Collage - Mixed Media

A Collage is an artistic creation made by assembling different parts (or media) into a new whole. Kind of the salad of the art world.

Use what you've got

One of the wonderful things about making a collage is the lack of rules or forms to follow. Chances are, you've got a ton of stuff available with which to build new expressions.

Stickers, newspaper clippings, old photos, drawings you've made, letters and notes, product labels, and on and on... There is a virtually limitless supply of stuff, with different colours and textures, meanings and connotations, and it's all fair game.

Just look around your house (with an open mind) and you'll be amazed at the treasure trove of creative media you've got to work with.

Use what you find

Many wonderful things can be had for free, simply by keeping your eyes open. As the old saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Sometimes, an object's beauty and relevance is not evident until it is combined in a creative way with some other object or background to provide new context.

Junk yards, yard sales, flyers and signs, objects found lying on the street, trinkets from thrift stores, you name it. Some of the most powerful artistic expression can come from so-called normal, everyday objects. (I mean, look at Worhol, right?)

Tools of the trade

The right tool for the job is the one that best gets the job accomplished. Collages are no exception to this rule, and luckily we have plenty of good tools to express ourselves with.

Adhesives - There are a number of different adhesives out there, some stick some things together better, and others are more suited for other materials. When choosing an adhesive, you'll want to consider a few things, such as the meterials being glued, the way the objects are being attached, the humidity and temperature where the resulting piece is likely to be stored, etc.

Cutting devices - Pretty self explanatory. Some times you'll need to cut a piece loose or trim it so it fits into your collage. Again, different tools are better suited to different types of cutting.

Digital compositing - Digital tools have recently exploded in power, and now offer several useful methods of combining media. In fact, some collages can be strictly digital (e.g. combining multimedia sources into one collective presentation). Conversely, the computer can be used to synthesize a part which will then be included in the collage (e.g. combining images, or doing image processing, then taking the output (printed image) and using that in your project).

Media playback devices - Actual playback devices can be included in a collage project to provide dynamic or interactive qualities (e.g. embedding an lcd screen into your collage, so as to provide a video loop, thereby making part of your collage animated).

Sky's the limit

The Collage medium provides a break out from the bounds of traditional media forms by combining them into new items.

Mixed media can allow you to present your ideas and emotions on a variety of levels, or can simply provide a new take on more traditional presentations.

New textures, new formats, new channels for expression.