Make Art Collages
Making collages is a craft that all ages can enjoy. Face it, it's fun to cut and paste! And with computers you can do all of your cutting and pasting online to create art collages, if you want! Collage is also called mixed media, altered art, art collage, and probably 20 other names.
Kids can make collages using construction paper and pictures cut from magazines to tell a story. All sorts of materials are used to make art collages: as the base, just about anything can be used such as the vintage book page shown here. Other good materials are covers of books and cardboard if you're planning for a more natural look. Then literally anything can be added to create the collage: clip art, photos, inside of decorative envelopes, ribbons, buttons, lace, trinkets to name a few.
Photo of art collage of vintage book page printed with a vintage chicken, clip art of power lines and stamped with brown flowers.
Photo Credit: Peggy Hazelwood
Kids can make collages using construction paper and pictures cut from magazines to tell a story. All sorts of materials are used to make art collages: as the base, just about anything can be used such as the vintage book page shown here. Other good materials are covers of books and cardboard if you're planning for a more natural look. Then literally anything can be added to create the collage: clip art, photos, inside of decorative envelopes, ribbons, buttons, lace, trinkets to name a few.
Photo of art collage of vintage book page printed with a vintage chicken, clip art of power lines and stamped with brown flowers.
Photo Credit: Peggy Hazelwood
Making Picture Collage
Click a small image to enlarge it.
Art collage of floral graphics printed on ephemera with clip art and letters spelling "cheep."
All of these photos by Peggy Hazelwood.
Scrapbook Paper for Making Collages
Scrapbook paper is perfect for making art collages.
Make a Free Collage
Some ideas taken from how I make collages
Making collages is so much fun. You can make a free collage with items around the house. Of course you can go a little crazy and buy some nice scrap book paper, stamps, ink pads, and on and on. This is an addictive craft that is so fun! I use some of my art collages for greeting cards and as wall hangings. You could also make them into invitations or as magnets for the fridge, locker, or filing cabinet to dress up your metal. The list of uses is endless!
The photos below show the progression of making simple art collages.
The photos below show the progression of making simple art collages.
- Gather your mixed media supplies. Examples of good items to use include (but certainly not restricted to) the following: book covers, book pages, ribbon, photos, illustrations from ads or books, old keys, found objects like bottle caps and old game pieces, lace, and so much more.
- You'll also need some basic craft tools: scissors, glue, ink pads, stamps, paint, staples, etc. It really just depends on what you plan to do.
- Choose the background. This can be as simple as using a cereal box, a book cover, a Bingo card, a canvas, etc.
- Choose items to add to the collage, like images, plain paper, found objects, buttons, keys, etc.
- Lay out the collage. Place items the way you want them before gluing or affixing them. If you want, photograph them then you can refer to the photo when you begin laying it out and gluing them for real.
Craft Supplies for Making Collages
Click a small image to enlarge it.
I started with vintage book pages for all of these collages. Then I printed vintage graphics on each page (one or two).
Craft Supplies
To Buy From Amazon
Ephemera (n., plural): paper items
(as posters, broadsides, and tickets)
that were originally meant
to be discarded after use
but have since become collectibles
Source: M-W.com
Photos of Mixed Media -- Altered Art
Click a small image to enlarge it.
Butterfly collage by Gathered Together, Etsy seller. Links provided below.
Collages by Etsy Seller Gathered Together
These links correspond to the photos immediately above.
- Butterfly Collage Vintage Book Paper by GatheredTogether on Etsy
- There are so many species and intricately shaped Butterflies! I had know idea, until I started making this collage. I love the shades of the papers I found. This silhouette collage is made on a canvas board that I layered with many colors of paint and then distressed.
- A Tree Grows Through Our Comfy Home by GatheredTogether on Etsy
- Leaves, Vintage Book, Paper Mache House, Vintage Paper and Illustrations! Yeah...all the things I love. I had so much fun getting back to letting my imagination really be in charge on this piece !
Mixed Media Project Ideas
Use your imagination and make a collage
- claudine hellmuth's blog: retro * whimsical art and illustration
- blog by claudine hellmuth: art and illustrations with a retro * whimsical twist
- my collage art ~ nancy lefko
- I am a stay at home mom and mixed media collage artist living in Southern New Hampshire. I enjoy all things vintage and create collages with a nod to the past.
- Notpaper
- Notpaper is a blog dedicated to showcasing the work of international collage artists. We strive to meet the artists and understand the thoughts behind the process, so interviews with artists are a big part of what we do.
- Collage Art by AnitaNH
- "I am known in real life as Anita Muise. I first began making collage art in December of 2003 after discovering the method described by Jonathan Talbot. The work of Roderick Slater has been inspirational."
- Megan Coyle: Collage Artist
- A Day in the Life of an Artist, BlabberArt: Interviews and Talks, In the Studio: Original Collage Art, The Adventures of Bosty
Collage Frames
Make a photo collage with these collage frames.
Collage Ideas -- Materials for Making Collages
Click a small image to enlarge it.
Vintage book illustration suitable for making collages.
All of these photos by Peggy Hazelwood.
Do you make collages?
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Collage Sheets
- Free Collage Sheets
- I love to make collage sheets for others to use in their art journals, ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), and other artwork. Making collages is fun for the whole family-great activity for homeschooling too.
Television is becoming a collage -
there are so many channels
that you move through them
making a collage yourself.
In that sense, everyone sees
something a bit different.
~ David Hockney
Art Collage Books
Learn more about making collages.
Mixed Media Workshop:
A multifaceted approach to creating unique works of art-step by step
The Cloth Paper Scissors Book:
Techniques and Inspiration for Creating Mixed-Media Art
My Very Favorite Art Book:
I Love to Collage!
New Creative Collage Techniques:
How to Make Original Art Using Paper, Color and Texture
Please let me know you stopped by
to visit Making Collages.
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MiddleSister
Apr 1, 2012 @ 10:08 pm | delete
- I was wondering about the definition of "ephemera."
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bossypants
Apr 1, 2012 @ 11:13 am | delete
- I came to this lens through a link form gottloveit's senior crafts lens. I never expected to find such good tips (although I should have, knowing you!). Taking a picture of your layout is genius. And, using collages as greeting cards -- so clever!
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CNelson01
Jan 17, 2012 @ 11:36 am | delete
- Fun lens...I've never done a cut and paste collage but do digital collages these days...it's all great art with or without paste.
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travelbroad
Oct 19, 2011 @ 1:23 am | delete
- I stopped by and I'm glad I did. The butterfly collage seems to play a trick on me as it looks like the butterflies are moving.Somehow, the words make the butterflies pop.
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beckyf Oct 14, 2011 @ 6:41 pm | delete
- I love to collage, both digital and cut and paste.
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LiteraryMind
Oct 10, 2011 @ 5:32 pm | delete
- Very pretty. Some real nice ideas. Maybe I will start collaging again.
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anilsaini
Oct 10, 2011 @ 3:28 am | delete
- nice lens
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gottaloveit
Oct 7, 2011 @ 3:25 pm | delete
- Rolling this over to my Senior citizen craft lens. We love to make collages (well, we used to...).
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grannysage Oct 7, 2011 @ 2:23 am | delete
- I am a collage fanatic. People hide their magazines when they see me coming with scissors. I started making them in college and have never quit. I find making them to be very healing and therapeutic as well as using them as a vision board. I had a friend who was an art therapist who highly recommended it.
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LisaAuch
Oct 6, 2011 @ 1:57 pm | delete
- I just love making collages! they are such great fun , and you can work with many textures to create a fabulous effect!
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- Load More
Squid Angel Blessings
Thanks so much!!!
Table of Contents
Did you miss any of this information on making collages?
- Making Picture Collage
- Scrapbook Paper for Making Collages
- Make a Free Collage
- Craft Supplies for Making Collages
- Craft Supplies
- Photos of Mixed Media -- Altered Art
- Collages by Etsy Seller Gathered Together
- Collage Books for More Ideas
- Mixed Media Project Ideas
- Collage Frames
- Collage Ideas -- Materials for Making Collages
- Do you make collages?
- Collage Sheets
- Art Collage Books
- If you like this lens, please give it a thumbs up!
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About This Collager
Is that even a word?
This So Crafty page written by
scarlettohairy
I love crafting! Making collages is a free-form craft that any age can make. Gather a few supplies and get busy making collages!
Create something new! Show off your work! Time to get So Crafty!
Connect with So Crafty
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