Last Spring, two round robin journals were launched through the ArtistsJournals group at Yahoo Groups. The first one — Round Robin #1 (aka RR #1) — returned to me first. It’s pages have been scanned and posted.
Round Robin Journal #2 had a slightly rockier start. The first person I sent it to… she kept it and was never heard from again.
So, I quickly replaced it with RR #2b, which had a few lulls but eventually returned to me. However, I did take time to start this journal with a hasty, two-page collage sequence.
In my collages, I’m always intrigued by two things: How expressive eyes are, and a sense of motion (or stillness) in the combined images.
The left-side page is a collection of women’s faces, looking in different directions with different attitudes. The right-side page includes a couple of images of fast-moving clouds, a leg to suggest motion, and faces contrasting enthusiasm and a sense of whimsy.
These are the final scans from the American participants in the round robin (RR) journal #1 that began at ArtistsJournals in April 2010.
The first are 10 pages by Linda Giese:
The next journal pages are by Iris Gonyea:
(The text on that collage says, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” — Albert Einstein.)
Now, the journal will remain with me for about a week or ten days, and I may add something to it. Then, it will be on its way to Stephen du Toit in England, to begin the international portion of its journey.
Last April (2010), I launched two round robin (RR) journals at ArtistsJournals2 (aka AJ2) at Yahoo Groups. (Since then, AJ2 merged with my main ArtistsJournals group at Yahoo Groups.)
RR Journal #1 has returned to me. I’m scanning it before sending it to Stephen in England, to begin the international segment of this journal’s adventures.
The first several pages are below, but the image files are large. Please wait for them to fully load.
I’ve scanned the first ten pages of the journal, so I’m about 1/3 of the way through it. Here are the pages, so far.
The first four pages are my own torn-paper collages. (The glitter and gold leaf don’t really show up in the scans.)
Torn-paper collages are among my favorite ways to illustrate an artist’s journal.
I’ve been creating them for over 20 years now, and I never seem to get tired of them. In fact, two walls in our living room are a mini-museum of my favorite torn-paper collages. (People who visit us can be overwhelmed. It’s like they just want to stand and gawk at the art, undisturbed, for at least 20 – 30 minutes.)
Here’s how to create your own.
Steps to create a torn-paper collage
1. Gather Collage supplies.
All you really need are some pictures, something to use as glue, and something to support your collage, like a piece of paper.
More details:
For pictures, words & phrases
– Magazines, newspapers, printed materials, junk mail
I especially like fashion, travel and nature magazines for photos. “W” magazine is great for huge, almost surreal images, as well as great words & phrases. “Town & Country” magazine offers a nice mix of fashion, travel, home & garden photos, as well as yummy ads.
If I’m going to sell the finished work, I’m careful about using magazines such as National Geographic. Though their pictures are gorgeous, they have a reputation for being difficult about copyright issues.
Here’s one guideline for using otherwise-copyrighted images: Some Questions About Fair Use. They give a good example of “transformative” artwork… and that’s the kind of collage I create.
For words and phrases, I like health, fitness, religious and New Age magazines, as well as junk mail. That includes the envelopes, which are often better than whatever’s enclosed in it.
I find free magazines at public libraries and sometimes at laundromats (ask if they’re ready to get rid of some of them).
Adhesives and glues for collage art
Previously, I was using Golden Gel Medium (Soft Gel – gloss) with a sponge brush. (That’s what was in my video. I no longer recommend that as an adhesive. It makes the paper buckle and bulge unnecessarily.)
Click to see Yes Paste at Amazon.com
Now, I use YES! Paste. For my work, it’s absolutely perfect, with minimal buckling and puckering, and the ability to reposition the image… for at least a few minutes.
Even better, a jar seems to last forever.
When I use a sponge brush, I rinse it out completely as soon as I’m finished with it. I can usually use the same sponge brush for a week before it starts to fall apart.
When I’m applying the adhesive, I use an old phone book or junk mail underneath my work.
Support for your collage
Anything can support your collage. I generally use a regular spiral-bound sketchbook for my daily collages. However, for this one (“Uncompromised’), I used a file folder. I’m not sure why; it seemed like the right choice.
You could use poster board, canvas, wood, or almost any surface that will accept glue.
(Some dishes or tiles work well with collages, but others don’t. Test different materials and adhesives to see what works for you.)
Collage embellishments
In the past – around 2000 – I used a lot of gold leaf and glitter, but that was a personal preference. Almost anything that you can glue to a surface can be used as an embellishment.
2. Select images and words or phrases.
Go quickly through your materials, and – without much thought – choose images, words & phrases that appeal to you. Tear out the entire page and set it aside.
Tip: If you like more than one element on a page, separate them. Otherwise, it’s easy to forget that you were going to use more than one item from a single page.
I often select a word or phrase early in this process. In this case, I chose “Uncompromised” quickly. The word “promise” is in red in it, and I realized (light bulb realization) that when I compromise, I’m breaking a promise to myself or to others. Even if it’s just small and unspoken, it’s still a betrayal (big or little) of an ideal that I held or aspired to.
That’s a concept worth examining, as I work on daily priorities.
Remember that you can use a word or phrase from a sentence. I chose “you deserve” from a laxative ad!
When you feel pleased with your collection of pages, or when you have a stack of about ten pages, pause and begin working with them.
3. Tear the images in the approximate size, and then to the exact size.
If a page is really large, it can be more difficult to tear out the precise element that I want. So, I tear the page around the general area of the element, and then tear more exactly.
When I’m making the final tear, I try to tear it all in one go, not inching along, a little at a time. A smooth tear usually looks nicer, unless you have a specific reason for a very jagged edge.
Also, when you tear the magazine page, there will be a white edge in one direction of the tear. (The yellow arrow points to it.) I like to work with either all white-edged images, or keep all of my images without white edges.
4. Apply adhesive to the back of the image.
This is going to be a little messy… or even a lot messy. Revel in it!
I use a sponge brush. Some people use their fingers or a regular brush.
I keep a damp rag or paper towel next to me, to clean glue off my fingers as I work. (I also wash my brushes thoroughly, as soon as I’ve completed my work.)
Work with something underneath the image, so you can cover the back of the image with adhesive.
If the adhesive is too thick, it can be lumpy underneath the image. If the adhesive is applied in a really thin layer, it can dry too quickly. However, as long as some of it sticks to the collage, that can be enough.
If it turns out lumpy, you can use an iron (there are special irons made for this, too) — with some sort of release paper between the collage and the iron, so the iron doesn’t get all gooey from the melting medium — and the heat softens & reactivates the adhesive.
So, even dried adhesive can be reactivated and it’ll suddenly adhere the entire image to whatever’s underneath it.
I only do this when the collage is nearly completed – before I apply any glitter or gold leaf – if there’s clearly a problem where part of the collage didn’t adhere correctly.
Keep in mind that your lower layers (and at least some of their edges) will be covered by later additions to the collage. So, how they look may not matter very much.
5. Place the image where you want it to be, in your collage.
Try to place it exactly where you want it to be, or at least fairly close. If you lift, stretch, or drag a piece of magazine paper, it can stretch and look a little odd in your final work.
If your collage element seems to bubble, it’s okay to pat it flat, but don’t try to smooth it. (I learned that from collage artist Claudine Hellmuth.)
If you brush it or rub it with your fingers to smooth it, it’ll stretch the paper and the finished result might be disappointing.
Bubbled paper seems to shrink back to shape was the adhesive dries, or at least some papers will do that. So, if you’re going to put something over the bubbled piece, let the bubbled part dry, first. It might flatten out on its own.
6. Keep working. Build up more layers. Tear more images as you work, if you need more images.
I usually tear out the first three or four images that I’m going to work with, and then start building the collage.
When I’m happy with them, or if I decide to add another image that I haven’t torn out yet, I pause and tear out what I’ll need next.
If I have a massive pile of torn paper – good stuff and paper that I may (or may not) use – it can become confusing.
7. Continue to build your collage.
Remember that the first layers are the background. As you add layers, they’ll be on top. (It’s amazingly easy to forget this, sometimes.)
The focal point (or points) of your collage should probably be on top. The leading areas tend to attract the attention of the viewer.
However, it’s okay to tuck little surprises in the lower layers, for the viewer to “discover” as he or she explores the collage.
Also, don’t despair if your collage looks messy. Some will be more messy than others. It’s okay.
Here’s a close-up of one area on this morning’s collage.
… Here’s what you need to know if you make a “mistake.”
1. Milky areas will probably dry clear.
2. If the paper looks translucent in some areas (like right above the letter T in the photo above), they’ll probably turn opaque when the adhesive dries.
3. Anything that looks weird when the collage is nearly finished, can be covered with embellishments (glitter, gold leaf, threads, pieces of mica, paint, etc.) or you can cover it with another image or phrase.
It’s okay to change your mind.
For this collage, I’d selected a great image of a model looking in one direction. However, I discovered an even better photo on the back of it: Mulawi children in colorful, traditional clothing.
So, allow for serendipity as you work.
8. Keep building your collage until you’re happy with it.
It’s okay to take your time. It’s also okay to rush through this in a flurry of creativity.
You can start the collage, walk away from it, and finish it later in the day, or the next day, or the next week!
Tip: When you think to yourself, “I think this is nearly finished,” it’s probably finished. Stop! Take a break, and then take a fresh look at it.
It’s better to stop too early than take the work too far.
9. Consider adding embellishments.
I love embellishments, but you don’t have to add any at all. Every artist has his or her own style.
Tissue paper (it may remain translucent if you use gel medium over and underneath that layer).
Thread, glued on or stitched on.
Beads, mica, sand, pieces of glass.
Paint, oil pastels, stencils, rubber stamp art.
You can even embed something that plays a tune or says something (like in greeting cards) in your collage, for people to press.
The possibilities are unlimited.
10. (Optional) Finish with a coat of gel medium or other sealer.
After the collage is fully dry, you can seal it with a thin coat of gel medium. Well, maybe. It might make the paper buckle.
And really, it’s not necessary. I mean, yes, it will give the collage a uniform level of gloss (or a uniformly matte finish, if you used a matte gel medium).
It might also protect the collage from dust and damage, if you want to leave it “as is” instead of displaying it under glass.
Tip: If you’re using this in an artist’s journal – such as a spiral-bound sketchpad – place a piece of wax paper between the collage and the facing page. That will prevent the pages from sticking together.
My finished collage
Though I could probably explain all of the elements, it’s true that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Basically, this is about re-evaluating compromises… things that I decided were okay, short-term, as a step to a more important goal. For me, it’s easy for those to become long-term issues.
For me, the image of the happy children in colorful clothing is important. It’s how joyous and self-expressive we all can be.
And yes, we all deserve to live deliciously, savoring every moment!
Here’s the YouTube video in which I narrate how I make torn-paper collages. It’s only four minutes, so it’s a bit of a whirlwind. And remember: I’m now using Yes! Paste, not gel medium.
Artist’s journals are illustrated diaries and journals on any theme.
An artist’s journal – or art journal – can be a record of your daily thoughts, a travel journal, an exercise or diet diary, a dream journal, a place where you jot down your goals or to-do lists, or… well, almost any record that you’d like to keep in a book or notebook.
They become “artist’s journals” when you add any kind of art, illustration or embellishment to the pages.
On this page:
This is a travel journal page I created after visiting “The Nubble” lighthouse in York, Maine (USA). It’s a mixed media work, combining sketches, photos, beach glass, shells, and driftwood from that journey. The original is part of a 9″ x 12″ spiral-bound sketchbook.
This is a collage to honor the music of Dr. John (aka Mac Rebbenack). It’s art I created for the Homage to Music card deck exchange hosted by Red Dog Scott.
Dr. John is among my favorite musicians, since I first heard his music around 1970. On an early album, Gumbo, he described his sound as “a combination of Dixieland, Rock & Roll, and Funk.” Add a little Mardi Gras and gris-gris, and you’ll get the idea.
Not everyone understands his music; I do, and it inspires much of my art.
This collage was over a month in preparation. Here’s how I made it.
The first step: gesso and paint the canvas
I started with a stretched canvas that I’d primed with gesso, and then painted metallic gold (spray paint).
Then, I began layering Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, and finally a black that I mixed using French Ultramarine and Burnt Umber.
Because I use oil paints for their depth of color, each layer had to dry for at least ten days.
(In workshops, I use acrylics because the layers dry in minutes, not weeks.)
Then, I sanded it down for added texture
After the layers were dry, I began sanding them down for texture. Beneath the canvas, I place a wooden block just inside the stretcher bars, so the canvas was evenly supported.
I sanded down different amounts in different areas.
Next, I “painted on” a piece of antique lace. Over that, I glued three strips of teal chenille yarn.
For small pieces, I use the Golden Medium as glue; for larger pieces, I use hot glue.
Then, I added feathers. Some were gathered at the beach, others were purchased.
Sealing the canvas was next
Next, I coated the entire canvas with more Golden Medium, and waited for it to dry until tacky. At that point, I began applying Gildenglitz. For the larger areas, I increased the adhesion with pieces of double-sided tape.
Embellishments and ephemera took it to the next level
Almost finished, I glued on a dollhouse Parcheesi board, a plastic lizard, and a heart milagros that I had sprayed gold and highlighted with Dr. Martin’s calligraphy ink, in copper.
And finally, gold leaf highlights
The final step—when everything else had fully dried—was to add highlights with Rub N Buf gold leaf, in antique gold.
When I teach related workshops, I encourage students to work with rich & deep colors, gold leaf or glitter, and found objects.
Sometimes, found objects — natural ones like leaves and feathers, or bit of metal found by the roadside and in parking lots — can take this kind of collage to the magpie level, too. I love the whimsy of that.
This tribute to Dr. John remains one of my favorite collages.
Breakthrough art – as a process – is sometimes defined as art that challenges the artist.
It’s when an artist takes their work in a dramatically different direction, just to see what happens.
Maybe they like it. Maybe they hate it.
Either way, they learn something about themselves, their art, and their unique creative process.
First, the history of one disastrous “Breakthrough Shrines” workshop.
(It’s okay to skip this backstory.)
When I taught Breakthrough Shrines at Artfest 2004, it was unexpectedly controversial.
The theme was “Art Shrines from Dark to Light.”
In that half-day workshop, students would start with dark (or dark-ish) rubbings on paper as a background.
Then, inside a shallow box, they’d build upon that background, adding two- and three-dimensional items. They could lean into dark themes or—as intended—use elements to segue into lighter subjects.
Either way, it was up to them, and the result might be a collage or an assemblage, depending on the items they added. (Or, it might be a half-finished work casting light on their own artistic processes.)
What emerged—literally and figuratively—could give them fresh insights into dimensional art and their own artistic process.
These workshops had been inspired by one of 2004’s most popular books and movies, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Its ending had set the leading characters on a new path, albeit an uncertain one.
I wanted to emulate that, but in a workshop for artists eager to explore their creative boundaries… and push past them.
Leaning into that theme, I’d brought a wide range of materials for students to use. They included beach shells, coins, pressed pennies, vintage jewelry, handmade castings, and other textured items to use for rubbings.
I also encouraged them to take paper and charcoal or conte crayons, and go outside to make rubbings. (Artfest 2004 was held at Fort Worden Historical State Park. It offered an abundance of sites with surfaces and materials ideal for making rubbings.)
Also, for those who wanted to start with really “dark” themes, some of my castings were from 18th-century (and earlier) New England sites, including memorials.
Most of those castings featured angels and religious themes, but some were— admittedly — gothic. (Note: All were responsibly cast, legally, using techniques that risked no damage to the original art and carvings.)
Some of my Artfest students were delighted to have access to those casings; others were very creeped out by the 18th-century images. They complained loudly about my workshop.
By contrast, I taught this same workshop at other venues that year (and in 2005), with the same materials, and it was always well received.
Regardless, that was the last year I taught at Artfest.
(That was okay. For many years after that, I taught at other, larger events such as Dragon Con. Clearly, my workshop style was a better match for those audiences.)
And now, here’s what the workshop was actually like, at each venue where I conducted it…
The purpose of this workshop
This particular class was designed as a process-based experiment intended to push students toward artistic expression outside their comfort zones.
We weren’t trying to create art to impress friends, family, or even ourselves. It wasn’t a by-the-numbers class. The finished work (if it even was finished in the classroom) didn’t matter as much as understanding the art process, and how it helps us understand ourselves.
Some caught the spirit of the exercise and produced amazing work. Others used the workshop as an opportunity to test new materials and techniques, with no other goals in mind.
At its conclusion, most students left the workshop happy. A few practically had to be pried away from the desks, as they wanted more time to work with more experimental pieces.
The following notes summarize those workshops and the pre-class mini-class held the night before.
You can adapt this process to fit your goals, whether that’s pushing your creative boundaries or producing a fresh, fun art shrine that you’ll display with pride.
Step one: Prepared the shrine container
To get the most from this shrine-creation process, start with a medium-small box.
For my students’ use, I usually brought cigar boxes made from heavy cardboard with a paper surface. (You can buy them for less than $5 each at Amazon.com.)
A typical cigar box (underneath the cigars, etc.) – Photo courtesy of Gabriel Lima.
Of course, you can use wooden cigar boxes, or almost any box.
However, the surface should be something that plaster and gauze will stick to. (If the container is slick, painted, or metal, you may need to sand it and/or coat it with gesso.)
After waiting for the shrine’s exterior to dry—usually overnight—it’s time to create the interior.
I recommend using rubbings for your backgrounds. They’re a fast way to cover a lot of the surface, uniquely.
In addition, rubbings can reveal some interesting images you hadn’t expected.
You’ll create the rubbings using any kind of paper, from printer paper to tracing paper to… well, whatever comes to mind and is thin enough to pick up details on whatever’s below it.
The paper should be flexible but not too flexible. You’ll want to capture the textures beneath the paper, without tearing it.
In most cases, it’s smart to secure the paper with adhesive tape; I use blue “painter’s tape.” It’s unlikely to leave any marks or residue on the support surface.
To make the marks, rub a soft marker (but not a magic marker or felt writer) over the paper, picking up details from the support surface. Conte crayons, soft pencils, or even children’s everyday crayons can work well.
In real life, any kind or quality of rubbing will work. The rubbing can be flawed, missing areas, or even ugly. That’s okay! The point is to look at surfaces in a new way and then integrate the results into your finished shrine.
Try rubbings from:
a screen door
the sidewalk outside your home
metal plates and markers at historical locations*
the numbers from your front door
objects in your jewelry case or from your kitchen tools
keys and coins in your wallet, or
textured items like rubber stamps.
*Note: Check with authorities before making any rubbings at historical sites, monuments, churchyards, cemeteries, etc. In some communities, the art on stone – and some metal – surfaces can be fragile, and easily worn down if used for rubbings. (In some communities, it can be illegal to create rubbings at some locations.)
These rubbings are primarily backgrounds for mixed-media embellishments. You can use just one large rubbing, or piece several together, side-by-side or layered as a collage.
Once you have a background you like, start adding items – created, purchased, or found – in layers. I encourage students not to think about this too much, but instead add items and embellishments on impulse.
Those items can be anything from coins to buttons to snippets of fabric, or small toys, playing cards, junk jewelry, or… well, absolutely anything. The idea is to make this a three-dimensional piece, preferably with quirky bits placed impulsively.
You can glue or tape them in place as you work, or arrange the pieces as you think you’d like them, and then go back and use glue, etc. (I encourage you to glue or tape as you go along. Don’t get too finicky about this.)
Then pause. See what the shrine is telling you, either a story or something about where your art is going… or both. Or maybe neither!
Step Four: Stop when it feels right to stop.
Whether you’ve added one more element or 20 of them, pay close attention to your intuition. Stop when it feels right to stop. Or when you can’t seem to decide what to add (or remove) next.
Definitely stop if you feel bored, tired, angry, or even sad about the shrine.
It’s better to stop too soon than to continue and risk that more elements might conceal the essence of the finished piece.
Step Five: Revisit the shrine days (or even weeks) later
Put the shrine aside for at least a few days. When you revisit it, you should be ready to look at it as if someone else had made it.
See what catches your attention. Consider what the shrine might be telling you about yourself, and directions you may want to explore with your art.
If you don’t like the shrine, you can take it apart to use pieces in another project or even throw it out.
However, even if you truly hate it – and this sounds preposterously woo-woo – I still recommend putting it aside for a few months, or even a year.
Then, take a fresh look. See if you feel differently about it, and if it speaks to you about your past, your art, or… well, something else.
After completing the inside of the shrine, finish the outside by layering paint and polyurethane to add color and depth to the gauze. (Or, if you were aiming for a “mummy” effect, perhaps tea stain it?)
Optional extras: Easy antiquities and other finishing techniques
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