Your base material can be any size or shape that you want – just be sure it has a flat surface.
Start a collection by going through old books and newspapers and pulling out pages you may want to use in the future. If you have a space for working on art, create a space for your paper collection and organize it according to type.
Allow your first layer, and each subsequent layer, to dry for 15 minutes before adding another layer with a different paint color and different shapes. Continue adding colors and shapes until you get a look that you like. If your paint is too thick and seems to be covering the text or images from your paper, thin it down more by adding more water to it. You want to be able to see the text and images from the paper through the paint.
The more degreaser you spray on the pages, the more the colors will run and the more abstract the image will appear. If you want to keep a bit of the image coherent, just spray the page once or twice and allow that to dry before spraying any more. Cover your work area with a drop cloth to avoid getting degreaser on any surfaces you don’t want sprayed. Allow your pages to dry for 15-20 minutes.
Cover the edges of the paper with a coating of decoupage to seal them to the canvas. You can fill your entire canvas with pieces of background paper and overlap them at certain points, or leave empty spaces on your canvas to fill in later with paint or other materials. [10] X Expert Source Kathy LeaderArtist Expert Interview. 13 February 2022. Allow your canvas to dry overnight when you have finished applying your background pieces and you like how it looks.
Try covering some of your background in strips of ripped masking tape, then applying a layer of paint with a brush. Your original background will peek through when you rip off the tape.
Use dark ink on light background areas, or white ink on dark background areas, to make the stamps stand out.
The heat from the gun will add bumps and bubbles to the paint. You can allow bubbles to break open for a unique look. Work quickly to make sure you don’t apply too much heat and ruin the base of your collage. To achieve this effect on your entire collage, you would need to use clay board as your base instead of canvas or wood. Holding the heat gun up to thinner painted areas on canvas or wood could damage your entire collage.
Try wiping the gesso with a paper towel before it’s dry to create a smeared, textured look that allows your background papers to show through. Allow every layer to dry before adding a new one on top of it.
Try choosing an image from your background or a shape that has come out as a focal point, and attach beads around that as a border. Use an antique brooch or other piece of metal jewelry to create your collage’s focal point. Experiment with dried flowers to attach to your collage. These work best when they are already flattened during the drying process.
You don’t need to use an originally black and white image. Just make sure the printed-out version is in black and white. Instead of printing from a computer, use an image in a photography book and make a black and white photocopy of it. Photocopiers can be found at many libraries and office supply stores. If you’re experienced in drawing and want to use your own personal drawing, you can skip this step and make your drawing in graphite on a piece of watercolor paper. Then skip down to the step about filling in your drawing with colored pencil.
Sharpen your pencil again if it becomes so dull you can no longer use it.
Use multiple clips or tape on every side to make sure the image is secured to the watercolor paper and won’t move around.
You can make a few extra lines to denote important shadows from your image, but the actual shadowing will come later.
If there are any parts missing or ones that are too light, add more graphite scribbles to the back of your print-out and trace it onto the watercolor paper again.
Next, shade the lighter parts of the image using a warm gray colored pencil.
After you’ve painted parts of your image in the very watered-down colors, you can add more bright highlights with less-watered down colors according to your preference.
Use the grayish watercolor to fill in lighter shadows on your image. Allow your watercolors to dry for half an hour.
Use your pencils to add subtle details to your piece such as blades of grass, lines on leaves, texture of brick or stone on a building, or hair on people. If you think your piece doesn’t have enough watercolor, you can always go back and add more. Just finalize the piece with pencils as your last step.
If you’re using a photo that’s important to you and you’re afraid of messing up, make a paper photocopy of the photo to try out your ideas before permanently changing the photograph.
Don’t be afraid to make the colors weird if that’s what you want to do. Make people have green skin, make the sky red, etc.
Try giving people word bubbles like in comics, or add stars over their eyes. Or add to the background of a photo with lots of different shapes and designs.
Add shapes and designs in any way that you like with your paint, paint pen, or pastel to change the original photo as much as you like.
