Homemade Collage

My love affair with paper started when I was a kid and until recently I had no idea I could make my own custom designed paper to use in my art practice. I love magazines, old photos and any ephemera that passes through my hands, but homemade collage is so much better!

Why? It is mine, it’s free, none other exists just like it, and no two pieces will ever look the same. It can be made to match or compliment any color palette I want. It’s also a very loose and enjoyable process where I can turn on music or a podcast, turn off my brain and become fearless!

So there’s a few different ways to make homemade collage. It can be done by using the extra paint you have leftover on your palette, or deliberately setting up a collage making session! The latter is my favorite way.

Any paper can be used. I like to use scraps of copy paper, book pages, rice paper, tissue paper, deli paper, tea bags, you name it! I usually stick with white and neutral colored papers and I really like transparent papers.

When it’s leftover paint, I simply swipe the paint onto the paper with whatever tool is in my hand, like a brush or palette knife. At other times I will purposely want to make collage that has random marks. There’s so many mark making tools. Bubble wrap, brushes, bamboo skewer, pencil eraser tip, fingers, stencils, and even rubber stamps to name a few.

My preferred method is to lay down several bits of paper spread out on a table. I will select a few colors of paint and mark making tools and randomly apply the paint on all or some of the papers. This is so much fun and I love how all the paper has a similar color theme and marks which gives a cohesive look. They are not all the same but they can be grouped together like a collection.

Another favorite method involves one big sheet of paper! I select my paints and marking tools and go for it! Once it’s done I can leave it in one piece and tear out the pieces as needed. I could also cut it into specific sizes or tear it into strips of any size and shape.

As I become more confident and fearless, I may glue down pieces of collage papers along the way. Sometimes a finished piece will be so awesome I will take a photo or scan it for future artwork.