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Are you looking for inspiration on artistic collage?
Are you interested in this topic?
If so, this article comes at the right time.
Artistic collage is a technique that involves assembling different elements or materials to create a unique visual composition.
It’s a highly popular form of art rich in creative possibilities that emerged in the early 20th century and continues to be used by many contemporary artists.
Collage allows the combination of elements from different sources, such as newspaper and magazine photographs, documents, text, or even low-relief elements extracted from everyday life like train tickets or small packaging, so on.
Art World and Visual Artists
The origin of collage dates back to the early experiments of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, followed by the Dada movement, Surrealism, Pop art, and also in street art.
Artists began incorporating materials foreign to painting onto a blank sheet or canvas, breaking away from established artistic tradition.
Among the famous artists associated with collage, we can mention Max Ernst, Hannah Höch, Kurt Schwitters, or Robert Rauschenberg. Each contributed their personal touch to this art form by exploring the expressive possibilities of collage.
Artists cut, tear, and paste to share ideas, messages, emotions, or critique society. The options are endless in terms of subject, styles, and techniques, and there’s no need to know how to draw to create a skilfully combined and glued artistic creation.
Some artists prefer a collage composed of figurative elements or recognizable images, while others prefer more conceptual abstract forms. Collage finds broad application in other artistic domains like fashion, advertising, and graphic design.
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2) Design and picture by Amylee
Collage | Basic Tools
As an art form accessible to all, artistic collage doesn’t require expensive or specialized materials.
Basic materials generally include a few magazine pages, coloured papers, scissors, glue, and a sturdy support to hold everything together.
In collage, one expresses oneself without inhibition to develop a distinctive artistic style by recycling available materials.
Ideas and shapes don’t have to originate from scratch, allowing artists to focus on composition and narrative without having to master drawing techniques.
Collage encourages experimentation and stimulates improvisation, while juxtaposing shapes, textures, and lines to express fully within the visual arts.
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2 ) Design and picture by Amylee
Artists Practicing the Art of Collage | My Selection
From traditional techniques to digital tools, collage is primarily a captivating visual language that tells stories or conveys messages.
Here’s a selection of some of my favourite artists:
- MARK BRADFORD – An American artist creating large-scale collages using found materials like street posters, wires, and urban debris. His work addresses issues of race, social class, and identity.
- MICKALENE THOMAS – Known for bold and vibrant works, the artist often incorporates collage into her paintings. She combines cutout images from magazines and other sources to create powerful and expressive portraits.
- VIK MUNIZ – A Brazilian artist who draws inspiration from unconventional materials to create collages. He has made works from recyclable waste and debris, arranging them to form intricate and detailed images.
- JOHN STEZAKER – A British artist recognized for his photographic collages. He merges archival images, portraits, and landscapes to create surreal and evocative compositions.
- EUGENIA LOLI – A Greek artist crafting digital collages with retro elements and vintage patterns. Her work is colourful, bold, and often tinged with a pop aesthetic.
- LORNA SIMPSON – An American artist exploring themes of identity, race, and gender. She cuts photographs and images from fashion magazines to create visually striking compositions.
- HATTIE STEWART – A British artist who creates playful and bold collage-based compositions by transforming magazine covers. Her work features vibrant colours, geometric patterns, and a heavily fashion-inspired aesthetic.
- JOE WEBB – A British artist who uses collage to create surreal and ironic images. He blends elements of pop culture, fashion, and art history to produce both humorous and aesthetically captivating works.
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2 ) Design and picture by Amylee
How To Made Artistic Collages?
In search of recipes or methods to create with ease and develop artistic collage in your solo or group studio?
Here are a few inspiring suggestions:
- FIGURATIVE COLLAGE – Browse magazines and select images, patterns, colourful textures, or words that inspire you. Tear or cut them into abstract or specific shapes, then assemble them to form a harmonious and unique composition on a sheet of paper or a sturdy support like canvas board or wood.
- ABSTRACT COLLAGE – Unleash your creativity by creating an abstract collage. Use clean geometric shapes, lines, colours, and patterns to compose a piece without figurative representation, leaving interpretation open to each viewer. The world’s papers are rich in colours and textures to give free rein to your creativity.
- MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE – Explore different techniques and materials by combining collage with artistic mediums such as paint, ink, markers, oil pastels, or other techniques like drawing, stenciling, doodling, scribbling, Zentangle, continuous line drawing. Experiment with overlays and visual effects to create a rich and multidimensional collage on a thick support that won’t buckle under the weight of glue and materials. Cléopâtre glue and canvas board go well together for this kind of project.
- TEXTURED COLLAGE – Explore artistic dimensionality using materials like buttons, beads, threads, crumpled paper pieces, seashells, or other textured elements. You can sew, glue, or staple them onto a fabric base or cardboard to create interesting reliefs and tactile effects.
- THEMATIC COLLAGE – Choose a specific theme like nature, travel, music, or animals, and gather images, words, and symbols that evoke that theme. Use them to create a collage that tells a story or expresses an idea related to the subject.
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2 ) Design and picture by Amylee
Artistic collage enables the combination of different textures, colours, and patterns to create unique and original images.
You can draw, paint, or add text to further personalize collages.
It’s an easy form of art that doesn’t require much material and can be practiced at any age. In my demonstration, I’ll be sharing an artistic collage in a sketchbook, but you can vary your supports.
You will need:
- Pages from
old magazines
- 1 graphite pencil and an eraser
- 1 sketchbook with thick paper (here I used a Moleskine sketchbook, 165 g/m2 paper)
Tools for Cutting, Pasting, and Writing – Pic by Amylee
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You can find a great range of art supplies in GreatArt store in Shoreditch (London) or on GreatArt.co.uk online shop.
World Paper Touch and Magazine Block – Pic by Amylee
My Helpful Recipe :
- Choose a theme for your artistic collage: fashion, nature, travel, memories, etc.
- Gather elements to cut out, choosing images, textures, and colours that align with the central idea.
- Associate or layer elements before finally gluing them onto the sketchbook page.
- Let your creativity flow by also sticking drawings, paintings, or using stamps or handwritten
Some ideas from my studio
Let the little papers speak – Picture by Amylee
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2 ) Design and picture by Amylee
Collages on Moleskine Sketchbook (paper 165 g/m2 ) Design and picture by Amylee
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Content provided by Amylee Paris
The passion of Amylee, fine artist and author is to share her paintings between galleries, art collectors and her community. Amylee is also recognized as one of the most influential French artist-entrepreneurs. Since 2009 she has mentored thousands of visual artists guiding them to thriving their art career.
You can visit her colourful portfolio, her Instagram, or find all Amylee’s posts published in GreatArt online Magazineby clicking here!
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