BASIC COLLAGE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

 More How-To Steps for Collage

Coat both sides of the foundation background with Acrylic varnish or Gesso.

           

Plan for a mat, or space around the image or for less detailed border areas at the edges (2to 4”)  Cut edges of images or paper with scissors, Exacto Knife, decorative scissors, or tear the edges.

Arrange the pieces of paper where they look good to you over the ground. Adhere the main composition or collage. When you have your main layout planned, then begin from the edges (leaving a border area if you want one.) Glue toward the center, leaving gaps or overlapping pieces, according to your preference. Some people start at the center and work out, or lay down a few pieces at a time working out the composition as a whole while in progress.

My Past Life, a Long De Nile, Scan of Layout in Progress. © by Ruth Zachary

Acrylic medium or varnish is excellent for adhering materials to the ground. Elmer’s glue can also be used to adhere images to the ground. Dilute a small quantity of glue or medium with water- as much as 25% to 50%. You will learn which works best for you, or for different papers, etc.

           

Use a soft bristle or flat brush for acrylic, also good for applying medium or glue. A small paint pad also works well. Keep the brush in water when not gluing- (while cutting out and laying out the design.)

Do not presoak tissue papers. Some will disintegrate. Lay the tissue papers on waxed paper or butcher paper if you have it. News papers will work, too.

Apply medium or glue to the background, then to the back of the tissue shape if it is strong enough, and place the shape on the background, either flat or with wrinkles. When fully placed, apply more medium or glue to the front side of the tissue if you choose. The acrylic medium saturates the tissue creating variations of color, where the tissue overlaps colors underneath. If the surface of the tissue is not saturated, it will be more opaque, and the finished piece will require framing under glass.

           

If the image is on heavier paper, such as magazine images, dip the image to be collaged in water, and lay on paper towels briefly. This presoaking keeps it             from curling, and also keeps it from wrinkling as it dries on the background, as it shrinks, pulling the paper taut.

           

Then coat the back of the paper to be applied to the ground, with glue or medium.

Place the paper just as you want it for your composition.

If you have a soft rubber brayer or small roller, this can be used to work any air pockets toward the edges of the paper.

           

If bubbles do form between the ground and the paper, us a needle to make a small hole in the paper, and gently work the air out of the bubble.

           

Acrylic pigments can be used to modify the image colors and values if desired.

Clean the brush with dish detergent. Leave detergent in the brush, shaping it, to keep any acrylic residue from hardening around the bristles.

           

Some papers or fabrics will be more dramatic if not varnished on the top. If so, display under glass. Plan for a mat on top around the composition.

           

Let the finished collage dry overnight. Once dried, add more materials if desired.

           

Coat the collage with two coats of Acrylic medium or varnish. Matte finish avoids a shine on the surface. A collage on primed Masonite panel that has been varnished can be framed without glass. If the image is not varnished, the finished collage should be covered with glass before framing, with a mat to separate the art from the glass.

My Own Project
 

One of my own Collage Ideas was to be worked out on a Canvas panel sized 16x20” in an Egyptian theme. I found Egyptian imagery from an old printmaking project. I had once collected newsprint papers that were used for cleaning my inking rollers, which had transferred the Egyptian imagery to the papers.

Because newsprint is not permanent, I had scanned these papers into my computer, and printed out the images on good Epson paper, to be used now in this collage effort. This is one method I use to have colorfast pigments and good reliable paper. The light weight photo quality image paper is 13 x 19”,  can be saturated with water, and dries on a panel without excessive wrinkling.

One problem with these ink jet images is that the acrylic medium tends to darken them slightly. You may lighten the image before printing, prior to using it for collage.

I found other Egyptian images from an old Life advertisement for a book series, and adhered these to the canvas panel. At some point of development, I scanned the work done up until then. (above)

Although excited to be working hands on, I hurried too much, so some choices were not satisfying.

I also spent several hours moving different image shapes around on the computer, to help me decide what I wanted to do to the collage in the next phase. (See below) I am still not satisfied with the result.

 Now the challenge is to rectify the aspects I want to change and improve.At this point the collage  is too dark, I would like to add more images, and I would like to straighten out some of the lines already established. 

My Past Life, a Long De Nile, Unfinished Computer image. © by Ruth Zachary

Writing and Images are the © of Ruth Zachary.

OTHER COLLAGE APPROACHES

Red Shoes, 12x16" Approx.   Computer Design.                                        ©by Ruth Zachary

The above design was created on the computer in the same way as a mosaic or tile approach using collage, minus the glue. I show it here so that others might interpret the design approach for their own ideas, if working with collage. People working in many different media will see that a design approach is easily translated from one media to the next.

Example: An artist who used to do etchings, Max Pappart (spelling?) created images that included flat colors, geometric shapes and some with torn edges, that look like collage. If this approach to design appeals to you, you might create collages that are inspired by his work. I am suggesting that you learn from other artist's work, but not that you try to replicate it. The more you create, the more the work you do will develop into your own unique style, as you follow your own preferences.

A background layer of the pinkish red was created.

Layer 1, of brown experimental texture, (smaller than the background) was placed over the background.

Piece by piece, the textured layer was cut apart, moving the sections, and eventually the tiles, outward
toward the margin of the pinkish red layer, leaving the pink to outline the shapes created. When working this way on the computer, it is important to save and close and reopen the document often, so that changes are not lost.

Color variations were created by filling the shoe and skirt shapes with red. Other- leg shapes and other clothing shapes were given a transparent color in a blue color.

A gold layer was created, and arranged to fall behind the background. If the background layer prevents this, make copies of the layers wanted and make the background inactive, or invisible.
Sections were cut through the layers arranged on top to leave the gold showing through.

What I learned:
I could have simply selected shapes to suggest a background behind the figures, and to accent the diamond motif, and filled with the gold color.

I could have painted parts of the collage after establishing the outlined areas.

I might have experimented with Modes for the different layers, but I did not know how to use Modes at that point.

Writing and the Image on this post are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary. 

MORE COLLAGE APPROACHES

Mosaic Approach
This way of making a collage is similar to creating a mosaic, because the spaces between the cut out shapes are left to show, as with this white backgraound. I used a fashion photo, for demonstration purposes, only. First I cut lines through the basic image, to accentuate the major movements of the figure. The original torn shape where the page was taken out of the magazine, was also accentuated as part of the design. Eventually, I extended lines outside the original page or image, and created shapes within the image by cutting shapes out of the color, as well as adding shapes to complement the composition. I added a moon in the upper corner. The middle circle is replaced on the girl's shoulder, but is up-side-down. The magazine image the girl is looking at, became the source of the eye pasted in place of her real eye. It is important to change an image from a magazine so that it is not the same as the original. I would have credited the magazine and the photographer, but the information was no longer available, but still, I probably won't use the girl for finished work.


An Eye for Design
As a creator of Collage, it is also important to see opportunities for creating images that are new and different. The next image started when I was trimming some edges off some photos and articles about family and neighbors saved in a scrapbook, that I planned to send to a cousin. I had marked the pages with sticky notes to make it easier to copy them, so the sticky notes also were copied at the copy edges. As I cut them off, I was delighted with the design they created in black and white. So I saved them for a possible collage.

Since I wanted to show some examples of types of compositions, I made scans of these arrangements of sticky notes. I also made a grid arrangement of four inch squares which were used horizontally and vertically in the same format. These are not finished compositions; just illustrations  of different approaches you might want to try with Collage.

I chose to reverse the image of the girl, and also to change the color to black and white to blend with the Sticky Notes layouts, in black and white.

In the final option, I placed the fashionista layout over one version of a Sticky Notes layout. I found it humorous to include the two images together, as I could imagine the girl marking her fashion magazine with sticky notes. The mosaic effect was altered with the skipped black and white lines of the background chosen. If color over color was used, probably the result would create an even different impression.

I am not sure any of these are finished. I will need to look at them after a time lapse to see what else I would like to do with them.

Comments or Questions are welcomed. Thanks, Ruth Zachary.

Writing and Sticky Notes images are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

SOME BASIC COLLAGE APPROACHES

Cool Lemon, Paper Collage, 10x14"   Includes Computer Copies of Marbelized Surfaces, Acrylic paints, Spatter Paint, Rice Paper with Embedded Fibers, Iridescent Gift Papers, Magazine Text, Magazine Illustration with Ice Cubes, and More.

Materials, Supplies and Equipment:

            Acrylic Gesso

            White Glue

            Acrylic Medium and or Matte Varnish

            Stiff board panel for background (Canvas Panel, or Masonite primed   
                          with  Gesso)  Canvas panels are fine, and often are pre-primed.

            Soft Acrylic bristle brush- ½ inch to wider. Paint pads are also useful.

                          Keep brushes in water or work dish detergent into the bristles

                                  so they will not harden from acrylic residue.

            Jar with water. A jar with large lid- the lid can be used as a palette for 
                                           mixing acrylic pigments, and helps keep paint moist.

            A water bottle with a fine spray mist to keep paper wet while working. 

            A ruler

            Collected Papers

            Scissors, regular, or with decorative edges

            Exacto knife

            Roller or Brayer to press the paper tightly to the surface or background.

            Acrylic paints and pigments

Approaches. When you start to work, think of these approaches:

            Cut out or tear out large shapes and move them around on the background.

            Select images of pleasing colors and value ranges to lay next to each other.

            Use varied sizes of shapes when placing on the foundation or background.

            Cut a recognizable image into geometric shapes, and alter the positioning.

            Glue over a colored ground, a white or a black ground. Leave spaces between.

            Cut away a part of a face before gluing to the background.

            Change proportions of a face or a figure by taking slices out of the image.

            Alter the silhouette of a figure, a building, an animal.

            Cut or tear a large image into horizontal ribbons or strips.

            Cut or tear a large image into vertical ribbons or strips.

            Distort perspective by using photos of different points of view together.

            Cut out a Silhouette from a larger image.

            Rorschach or reversed design cut out of an image before gluing down.

            Lay transparent colored tissue layers over each other and over parts of image.

            Wrinkled plain papers and thin or tissue papers can add texture.

The Above image and Writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary

BASIC COLLAGE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

Basic Collage Tools. Collage can be tried with a minimal investment, using white glue instead of a brand of acrylic medium.

To start a collage, all you need to start is a few simple materials, and a stiff board to glue your papers to. In my case, I have lots of canvas panels, Masonite panels which are already primed, and in some instances, actual canvasses that have partly finished paintings that will probably never be completed in the way I originally planned. Perfect!

Masonite or other panels should be primed with gesso on both sides to prevent warping.
Gesso, which is opaque white is best for coating both sides of an unprimed panel or board .

Previously painted panels usually can be used for collage, by coating them with transparent acrylic medium before applying papers. In some cases parts of the old painting can be retained, to become part of a new mixed media collage composition.

Cutting papers can be done with an Exacto knife, plain scissors, and scissors with decorative edges, including deckle. They can also be torn free-hand or torn along the edge of a ruler. Papers usually have a grain, and it is easier to control the tear if you pull the parts of the paper with its natural grain.

The yogurt container for water is large enough to dip a 3" square of paper into, just enough to cause it to be damp and to swell. If the paper is too delicate, use a spray bottle with water in it instead of dipping it. If you need to leave your work, put the lid on the container  to avoid spills while unattended. The lid can also be used for mixing acrylic pigments to color the paper, if you wish to change it a little.

Brushes can be about 1/2 inch across or larger. I prefer flat. Clean frequently, and leave a little dish detergent in the bristles, so no acrylic residue hardens in the brush. 

Using the brush dipped in glue or acrylic medium,  apply the glue to the back of the moistened paper, and to the area where the paper is to be adhered. This works well with heavier papers, but not as well with delicate tissue papers. Try to get the middle of the piece and the edges to stick to the background with no bubbles. The dampness will later dry, the paper will shrink, and this will help prevent permanent bubbles or wrinkles. Once you master gluing down small bits of paper, you can work up to larger pieces.

However, wrinkles in the tissue paper, often create a desirable texture that is semi- transparent. Adhere dry tissue paper to a dampened surface, and gently press the tissue down, with your fingeres, pushing the wrinkles where they work best. Then coat the surface with medium, to enhance the transparent effects.

Later I will explain other materials, supplies and tools you may want to collect if you fall in love with collage!

I decided to dive right in, with some small panels. One small canvas, 10x14” I called Cool Lemon, for the words included in the random organic shapes I arranged on the panel, as yet unfinished. It is at this point, an organic abstract composition, but it is my intention to add realistic imagery for this blog.

Writing and Images are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.