Join me on an exploration of various collage forms!
Because I liked to spend most of my time drawing during school, art forms like collage were never my forte. I had a hard time letting loose since I couldn't have something pre-planned like a drawing. Now as a college student revisiting collage, I'm thankful that it's let me break out of my comfort zone to explore its capabilities and embrace its free-form.
MATERIALS
Liquitex glazing medium (or gel mediums)
Elmer's glue - stick or liquid
Tacky glue
Sponge brush and regular brush
Tape
Scissors
X-Acto knife
Various sources of paper (magazines, construction, etc.)
Natural materials (leaves, flowers, etc.)
Fabric
Collage Exploration
Click on image to expand!
Tearing Collage
Click on images to expand!
Steps:
Concept - Start by choosing a concept. My concept for this project was the effect of our media's toxic beauty standards on the health of women.
Tear - I tore up pages/images from magazines and printed social media posts.
Sort - I sorted my torn material by images of models, pill advertisements, makeup ads, and headlines/texts. This helped me spread everything out evenly for my background.
Arrange - Arrange how you want your collage to look on your final panel/canvas/ paper etc.
Glue - Once you're satisfied with your arrangement, use a normal small brush or sponge brush to glue the paper down (a little glue will suffice if you seal afterward)
Seal - Seal all of your collaged images with Mod Podge and a sponge brush especially if you plan to paint or draw over them! Don't worry, it dries clear :)
Layering Collage (with X-Acto)
Click on the images to expand!
Steps:
Concept - Start by choosing a concept. In my practice, I explore Peruvian culture through the use of fabric, cut-outs, and charcoal.
Sketch - Sketch what parts you want to cut out or plan to keep. You can cut shapes out and then place a layer of colored paper underneath so it shows. Or, you can sketch what areas you want to put construction paper on top of. In this case, I sketched the areas of the mountains and put brown construction paper on top of my original paper. I also sketched the clothes of the boy and put collaged fabric on top.
Cut - Using an X-Acto knife, carefully cut the areas you intended.
Match - Grab construction paper, fabric, or whatever you wish to match the outlines of your sketch. You will layer on top of those areas. I suggest using tracing paper to get accurate matching.
Cut - With scissors or an X-Acto, cut your material and layer it on top of your original paper. Or, use it as a layer behind cutouts.
Glue - Glue everything down. I like to use tacky glue for fabric and thick construction paper due to its strength.
Repeat - Repeat with as many layers as needed!
Others: Layering/Illusion & Fabric
Click on the images to expand!
These are more for your inspiration, so I won't go into too much detail about the steps. The left one was meticulously planned out with a sketch on Procreate, and then I cut out and layered my two physical drawings to get an illusion. I wanted to show that you can peel the collage layers away to create cool 3D effects! As for the one on the right, I did a small sketchbook spread about the cultural art I make and incorporated mini cutouts and fabric. I arranged these with contrasting colors.
Collage Techniques
Cutting - There are three main ways you can cut your materials (excluding super hard objects). You can tear with your hands to give it a more natural, human feel. This is perfect for the little ones who aren't ready for sharp tools. You can also use scissors for organic cuts and easy maneuvering. Lastly, X-Acto knives work great for (preferably) geometric and precise cuts in your artwork.
Arranging - There is an infinite number of ways you can arrange your collage. You can create arrangements based on colors from pieces of images, you can layer your papers to create a sense of depth, you can scatter pieces around if striving for chaos, or you can clutter/spread your materials depending on where you want to draw attention. I recommend sketching an interesting composition beforehand OR playing around with the loose arrangement of your materials before adhering them to your final page. Think about where you want your eye to be guided with your color or textural contrast choices!
Adhesion - There are multiple forms of adhesion for collages. For younger kids, I would suggest using tape or glue sticks for less mess. Glue sticks are especially great for adhering thin paper and not leaving "warps" once dry, unlike liquid glue. However, Elmer's liquid glue is still better for thicker paper. For fabrics, tacky glue works best in my opinion. Tacky glue and the Liquitex mediums in particular are the strongest. Though liquid glue tends to leave warps with magazine pages, I discovered that the Liquitex glazing medium doesn't if you apply thin coats! Lastly, Mod Podge should be used as a way to seal your collage because it dries a thick, clear layer that can withstand paint.
Personal Thoughts
When it comes to collage, so many textural, visual, and compositional elements play a role in how you convey a piece. For example, heavily building texture with objects like yarn or fabrics around one area of a magazine collage draws your eye there. Therefore, your composition should be focused in that place along with the most important element(s) of your piece. Tearing vs cutting paper also makes a difference. A collage with torn pages allows for more raw, human emotion, while cutting is more precise and delicate for detail work. I'm a meticulous planner, so in my practice, I like to use precise cutting and layering to match the ideas in my head. On the other hand, I'm always captivated by the chaos of tearing paper and scattering it around. Most of the time there's an idea attached that links the different papers, and it's nice to take time and read/put things together as the non-artist viewer.
Additional sources for help!
Exploring my Theme - Cat Characteristics
Inspiring collage artists who have a cat/animal series: Olga Yarovaya, Emmie Brown Heilman
Other awesome collage artists not related to my theme: Máximo Tuja, Pablo Thecuadro, Peter Horvath (digital)
Tearing collage
Click on images to expand!
Layering (Freehand + Scissors)
Click on images to expand!
For the top collage exploration, I chose to represent a wild cat. I started by finding images of tigers/leopards and trees in magazines. Then, I sorted my materials by images, fabric, and natural objects (leaves). I played around with the composition and tried to focus most of my attention on the large tiger on the left. I framed him with green's complementary color, orange, to draw the viewer's eye there first. I also purposely cut the fabric in strips to give the feel of tiger stripes. Then, I cut some of the leopard print fabric into organic shapes and spread them across both pages to add texture. The leaves were a final touch in making the jungle scenery come to life in the front to give a sense of entering the wilderness! Once I was satisfied with the composition, I glued everything down with the glazing medium or tacky glue for the fabrics. Throughout this process, I learned the importance of color choices and contrast to draw/guide your viewer's attention in a collage.
The mysterious black cat was inspired by the artist Henri Matisse. He added organic shapes in his work, which is why I incorporated layers of those into my own using scissors. I decided to stick with 2 colors but with different values to add simple depth to this piece. I did not plan anything out, just freehanded the cutting and prayed it looked like a cat with spooky vibes since it was close to Halloween! Something I learned is that letting go and allowing the scissors to guide your movements rather than relying on a sketch can get you interesting shapes. You can layer your collage by using both the cutouts and the surrounding paper.
For the Classroom...
Age appropriateness & behavioral expectations:
There are different age groups for each type of collage. Tearing and cutting can be used with very young elementary schoolers (and up) while X-Acto knives should only be given to secondary students in higher-level art classes like AP studio art.
Students should always keep an organized space
Students should work in stations to minimize mess or help keep things separated
Students should never run with scissors or an X-Acto knife. Their safety caps must always be put back on after use.
Students should always wash their hands after use with any glue or strong mediums. They should also thoroughly wash any sponges or brushes used for gluing with warm water + soap for the next person's use.
Students should wipe their glue bottles or mediums before putting the lids/caps back on to prevent future difficulties opening.
Accommodations
Project Ideas
Safety & Health
Reference:
Hafeli, Mary Claire. Exploring Studio Materials: Teaching Creative Art Making to Children. Oxford University Press, 2015.
Kommentare