Morph a Collage Digitally and Literally

Great color and texture but poor design

Today I “finished” a very colorful collage. You can see that the design is not good, but there are some nice areas of color and contrast. So I photographed the entire piece, and also some areas that I liked. I also digitally clipped a few spots out of the collage. These I will use for prints and notecards or for a digital collage. I also tear strips of prints and even use pieces of old collages in new ones. Nothing gets wasted over here!

Here are three clippings:

This clip captures the diversity of textures in the original

This photo clip could make a fun greeting card with a little tweaking – texture or paint

This clip is pretty dramatic and could be a framed print for the right person!

There are a lot more places to clip out of here. One collage can make a lot of digital designs. And if you’re good with Photo Shop, you can enhance these and have a wonderful time!

Next I painted diluted gesso over the entire thing, adding a few more collage pieces. It’s a lot more interesting now, don’t you think? I’m certainly more excited about it.

Here it is ready for the next adventure!

Tomorrow when it dries and flattens, I will lightly add some watercolor using a dry brush. This is just to bring out the texture and see who or what wants to come out and play. Isn’t this fun?

I hope you are able to follow-along and enjoy collaging. The real trick to having fun is to realize that everything you create can be turned into something else if you don’t like it. But, don’t be too hasty to destroy a piece. Sit with it for awhile. Sometimes I look at my paintings and collages for months before I decide which way is up; or if it has any meaning besides a colorful and interesting design.

Stay tuned!

Love,

Susie