Collaging can help get the creative juices flowing!
Collage is the ultimate playful technique. By utilizing words, images, and patterns that are already printed and ready to go, there is a sense of building that you don’t quite get from other 2-D materials. When you find pieces that feel right, cut or rip them up, put them all together, you can still change your mind, swap pieces out, and ultimately create something new from what was old. Collaging using magazines, newspapers, photographs, anything already printed is a sustainable type of art that recycles old objects and makes something new and exciting. Collage comes down to a trial and error of placing visuals and is a great method of trying things and making mistakes. Collage opens the door to investigating forgiveness when you make mistakes, and playfulness in the creation.
What is collage?
A collage is a type of art piece that is created by compiling various materials such as photographs, magazines, fabric, etc. onto a single backing. The final product is a mixture of images, words, patterns, etc. created by merging different materials together. A collage allows for the artist to bring together predetermined materials to form a single piece.
Collage can be really beneficial for individuals who are intimidated by other forms of art (e.g. drawing, painting) or for those who do not have the dexterity to hold small objects such as pastels, pencils, etc. Collaging provides the flexibility of incorporating a variety of materials as big or as small as the individual desires. Like all art, it can be abstract or representational, but my favorite thing about collage is it’s innate ability to inspire the artist throughout the process due to the searching and investigating the various materials in front of them. It can break through the uncertainty of beginning a new piece and present endless possibilities to test out. Oftentimes when I collage, I do not have a specific start in mind and in looking through various materials, my uncertainty clears up into inspired choices.
As I earlier mentioned, collage also enables the artist to go back and forth regarding the visual easily. During the process, the pieces can be moved around as quickly and frequently as the artist desires. Should something be placed mistakenly or later in the process looks unappealing, it can be altered without much difficulty. This trial and error process allows for the artist to regard their feelings of making mistakes in various ways. For those who might get easily bothered and mad at themselves, an art therapist supporting the artist can help them slow down the process and consider those feelings in new ways.
So how do I make a collage?
Well, like I mentioned earlier, collage can be done with a wide variety of materials. I typically use old magazines, catalogues, and greeting cards for mine, though adding colored paper, tissue paper, feathers, buttons, or anything else that can be glued down is a great idea. I always like to remind my clients that just because we collage with pre-made materials, does not mean we cannot also add our own drawing, writing, or painting directly onto the collage as well.
Once your materials are gathered, sort through them and pull out what speaks to you. In the event you want to collage for a purpose - for example, in the previous post, we talked about self-care and how to make a self-care collage - think about the thought or topic as you search through the materials and see what stands out to you as relating to that topic. You might find things that you would not have ordinarily thought would go together, but you might be surprised what engaging in art can bring up from the unconscious.
After you have gathered your individual materials for creating your collage, arrange them together on a separate piece of paper, or on top of each other if that feels more appropriate for your piece. Glue everything down and when you are finished, take a moment to look at the collage. What stands out to you? What questions arise? What does your body feel when looking at it and where in your body is it? Think of a title for your piece and write it on the back.
