Using Collage Sheets in My Art Journal
One of my favourite processes to use in my art journals is collage. I love the act of ripping the paper and puzzling it all together on the surface of my journal and then gluing it all down. I’ll repeat this process over and over, through many layers until I wind up with something that I love. I will collage with pretty much anything but I’d like to share with you my process of creating my own collage sheets to play with in my journal.
It all starts off with some of my favourite ephemera and my black and white laser jet printer. With this printer I can scan and photocopy so I usually start off with some images that I like and then I continually run the printed piece of paper through my printer, printing different pieces of ephemera on to the same sheet of paper. Some of the ephemera I like to photocopy includes vintage photographs, tickets, graph paper, ledger paper, hand written notes, receipts, old office stationary etc. The result of continually sending the same piece of paper through the machine results in this wonderful double exposure kind of feel. I will also play with the settings on the machine such as contrast and sizing in order to get different effects.
This image shows you some of the results I get from playing around with the copier and if you’d like to snag these collage sheets to play with, all you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter down below and the pdf will be included in your welcome email.
Once I get some results that I like, I will take these papers and start to add some paint and marks to them. This process can be tons of fun and there isn’t much pressure because I can always print off another one. The number one goal is to just loosen up and not over think the process. The final product will end up being ripped apart to be used in my art journal anyways, so nothing is precious here.
I always start with some gesso. I’ll just kind of scruff it on in places to lighten up any areas that are too dark or to soften any edges that are too hard for me. Then I will usually use some watercolour and splash some colour on. I am into a grungy sort of look, so the more scruffed up and messy the better for me. I love using watercolours because of the way that they layer, but you could also use watered down acrylics especially if you don’t like your paint to move around later. Then I’ll use a regular pencil, or even a water-soluble one, and draw some loose lines over the whole page.
Here you can see the how the pages are transforming after just a bit of gesso, watercolour and some pencil marks. I will also rotate the papers to keep from getting focused on any particular areas. Remember, the end result will be torn up so it’s not about the whole page and more about creating layers that will help spark an art journal spread later.
Next, I will add some dried teabags or tissue paper with some matte medium. I love the texture of teabags, they are a bit stronger than tissue. I love the colour, and they absorb water-colour in a really lovely way. I also really love tissue paper. The transparency is just so awesome and it is such a helpful tool when trying to create lots layers while still keeping everything thin and not too bulky. I will even sometimes just print the whole collage sheet onto tissue paper and use that along with the painted sheets in my art journal spread.
After I am satisfied with the gesso, paint and tissue, I will start to rip the pages up into parts that I find interesting. From these 4 pages I can create quite a few different art journal spreads. I love having these little starting pieces so that the blank page of the journal isn’t so intimidating.
And this is the final art journal spread that I made using these collage sheets. If you’d like to see the process of how I created this, be sure to check out the video below.
I love this process because it really takes the pressure off of starting from a completely blank page. It gives me a jumping off point and helps me to relax and really enjoy the process. By using these collage sheets I can experiment and play around and nothing is too precious because I can always just reprint it and start again. I also don’t have to be too precious with my ephemera which can sometimes be hard to come across. I’ve used some of these houses multiple times in my work and the result has always been different.
This is just a quick process video to demonstrate how I like to use these collage pages in my art journal. It is only meant to be a peek into my process and not so much an instructional video for you to follow along with.
If you make something using these collage sheets be sure to share your results with me and tag me on Instagram, @thistleandthimbles , because I would love to see what you make.
Enjoy,
Alyssa
Hi Alyssa,
I really liked your class in Wanderlust 2022. It has been very inspiring. I’m still trying to find my inner art
voice thank you for being a gilde on this queste.
The art journal you use I love very much.
Maybe you can share some time how you made it.
I’d love to make one this way.
Thanks for the great class.