Collage Art and Lessons To Be Learned

Mixed media collage art by Jane Davenpart
Showcase your talent and win big in Artists Network prestigious art competitions! Discover competitions in a variety of media and enter for your chance to win cash prizes, publication in leading art magazines, global exposure, and rewards for your hard work. Plus, gain valuable feedback from renowned jurors. Let your passion shine through – enter an art competition today!

If you’re anything like those within my circle of friends, then your artistic endeavors don’t end at the edge of your sketchbook or canvas. A guitarist may learn music on six strings, only to pick up a four-stringed bass and then maybe drums; an athlete often plays more than one sport; dancers almost always learn ballet, and then any other style they love, and writers cross genres daily. Few of us are like telephone poles, singularly existing. Rather, we’re more like maple trees, with a strong core of artistic love and creativity that branches out in many directions. So I hope you don’t mind if I veer slightly off the path of traditional painting and drawing instruction today and share with you some collage advice from ArtistsNetwork.com’s sister site, ClothPaperScissors.com, “where mixed-media artists come to play.”

Mixed media collage art by Jane Davenpart
Jane Davenport finds face shapes among the collage patterns she creates.

3 Collage Art Lessons Learned by Cate Prato

  1. When in doubt, add paint. Paper, glue, and found objects are fine on their own, but paint can bring these elements together, unifying the piece, adding color, or knocking back elements that seem too prominent.
  2. Create under-texture. Start your collage with a base of textures glued to a substrate such as heavy watercolor paper: little scraps of maps, scrapbook paper, tags, fiber and so on.
  3. Get creative with free supplies. Use junk mail for paper, an old toothbrush for a spatter technique, corrugated coffee sleeves for stamping, and so on.

Continue reading Prato’s complete list of 13 tips for collage art here. And, click here to learn more about Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, which offers even more instruction and inspiration for collage and mixed media art.

With warm regards,
Cherie

Cherie Haas, online editor**Click here to subscribe to the Artists Network newsletter for inspiration, instruction, and more!

 

 

Related Articles

Join the Conversation!

Become a member today!

Choose an option below to join now.

$14.99/month

Join Now

 

Free Gift Included

$99.99/year

Join Now

 

  • Stream over 850 videos anytime, anywhere.
  • Enjoy exclusive events with live discussions from today’s top artists!
  • Get access to the Artists Magazine archives and save 30% on additional magazines.

View All Benefits

*Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards.