Making Collages
Make Art Collages
Making collages is a craft that all ages can enjoy. Face it, it's fun to cut and paste! And with computers you can do all of your cutting and pasting online to create art collages, if you want! Collage is also called mixed media, altered art, art collage, and probably 20 other names.
Kids can make collages using construction paper and pictures cut from magazines to tell a story. All sorts of materials are used to make art collages: as the base, just about anything can be used such as the vintage book page shown here.
Other good materials are covers of books and cardboard if you're planning for a more natural look. Then literally anything can be added to create the collage: clip art, photos, inside of decorative envelopes, ribbons, buttons, lace, trinkets to name a few.
Photo of art collage of vintage dictionary page printed with a vintage chicken, clip art of power lines and stamped with brown flowers.
Photo Credit: Peggy Hazelwood
Making Picture Collages -- Dictionary Art - Click a small image to enlarge it.
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Scrapbook Paper for Collages - Beautiful Choices to Use as a Base or Embellishments
Make a Free Collage
Making collages is so much fun. You can make a free collage with items around the house. Of course you can go a little crazy and buy some nice scrap book paper, stamps, ink pads, and on and on. This is an addictive craft that is so fun! I use some of my art collages for greeting cards and as wall hangings.
You could also make them into invitations or as magnets for the fridge, locker, or filing cabinet to dress up your metal. The list of uses is endless!
- Gather your mixed media supplies. Examples of good items to use include (but certainly not restricted to) the following: book covers, book pages, ribbon, photos, illustrations from ads or books, old keys, found objects like bottle caps and old game pieces, lace, and so much more.
- You'll also need some basic craft tools: scissors, glue, ink pads, stamps, paint, staples, etc. It really just depends on what you plan to do.
- Choose the background. This can be as simple as using a cereal box, a book cover, a Bingo card, a canvas, etc.
- Choose items to add to the collage, like images, plain paper, found objects, buttons, keys, etc.
- Lay out the collage. Place items the way you want them before gluing or affixing them. If you want, photograph them then you can refer to the photo when you begin laying it out and gluing them for real.
Learn Collage and Get Inspired
Craft Supplies for Making Collages - Click a small image to enlarge it.
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Ephemera
(n., plural): paper items (as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles
Source: Merriam-Webster
Photos of Mixed Media -- Altered Art - Click a small image to enlarge it.
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Collages by Etsy Seller Gathered Together - These links correspond to the photos immediately above.
- Butterfly Collage Vintage Book Paper by GatheredTogether on Etsy
There are so many species and intricately shaped Butterflies! I had know idea, until I started making this collage. I love the shades of the papers I found. This silhouette collage is made on a canvas board that I layered with many colors of paint an - A Tree Grows Through Our Comfy Home by GatheredTogether on Etsy
Leaves, Vintage Book, Paper Mache House, Vintage Paper and Illustrations! Yeah...all the things I love. I had so much fun getting back to letting my imagination really be in charge on this piece !
Mixed Media Project Ideas - Use Your Imagination and Make a Collage
- claudine hellmuth's blog: retro * whimsical art and illustration
blog by claudine hellmuth: art and illustrations with a retro * whimsical twist - my collage art ~ nancy lefko
I am a stay at home mom and mixed media collage artist living in Southern New Hampshire. I enjoy all things vintage and create collages with a nod to the past. - Collage Art by AnitaNH
"I am known in real life as Anita Muise. I first began making collage art in December of 2003 after discovering the method described by Jonathan Talbot. The work of Roderick Slater has been inspirational." - Megan Coyle: Collage Artist
A Day in the Life of an Artist, BlabberArt: Interviews and Talks, In the Studio: Original Collage Art, The Adventures of Bosty
Collage Ideas -- Materials for Making Collages - Click a small image to enlarge it.
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Do you make collages?
Do you make collages?
Mixed Media Workshop
Television is becoming a collage -
there are so many channels that you move
through them making a collage yourself.
In that sense, everyone sees something a bit different.
~ David Hockney
Teacher's Guide: Making Collages for Kids
More Fun Crafts!
Clothespin Crafts
Clothespin crafts transform ordinary wooden clothespins into something new. Clothespins come in both peg and clip styles...
Silverware Crafts
If you've seen wind chimes made from vintage silverware, you have an idea of what silverware crafts are.
Book Crafts
Books may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of crafting, but book crafts can be fun and when you're done,
Costume Jewelry Crafts
Costume jewelry crafts are simply crafts made using costume jewelry. This can include using a piece, such as clip on earrings,
Button Crafts
Crafting with buttons is one of the most fun ways to show off pretty buttons whether they're vintage buttons or new ones.
Lace Crafts
Lace crafts can be delicate and beautiful. Embellishing items with lace, using lace as a stencil, or creating lace by knitting or crocheting are all fun lace...
Rope Crafts
Crafting with rope can be a fun hobby that results in some useful objects with textures you just don't get with another medium.
Matchbox Crafts
Matchbox crafts are a way to craft in miniature, especially if you choose to use the small matchboxes that measure about 2 inches by 1-3/8 inches.
Bottle Caps Crafts--Making Art With Bottle Caps
Bottle caps crafts range from simple bottle cap necklaces or magnets to this grand lady shown herewith bottle cap arms and legs.
Key Crafts
If you're like me, you have a junk drawer (or two or three) with loose keys. You don't remember what they went to.
Drawing Instruction -- How to Draw Step by Step
Using simple drawing instructions, nearly everyone can learn to draw.
Affiliate Disclosure
This author, Peggy Hazelwood, participates in Amazon, eBay, All Posters, and other affiliate advertising programs. When you click an advertising link on this page and make a purchase, I receive a small percent of the sale. Thank you for reading this far!
Do You Like to Make Collages?
Great work.
I was wondering about the definition of "ephemera."
I came to this lens through a link form gottloveit's senior crafts lens. I never expected to find such good tips (although I should have, knowing you!). Taking a picture of your layout is genius. And, using collages as greeting cards -- so clever!
Fun lens...I've never done a cut and paste collage but do digital collages these days...it's all great art with or without paste.
I stopped by and I'm glad I did. The butterfly collage seems to play a trick on me as it looks like the butterflies are moving.Somehow, the words make the butterflies pop.
I love to collage, both digital and cut and paste.
Very pretty. Some real nice ideas. Maybe I will start collaging again.
nice lens
Rolling this over to my Senior citizen craft lens. We love to make collages (well, we used to...).
I am a collage fanatic. People hide their magazines when they see me coming with scissors. I started making them in college and have never quit. I find making them to be very healing and therapeutic as well as using them as a vision board. I had a friend who was an art therapist who highly recommended it.
I just love making collages! they are such great fun , and you can work with many textures to create a fabulous effect!
- AUTHOR
@anonymous: Nancy, love your work. Thanks for dropping by!
i just helped my in sister to make her collage a few weeks ago
Thanks for sharing my link. You've gathered great resources here.
What a fun article! I haven't made collages in years, but your article has inspired me to give it a try again. Thanks
Haven't made collages since my college days. Used to love to make them. Well written lens.
I save all sorts of cute graphics and bits of paper. This would be a great way to use these.
I think collages are fun to make. You can really let your creativity loose and there are no rules. :)
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