Birds, Mixed Media Collage Collection
Last weekend I made a collection of six small collages using prints of my bird illustrations. It is so fun and exciting to work in new mediums. I really love the way these pieces begin with a smear of paint, a print of my illustrations, and scraps of torn paper added here and there.
What amazes me is how these pieces take on a life of their own with all these disparate elements tossed in together. I try to shut off that analytical part of my brain and simply enjoy the process while learning a new way of creating.
These are the supplies I used on my pieces. I tried a couple of different types of Strathmore Cards, but I liked these the best. The cards have a nice weight and texture, and the cards and envelopes have a great deckle edge.
Paper collage is still pretty new to me, so I learn a lot with every project I do. In the past I had a lot of trouble with my glued paper pieces bubbling up and loosening once I applied a coat of matte medium over the top. This time I tried something different that worked out better. This was my process.
- Put down a layer of acrylic paint and acrylic ink.
- Glued down the bird and then the other torn paper pieces with the Matte Medium.
- Added a little inkwork and colored pencils.
- Made a glaze with the acrylic ink, Daler Rowney Burnt Umber, and the Glazing Liquid.
- Let it dry, and sprayed the collaged area with Krylon Workable Fixatif.
This seemed to work pretty well. My paper didn't start falling off this time, and that made me pretty happy. For my next projects I'd like to try
Golden's Soft Gel Gloss Medium for my glue and maybe one of the varnishes for finishing.