Collage Challenge #1 Winners

Thank you so much for participating in Collage Challenge #1! I got so many envelopes of collage papers it was a challenge in itself to choose the "winners".  My choices were based on the requirement of variety, first. That narrowed it down a little. Then I had to see which collections of papers spoke to me, which ones I could work with.

Here are the winning collages, which I will send out to the people who sent me these packets of collage papers. There were many many more that were in the running.

Collage for Carol

Collage for Loren

Collage for Peggy

I have been regrouping the collage papers and sending out packets to people on request. All you have to do is send me a self-addressed stamped envelope (if you are in the US), or a self-addressed envelope without postage (if you are outside the US). I find it is as much fun to choose and send a collection of papers as it is to receive them!  Jane Davies, Collage Paper Request, PO Box 45, Rupert, VT  05768.

Here are a few envelopes that showed up in my mail box, beautifully embellished:

This is a scan of six different envelopes.

And another six. There were many more with awesome exterior art on them! THANK YOU!

Collage Challenge #2 will be posted tomorrow, March 1.

Collage Demo Part 2

Here is the continuation of my collage demo from the previous post. This is not a technique demo as much as it is sharing my thoughts on composition as I work on a piece.

This is the final piece. You can see the few detail I added after the video demonstration. It is 10x10 on paper; in addition to collage I used Posca Paint Pens and Caran d'Ache crayon.

Collage with Gel Printed and Painted Papers

This post follows the one on gel printed papers. The video shows me demonstrating the first part of a collage. I include my thoughts as I work, as many of you have said you find that helpful in understanding my approach to composition. This IS about composition; I make choices about where to put what by going one step at a time and focusing on a small bit of the piece, not by stepping back every five seconds to look at the whole. I will post Part 2 over the weekend. 

There is a part in this video where I consider choosing papers that "I like", and then say "I never do that". Generally I begin by choosing a variety of papers, VARIETY being my main concept. This means papers that are more or less solid color, some that are patterned or have type or texture, some in bright colors and some in neutrals, etc. For this collage I DID start with a few that I like, and the chose the rest based on getting some variety.

Envelopes of Gorgeousness!!

Here are a few more collections of collage papers from the collage challenge. What a treat it is to open these envelopes. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Below are more collections of papers I have received. I am getting some very cool envelopes, as you will see, as well.

I particularly like the variety of black and white pieces in this collection.

LOVE that pattern of bright concentric circles at the top!

The little bit in the top right is a braille text, so it is textural.

This collection definitely has good variety!

As I receive these beautiful collections of collage paper, putting aside the ones that qualify most for the VARIETY requirement. It will be impossible to choose the "best" ones, because so many of them are excellent. I will choose a few from the group, and make collages for the "winners".

However, I am thinking of what I want to do with the rest of the papers. Of course, I would love to use them in my own work, but I'd like to share them as well. I could make groups of them into "collage sheets" for download. And/or I could make them into little re-arranged packets and send them out to you.

Please make suggestions in the comments section! And if you would like a packet of collage papers, re-sorted, send an SASE (regular letter amount of postage) to me at:

Jane Davies Studios

Collage Packet Request

PO Box 45

Rupert, VT  05768

I will send them out in early March, after I've posted the next Collage Challenge!

See the first Collage Challenge here, and please participate until the end of this month.

Gel Prints on Found Papers

I have been experimenting with making collage material by re-using existing papers. Newspapers, brown paper bags, magazine papers, and a discarded HUGE dictionary that someone left at the post office for the taking, have been my favorites.

One way I like to make collage papers is by gel printing. Here is a video about it. I will be teaching Monoprint Collage in Santa Fe this spring, and there are a few spaces available still. We will use the gel plate and other techniques for printing and painting collage papers, and then do and in-depth exploration of collage.

Sign up for the workshop here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

As you may have read in recent posts, I've been making heart collages and drawings as a way to warm up, play, have fun, and let it be light-hearted. But my friend Lucie Duclos totally hits it out of the park with this ten-minute Skillshare Class. Here is here intro video:

A Few Collage Papers

A little update on the Collage Challenge #1

I can't tell you how FUN it is to go to the post office and find my box full of envelopes full of collage papers! As I open them, I'm doing a preliminary sorting into GOOD VARIETY, and NOT SO GOOD VARIETY. Many of the envelops contain really beautiful papers, but not as much variety as others. For example, several of the papers are similar in color or value or pattern. I will definitely come up with a way to use all of them, though!

I scanned a few of the collections in the GOOD VARIETY category. Take a look.

I thought this one was particularly good. Variety in color, scale (of pattern), value...

I love how the two black and white patterns (upper right) are SO different because of the scale of pattern.

The bright circle piece on the right makes me want to paint like that, scan, and print out collage paper! Do you see two papers in this collection that are very similar?

This collection included an acrylic skin. Can you see which piece that is?

Love that big black and white!

cocktail napkin, donut bag, marbled paper....

Definitely some variety here!

Gorgeous collection here.

Keep the envelopes coming! The papers don't need to be large or beautiful; just go for variety. I hope you are having fun putting together these collections. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.

A Few From The Collage Challenge #1

Here are a few pieces posted on our Collage Challenge group on Flickr. View the rest here. And read about the challenge in the previous post.

I have received some envelopes of collage papers too! Waiting until the end of the month to choose the ones I will make collages from. So fun!

Collage Challenge #1

I am offering a 2-part collage challenge this month. I hope to make it a monthly event.

The first challenge is to send me a group of 6 - 10 papers to use in collage. These should be small, fitting in a letter size envelope. The challenge is to make them as diverse as possible. That is, make them as different from each other as you can. Think VARIETY in color, value, pattern, scale of pattern, etc. These should be abstract in content, not images. You could include part of an image, but it should not be recognizable as an image. Gather materials from your own stash, junk mail, magazines, decorative papers, gift wrap, maps, etc.

Send your envelopes to: 

Jane Davies Studios

Collage Challenge

PO Box 45

Rupert, Vermont  05768

Send papers by the end of February. I will choose a few winners (in the sense of the best VARIETY, the papers that are most different from each other), and make a collage out of each one. I'll post the images and send the originals to those who sent the papers.

The second challenge is this: I have put a collage sheet, 8.5x11" up on a Flickr group that you can download. Print it out, and make one or two (or more) small collages. Here is an image of the collage sheet for this challenge:

This can be downloaded from Flickr at higher resolution, and printed out on 8.5x11" paper.

The rules are as follows:

 Download the Collage Sheet here. Click on the arrow, and choose "original" size.

• Use only the collage papers in the downloaded sheet. 

• You may add one color of paint, and one more mark such as a line, a scribble, or a pattern. 

• And remember that it is more fun if we are all bound by the same set of directions.

Join the Flickr group, and post your own collages - scans or photos. I suggest you keep them small. I've posted two of my own, which are 5.5"x7.5". I will post below as well:

Join the Flickr group.

Download the image here.