Exploring collage in my art practice

Collage as a powerful learning tool

Creating collage pieces and working on a larger substrate this month

Collage became the breakthrough practice for me that allowed me to get unstuck creatively, loosen up and become comfortable with experimenting and failing.

So, today I want to speak about creating collage art as a practice to learn more about composition, values, contrast and what you really enjoy in your art. Recently I made a handmade sketchbook from mixed media paper and devoted it to exploring various ideas using collage. I started by randomly putting some of the collage papers on the pages and after several pages some repeating themes started to emerge. On completion of the sketchbook I chose several favourites and decided to loosely repeat the ideas on a larger substrate (A3 watercolour paper). I feel that this project is the perfect exercise to learn more about the colour palette that I like, compositions that are pleasing to me, practice more with values and contras, etc. Today I want to discuss the project, show some of the pages from my sketchbook and also the larger pieces. Before I begin, I want to provide a list of what you would need for creating a similar project.

What I used

Collecting collage papers

• Collage papers

Tbh, I am obsessed with creating collage papers! Need to devote a separate post to this topic. I prefer to create my own collage papers using various scraps, old paper bags, pieces of old artwork, old palette paper, packaging materials, craft paper and recycled paper, book pages (I only use books that are in very bad condition and beyond repair, and also aren’t valuable editions, I find these on flea markets and book crossing shelves), etc. I also prefer to paint the papers myself rather than buy pre-coloured collage papers. You can paint some papers completely in one colour and create marks and patterns on other papers. I like using various mixed media supplies for mark-making and I also absolutely love the result of creating collage papers by printing residual acrylic paint from my palette. It creates wonderful abstract “compositions“ that can be used in your collage work. You can print on regular mixed media paper or on any other type of paper, such as craft paper, etc. For the larger collage pieces you will need larger collage papers, so ensure that you have a variety of sizes.

• A sketchbook

I prefer to make handmade sketchbooks for such projects by folding in half and sewing several pieces of paper with a paper thread. For this project I used mixed media paper by Hahnemühle (310 g/m², 24x32 cm). You can surely use any sort of sketchbook with thick paper that will hold several layers of collage and glue. Feel free to use separate pieces of paper.

• Your larger substrate

I used A3 Watercolour paper from Clairefontaine (300 g/m²).

• Adhesive

The next thing that you will need is a glue stick (I use UHU sticks) and also an acrylic gel medium. I use Liquitex Matte Gel medium, it works both as an adhesive and also as a final layer to protector your collage.

• Other

You will also need scissors, some mixed mixed media supplies (such as pencils, crayons, paints if you want to add mark-making on top of your collage), brushes to apply the adhesive, a ruler to tear some of the papers into smaller pieces and achieving a rougher edge, a credit card (or a special tool) to smooth out your collage papers, so they adhere better to the substrate.

Filling in the sketchbook

I started the project with adding the first collage on the cover page by just intuitively creating an abstract composition. The first pages are pretty messy because I didn’t quite understand how I should manipulate various parameters and how to create a pleasing composition. So after a couple of basically failed pages, I focused on exploring one idea at a time, for example, contrast, values, creating a focal point, a certain colour palette, horizontal and vertical composition, adding texture, etc.

The sketchbook cover and some first attempts

After some time spent on trial and error, I became more confident. I still created the pages with an intuitive approach, but I started more intentionally manipulating various aspects, for example, composition, colour and values.

Further explorations

After filling the whole sketchbook with small collage pieces I wrote down a note with some reflections on what I like and don’t like. I noticed that I like when there is some breathing space left on the page and the compositions are more or less minimalistic. I like a variation in values and contrast, but within a neutral palette. I also enjoyed most the pieces with a calm and peaceful mood, but with an interesting pop colour, mark or texture adding contrast. I enjoyed texture created by using a variety of collage papers and even used textile on one of the pages. After writing down these thoughts, I chose several pieces that I like the most and want to explore more in terms of colour, composition, marks, types of collage materials, etc.

Bringing ideas to a larger substrate

I explored further three favourite pages, but I tried to repeat them only loosely, changing some or most of the parameters.

For example, I chose this page from the sketchbook and tried to repeat the composition, used similar collage papers, but focused on blues instead of pinks (btw, the botanical shape in blue ink is from this class by Laura Horn). Also on the larger piece I went for a lighter palette (e.g. using less brown craft paper and adding beige recycled paper), but the result is similar to the sketchbook page.

Repeating the composition, but playing with colours

Next I decided to explore further a neutral-coloured vertical composition from the sketchbook. I tried to create a very similar composition on the A3 paper, but this time trying to achieve more contrast (by adding a darker value) and using an organic abstract shape instead of a botanical shape.

Trying to add more contrast

On the third piece of A3 paper I created a composition that is very loosely based on the chosen sketchbook idea. I did not repeat it nearly exactly, instead I just tried to play with the things that I liked, such as using a mix of various collage papers, creating contrast with colour, shape and texture, creating a focal point. Also I tried to create a less overcrowded, minimalistic composition.

Changing more parameters this time

Final thoughts

So what are my conclusions upon completing this project?

• Don’t be too precious about the result because it’s just an exploration, not a finished piece of artwork. Both the sketchbook and larger pieces are just studies. Use this exercise to loosen up and experiment.

• It’s OK to create failed pieces in order to learn how to create a pleasing composition that works. Repeat the best ideas, so you will gradually improve your skills.

• When moving to a larger substrate, don’t try to repeat the pages exactly as they are in the sketchbook, explore the ideas further and play with different parameters.

• Writing down some reflections helps to understand your own preferences in art-making. Also make notes with ideas on how you can improve your skills in areas you feel less confident (for me it’s definitely value & contrast).

• You can create a larger piece that is inspired by several sketchbook pages, combine the best ideas! When I did the large vertical composition, it was largely inspired by one page, but I “borrowed“ the organic shape from a different page, because I liked it and wanted to use it again.

• It is crucial to create tons of studies in order to improve your skills. The more art you create, the better you become. Even after filling in a small sketchbook and creating three larger pieces, I already feel more confident. I will definitely continue exploring collage, as it is a great way to learn.

The main goal of this project was to create several pieces of art, improve my understanding of composition and also play with different parameters, such as colour, value and contrast. I am pretty happy with the result. Even if some of the pages don’t work at all, some of the compositions have ideas that are worth exploring further.

Inspiration behind the project

My first introduction to collage happened thanks to this free course by Laura Horn, I liked it so much, so that I enrolled in her class Exploring collage to learn more. I am also inspired by various mixed media artists, such as Julie Hamilton, Bibby Gignilliat, Robyn McClendon and Roben-Marie Smith.

Hope this was useful!

See you next time!

Lisa