Collage Lab 16: Shadow and Light

black & white

primary & white

 primary & black

 secondary & white

 secondary & black

 tertiary & white

tertiary & black

Unit 4 Color

Lab 16 Shadow and Light

30 May 2013

Notes: It had been a long time since I had done any color mixing, so this exercise was challenging yet satisfying.

Collage Lab 15: The Personal Palette

 Unit 4 Color

Lab 15 The Personal Palette

June 2013

Color swatches created from magazine clippings

Notes: I almost cheated on this one by selecting favorite paint chips at the hardware store instead of flipping through magazines to pull pages with colors that spoke to me. I'm glad I followed the instructions as I feel much more comfortable using magazine clippings in my collages after the last few exercises I posted. I tend to be an earth tones sort of gal, so the pinks and yellows I pulled sort of surprised me.

Collage Lab 14: Emotional Impact

  

Unit 4 Color

Lab 14 Emotional Impact

29 May 2013

Warm and cool color wheels created with magazine clippings

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Warm color word associations: spicy, cozy, nervous, anxious, warning, sunny, bright, cheerful, active, movement, fast
• Cool color word associations: refreshing, relaxed, calm, growth, clarity, richness, subtle, dull, secure, familiar, vibrant

Collage Lab 13: Basic Theory

 

Unit 4 Color

Lab 13 Basic Theory

27 May 2013

Collage Lab 12: Overprinting

Unit 3 Gesso

Lab 12 Overprinting

27 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Overprinting adds another dimension visually and adds to meaning and associtions
• Other items visually available at this moment to print with: flower, eraser, bottle cap, brush, napkin, coin, rubber band, foam animal, fabric, crinkled paper
• Try enhancing previous pieces with overprinting; adds depth to piece without adding thickness, try with dark colors as well as light colors to see if value changes effect

Collage Lab 11: Sanding Back

images from a reprint of The Toy Bearkins' Christmas Tree

Unit 3 Gesso

Lab 11 Sanding Back

27 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Results not always predictable, too many layers may be a problem
• Dry sanding worked better to avoid tearing and rolling paper
• Image types to try: black & white copies, color copies, magazine clippings, black & white book pages, photographs, printing samples, postcards
• Mediums to try in place of gesso: acrylic paint, ink, colored pencils

Collage Lab 10: Adding Tints and Color

solid watercolor, craft acrylic, retouch dye

Unit 3 Gesso

Lab 10 Adding Tints and Color

26 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

•  Equal parts colorant and gesso to make a strongly tinted gesso
• Add gesso to small amount of color to save color

Collage Lab 9: Building Layers

Unit 3 Gesso

Lab 9 Building Layers

26 May 2013

Notes: I need a bit more practice and patience when working with thick layers of gesso to create texture. It's a hurry-up-and-wait sort of medium. I'll keep playing.

Collage Lab 8: Paper

cardstock with gesso then ink wash, tissue with ink wash,
construction with dark & light acrylic, watercolor with gesso then acrylic wash

Unit 2 Texture

Lab 8 Paper

25 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Papers used in order of preference: watercolor, construction, tissue, cardstock
• Papers to try: chipboard, bookpapers, mulberry, handmade, newsprint
• Construction paper bled slightly
• More texture in paper means more texture in finished technique

Collage Lab 7: Fabrics

linen with gesso & acrylic wash, burlap with partial gesso & ink wash,
muslin with ink wash, felt with dark acrylic & light acrylic highlights

Unit 2 Texture

Lab 7 Fabrics

21 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Paper texture backgrounds lay flatter, less bulky. Fabric backgrounds have more prominent and varied fibers.
• Ideas to try: tear strips to feature edges, cut image from printed fabric, lace and trims for rows of textures, fabric flowers layered or twisted, weave or stitch other objects into fabrics

Collage Lab 6: Organics

 

sand, rosemary, poppy seeds

feather, eggshell, raffia

Unit 2 Texture

Lab 6 Organics

15 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• I prefer larger items (feathers, raffia, eggshell.) Grains/sand too messy for my tastes; easier to use ready-made sandpaper for similar texture
• Other ideas: flowers, leaves, tree bark, twigs, tiny pebbles 
• Gesso helped hold things together, didn't take away too much texture
• Substituting matte medium for gesso allows item's natural color through, could be distracting if intended strictly as background, may depend on color of organic item

Collage Lab 5: Corrugated Substrates

gesso

no gesso

Unit 2 Texture

Lab 5 Corrugated Substrates

13 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• No gesso allows color and more texture of substrate to show through paint
• Dry brush more textural than washes
• Use to create a raised focal point
• Ways to alter substrate: cut, tear, crush, sand, gesso, paint, wash, puncture
• Even planned techniques may lead to unintended results and happy accidents

Collage Lab 4: Washes

Unit 1 Building the Foundation
 Lab 4 Washes
12 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Wash over gesso gives most consistent results
• My inks provide for more transluscent wash,  paints for more opaque results
• Allow gesso to dry completely to avoid muddying (patience!)
• Pant and ink both lift from gesso; damp paper towel works well
• Paper buckles some but flattens as it dries

Collage Lab 3: Diffusing Imagery

telephone book page, color copy, 

scrapbook paper, atlas page

 

color photograph, black & white copy, 
glossy greeting card, matte print sample

Unit 1 Building the Foundation
 Lab 3 Diffusing Imagery
11 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Real photograph most difficult, all other surfaces similar in ease of use
• No bleeding, some smear on telephone book page/newsprint
• Color diffuses, black & white fades
• Sanding then gessoing adds additional and varying textures
• Also try calendars, paper samples, high contrast images most interesting

Collage Lab 2: Basic Paper Surface

 Unit 1 Building the Foundation
 Lab 2 Basic Paper Surface
10 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• the thicker the paper, the more matte medium needed
• thicker paper easier to handle, thinner paper fun to crinkle
• like the look of torn construction paper edges and multiple layers of pattern tissue

Collage Lab 1: Basic Gesso Surface

Unit 1 Building the Foundation
Lab 1 Basic Gesso Surface
9 May 2013

"Food for Thought" Notes:

• Gesso stiff and chalky when dry
• Gesso builds texture
• Best-two layers of color then texture one, sponge texture, masking tape, use brush to apply thicker layers
• Difficult-scraping to substrate with one layer of gesso, pull-apart texture tore paper, pressing too hard with objects tore paper
• Impression ideas-burlap, fork, crinkled paper, screen, toothbrush, string, corrugation, bubble wrap

Continuing Education of an Aspriring Artist

my altered book, front cover

On 8 May 2013, I spent two lovely hours at the Lancaster Public Library absorbing instruction and inspiration from Mimi Shapiro, a Lancaster collage and altered book artist of world renown.  After seeing one of her exhibits last year, meeting her was one of my goals for 2013.

my altered book, interior spread no. 2

After returning home from her altered book workshop, one thought she shared stuck with me more than any other. Make art every day, because art is important. Everyone needs art.

I had started to feel that my creating was pointless,because so many other activities were demanding my time and energy. I decided now was the time to continue my art education. I finally began working from two books, Collage Lab by Bee Shay and The Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman. Both books offer small assignments to increase my knowledge of materials and challenge me to explore new techniques. Over the past month, I completed several labs and exercises in each, and I already had to step out of my creative comfort zone. Although I try to fit in an assignment a day, sometimes I miss a day or two, then do two or three in one day. These two books are helping me grow my artistic abilities like participating in Pilates and Zumba are beginning to stretch and strengthen my body.

print of a collage by Mimi Shapiro

As I complete labs and assignments and document my progress here, I will once again begin to send some Real Mail. Thank you to all who continued to send art to my mailbox while I stepped away from posting (Real and virtual) to pursue my continuing education in art,
because we all need art!