The first cut is the hardest ...

Collage made from magazine pages...

Do you have some old magazines that you know should be thrown out or donated to the op shop (thrift shop) ?

I have a better option - better for the environment and your own creative development.

Look at the photos in your magazines, and cut out sections so the image is not easily recognizable. (In the example above, the three small collages were made from cutting up photos from just one double page of a magazine.)

Then, place the pieces down on some plain paper - white or black are both good, but you may prefer other colours. Rearrange the pieces until you have a pleasing composition. You may need to re-cut/resize some of the pieces or even tear them. I admit that in a couple of cases, I turned the paper over and found something better on the other side than I had intended to use.

The images above were originally of a doorway, an outdoor area awning and some bar stools. Haven't they been transformed?

In all of these six collages in the images shown above and below, I have used a limited number of pieces of paper (no more than 5) and I have tried to highlight a colour.

You can paste down the pieces when you like the arrangement, or just keep all the pieces of paper and create something different another day.

In a previous post, I wrote about a practice called "non-committal collage" - you can't have negative thoughts about your design, because you don't have to commit to anything. Have a go - nothing to lose because you can always recycle those bits of paper.

Reference : https://empresswu.blogspot.com/2020/04/non-committal-collage-anything-goes.html

Comments

12 Days .... festive or not?

Days 5 & 7 - the Gold Rush Era Stamp Series It seems so long ago now since we were celebrating Christmas and New Year.... hope you enjoyed a great festive season. I took some time out, not doing much at all but I did set myself a little challenge of doing some tidying up which meant spending a little time each day using scraps of fabric and paper to create something a little playful or as the mood took, useful! Unlike the long projects I usually undertake, this was a 12 day project ( 12 days of Christmas ) - completely random, but finishing half done projects or recycling. For example the first photo shows some collages I did on days 5 and 7 to use a postage stamp release, the Gold Rush Era series, first issued in Australia 1981 ... yes I probably have had it in my stash since then! Completing some other little projects was very satisfying .... On Day 1, I assembled a folded paper folk cube from a kit my daughter gifted to me las...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Too Precious to Waste

Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons More than a year ago, a decision was made. The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2] A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog