Make small and satisfying landscape collages
Do you feel like creating but only have a few minutes? Collage is a fantastic way to give yourself a chance to be creative in the same amount of time you could spend checking your Facebook feed.
Lately I’ve been making small collage landscapes with just a handful of easy to grab materials. What’s wonderful about collage scraps is that the colours and marks often spark an idea. The torn shapes or colour suggest a tree line, a sandy beach or a stormy sky. Even a tiny scrap can help to eliminate the problem of the scary blank page!
What you’ll need:
a handful of collage papers - old drawings or paintings, junk mail envelopes (I adore brown ones!), any kind of scrap paper
scissors
glue stick
pencil - I like an HB and also soft pencils like a 5B + for darker marks
a sketchbook
optional : watercolour paints, watercolour pencil crayons (see this video), acrylic paint pens
Simple trees and a few pieces of collage paper including a photocopy of a nautical chart.
The process:
My process is to first sketch an outline box with a soft pencil. Then I make a few quick and expressive marks with a pencil or watercolour pencil crayon simply to overcome that blank page. Then I intuitively grab a few small scraps that are calling to me. I start to play around with the scraps to form a composition. If the scraps overlap my outline, I mark them off with a pencil and trim them with scissors before gluing them down. I always leave some white space and I often add black; this two things ensure that I have nice contrast in the landscapes.
I finish up with a few drawn marks or patterns using paint pens or pencils, trying not to get to fussy. I once had a painting teacher who warned me not to “wrap it all up with a bow”. I think a artwork should feel finished or resolved but not overworked - much simpler said than done! I’m often guilty of trying to exploring too many ideas all in one piece. It’s better to make five attempts than try to play with all the ideas in one composition.
Tips:
Work with a limited colour scheme
Keep the scale small
Set a timer and create in 5, 10 or 15 minutes
Remember, less is usually MORE!
Share the process:
Collage is a great art activity for children too. My 7 year old daughter took an interest in my little landscapes so I invited her to join me in the studio. Children have awesome ideas and don’t feel constrained by the rules adults set for ourselves. She and I created these two landscapes together. She was the director and I encouraged her by offering choices of materials and marks. She really loved getting to be in charge of the design.
