Colleen Chesebro asked me to post the process for my collages. I started “art journaling” during the pandemic, watching online videos to learn many different mixed media techniques. I was quite taken with junk journaling. Finally, I settled on mixed media collages as the medium I wanted to submit to literature and art journals.
My published art can be found through this link on my website: Luanne Castle Art. Pieces were published by Mad Swirl, Raw Lit, and Thimble Lit. I also have some art forthcoming in other journals.
I couldn’t make a video for you because I am not that coordinated. Also, I make a lot of small steps when I work because my time is broken into tiny fragments. So I am posting photos with commentary. I hope it’s easy enough to follow.
Art supplies are the first consideration. While I’ve managed to collect an embarrassing quantity in four years, I’ll post the main ones I use for almost all collages. Some collages also have an additional weird item, such as a feather, a jewel, etc. but here are the basics.
I’ll share the supplies in the order of the process. First you want to have paper that is thick enough and with the right finish/tooth to it. Try thicker weight watercolor paper or mixed media art paper. It usually comes in 8 or 9 inches by 11 or 12 inches. Let me jump ahead here by saying I do a weird thing that might be frowned upon in art classes. I let the collage form the way it wants to. Then I crop the background to fit the collage. I hate the idea of making the collage fit the size/shape of the paper.
Sometimes I prepare the paper by collaging scrap paper and then covering it with white gesso. Sometimes I only use white gesso. And sometimes I don’t prep it at all. Notice in the photo I have the matte version of Mod Podge to use as glue. I am starting to think I only want to use glue sticks instead of Mod Podge. The torn edges stay down better. Here’s a photo of the glue stick that I prefer. Then after that are the photos of the initial collage bits.
Here are photos from applying the bottom layer of collage. Remember that you don’t have to do this stage. It’s just to give more texture and depth to the piece.
When the gesso is wet, you can create a design or not. Here I used something designed for that purpose, but you can use your fingernails, a fork, anything your imagination can come up with.
Now we move to the creation of the backdrop that will be seen. Soft, dry pastels. Yum. Here I have some sticks and some “pan pastels.” What I love about this type of pastels is that I can apply them haphazardly and then wet them (with a spray bottle of water) and sponge or baby wipe them in whatever chaos I like. Beware that there are other types of pastels that are impervious to water and cannot be smeared around like this.
So why do I prefer pastels to paints? For the purpose of making backdrops to collages I like the way I can layer muted colors. I prefer to choose several colors that are close together for highlights and low lights. The idea is to create layers. I apply a color and then go back later and apply another color. Then another–or even the first one over again.
An aside: I do sometimes use paints, usually acrylics. Often times I have a paper that I’ve used to clean off a brush or to put excess paint. Then I paint or smear pastels over the top of the paint. The paint underneath adds another layer for color and texture. Here’s an example of a paint I use.
Once I get a background the way I like, I’m not done. Then I like to add something else. Often times it’s just a touch (in places) of this little shiny treasure, Lunar Paste.
Occasionally, I like to build up texture using this Texture Paste. I used this on my piece “Found Sound,” which was nominated for a Best of the Net. You can find it on the link at the top of this post. In that collage I stuck to the off-white of the product, but Texture Paste can be painted over. Pastels will not work properly.
Here are some backgrounds in process.
After I have the background ready, I am ready to collage.
To create the collage, I like to cut out images from vintage issues of Life Magazine. I am starting to like vintage McCall’s, as well. I purchase these in lots from Ebay.
Once I amass enough photos that I like together to create a theme or story, even in a surreal way, I arrange them before I start to glue them down with the glue stick.
I may add stamping, pencil or pen marks, even a title.
When I get the collage finished, I trim the edges of the piece so that the balance is the way I want it.
This is a finished piece that was just in Thimble. Notice the sheen. That’s from Lunar Paste. Notice the stamping and pen marks.
Some people like to create collages that are “all collage,” meaning there isn’t a background that shows. I prefer this style for the focus. I love color, but want the collage to be the star, so I haven’t used bright colors for backgrounds. Besides color and making a mess :), my favorite part of art is composition. I love experimenting with how to arrange the collage to make the best composition I can think of.
STILL LEARNING. If you decide to try a collage, I would LOVE to see it!!!!
Thanks for sharing your process, Luanne!
You’re welcome, Merril. It was almost as fun sharing the process as doing the process!
😊
I love your creativity. Your art is beautiful, thoughtful. But I’m also thinking so much fun!
Soooo much fun. The background is really hands on, little kid fun. The collage is a little more thinking. When we first met I was doing stained glass because I had that whole room for it in the basement. It’s necessary to have a dedicated space for stained glass because of the dangers with glass shards and dust. But I feel like collage is similar!
I’ve enjoyed your finished masterpieces and appreciate this behind-the-scenes process journal!
Thank you so much, Amie! I’m glad you enjoyed it!!!
Great tutorial! Love your collages.
Aw thanks so much, Kate! I’m glad you like them!
Fascinating! It also reinforced my sense that this type of creativity is not for me. I have neither the vision nor the patience to pull it off. I guess I will stick to word collages!
The vision kind of comes as you work on it. But, yeah, I have a lot of patience. Word collages are good :)!!!
Our five-year-old Ella would love to be your student if you lived closer to us! She will devote large blocks of attention to her creative juices!! Nana and I had hoped for an athlete, but turns out she’s going to take from her mother’s side of the family – they love a good art project!!
I would LOVE to have Ella as a student/friend! Haha, kids never take up what you want them to. I hoped my daughter would be an athlete because she showed talent and I never did, but as you know she went down the performing arts road! A good gift to Ella would be a book of 100 ideas of craft/art ideas for kids or somesuch.
I had forgotten you hoped your daughter would be an athlete! Hahaha. You’re right – our kids never end up doing what we would prefer!!!
Great idea on book of 100 ideas of craft/art ideas – I will research. Thanks so much!!
Good luck with the book research!
Thank you for sharing your process with us. I have always found your art journals and collages fascinating! You are so very talented and very creative.
Aw, thanks so much, Linda! I have so much fun with it. Part getting back to kindergarten and part therapy! xo
Thanks so much, Luanne. I’m sharing this to tankatuesday.com because this is a great way to create haiga/shaihai/taiga!
Do you keep these masterpieces? In a binder or do you frame them?
I appreciate your hard work in sharing this process with us. 💛
Oh, true! I really need to work on those forms!!! I have a drawer for the collages that have been published, but one of them I worked on it later (after publication) and kind of ruined it, so I’m trying not to do that again. My miscellaneous stuff–art journals, little pieces I do to online prompts, are spread out all over the room! Thanks so much for asking me to do this. It was fun to think about the process.
I can’t thank you enough. This is a great artistic way to enhance our poetry. I love the idea and will try to see what I can come up with. 💛
Thanks for the reblog, Colleen!
Thank you for detailing your process, Luanne. This year, we’re going to add taiga (a black and white image with a tanka) in Sunflower Tanka. That should add some interesting poetry!
Oh, I really love that idea!!!
Great,! Black and white works well for print books too.
Are you thinking black and white photos or black and white photos of colored art (like collages) or close to black and white art/collages?
Whew! That’s a lot of hard work. Thank you for sharing your artist’s process with us.
Liz, thank you so much. If it was work it would be hard work, but since it’s not work haha.
You’re welcome, Luanne! 😀
That looks like it would be a lot of fun.
So much fun!
Amazing Luanne.
Thanks, John! It’s a riot!
I have too many projects going to attempt another one 😉 Besides useing my hands to write, take photos and crochet… and try to find time to read… I’ve also worked with ploymer clay making my own beads.
Always do what you enjoy! All the best! ~Jules (from WP)
Thanks, Jules. You are right. We all have our projects we gravitate to. Bead making sounds fun! I’ve made beads with paper which is a totally different thing.
Thanks for sharing your process–I always like to see how people approach their art. I don’t have any set way to do any of my artwork, including collage. Whatever works. And if it doesn’t, cut it up and make something else out of it. (K)
Kerfe, I hear you on the cutting up and making use of art you don’t like. I have a new idea for that: cutting a collage or background into strips like bookmarks and then lacing them together with some kind of yarn or whatnot. Thanks for stopping by, Kerfe!
Thanks for sharing your process and the products you use. It looks like a fun art form to play with!
Eilene, it is so much fun!!!
Thank you for sharing your process, Luanne. Your collages are a delight.
Thanks, Robbie. So happy to hear that you, a wonderful artist, likes my collages :).
Ooh, very impressed!
Aw thanks, Chris!!!!
So well presented
Thanks so much, Derrick!
Love it. I may try it sometime. It may take some practice though, it doesn’t look easy peasy but I love your results.
Oh, that sounds exciting. I’m sure you would learn it more quickly than I did since you’re such a good artist!
Thanks. You are way too kind! But I appreciate it anyway!
Well, this was very interesting. I’ve often wondered about your process. I’ve only done collage a couple of times in my life (I really don’t need another creative outlet 😄). The last thing was when I was assisting with a support group of women who had experienced domestic violence. The facilitator for the group brought a bunch of old magazines, put them in the middle of the room, and then asked everyone to make a collage from the magazines. (We also had thick paper to tape or glue our images too). Everyone was a bit nervous and skeptical at first, but I think it turned out to be one of the most effective group meetings we ever had. After we made our collages, each woman held hers up and talk about it. I don’t remember mine. I was impressed by how much fun the women had, and how the collages enabled them to talk more openly about their experiences than they might have otherwise.
I love that story, Marie! Thanks so much for sharing it. Collaging is great therapy, as is other art!
I really loved this, Luanne.
Fascinating! I make collages, too, with snippets of photos and glue. I haven’t tried paint and the other mediums you use. I’ll check out your site. MasticadoresUSA publishes art pieces as posts. Think of submitting.