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Mixed Media Collage - Make The Pieces of Your Life Sing!


According to the dictionary, collage art is an artistic composition made of various materials (as paper, cloth or wood) glued on a surface. The word comes from the French word "coller," meaning to glue or to paste.

It really is that simple! You use any materials or found objects that you like and glue them down to create a piece of art. You can call it by other names: montage, assemblage, or decoupage. But it all comes down to the same thing: collage- a layering of images, color, and texture.

Other art forms (such as painting, carving, weaving, or sculpture) require that you start from ground zero. You have an empty canvas, a slab of clay, a silent loom, an unformed block of wood... and you wait for an idea to take hold of you before you begin.

Collage art is unique because you take already existing materials to make your piece of art. You begin by gathering the bits and pieces you want to use and laying them down however you like. You don't need to know how to draw. You don't even need to consider yourself an artist! All you need is an open mind and the willingness to explore.

Mixed Media Collage uses various materials (fabric, yarn, paper, metal, wood) as well as paint, chalk, clay...anything you can get your hands on!

As you begin to play around with multi-media collage, you'll discover yourself moving closer and closer to the creative child within. This inner playful child holds the key to your creative voice. Collage art is all about playing around with materials and colors and images, gluing them down and seeing what happens next.

The best part is- there is no way to make a mistake. You can't go wrong with collage, no matter how hard you try! If you don't like the way something looks, you simply paste something on top of it, or paint over it and add something different. Let me repeat the magical eight words- there is no way to make a mistake.

Multi-Media Collage Materials

For the base of your collage, you can use:

I find canvas board to be the best if you are using paint or any wet media in your collage art work. It is the sturdiest and least likely to lose its shape when wet. Also, I like the texture that the canvas immediately gives to my work.

You will succeed with any of the following adhesives:

You will need to experiment with the different kinds of glue until you find the one that you like the best. Keep in mind that one collage piece might use more than one type of glue. You can buy these materials (and lots more collage art supplies!) at your local art store or craft warehouse.

Found Objects: It's hard to make a set list of things you can include in your collage art. That's because anything and everything in your life can be incorporated into a collage! The possibilities are limitless because there are no rules when it comes to this fascinating art form.

Here is a partial list of the collage materials I have on the shelves of my art room: