raised details of the wood. This instantly highlights all the textures, creates a play of light and shadow against the dark background, and gives it that weathered, aged look that makes it appear incredibly realistic.

After applying these dry-brush layers in lighter shades to add highlights, contrast, and texture, we finish the piece by placing the nativity figures. The result is a beautiful nativity scene, ready for the celebration of such an important occasion as the birth of Jesus this December 24th. Setting up the nativity scene is a beautiful holiday tradition observed with great devotion in nearly every Colombian home and in many countries around the world. Furthermore, using the same materials, we can enhance the piece by building a base for the ground and decorating it with small traditional items—such as pottery or rustic details—creating a unique and lively setting.