MAY CHALLENGE: Let's Do Collage

[KreativeK]

Several have asked if we could explore watermedia on collaged paper adhered to hot press watercolor sheets, so here is my own list and how-to info You can see a recent forum thread HERE and HERE.

½ sheet (15x22) hot press watercolor paper any brand
Gouache paint any brand (or add white to watercolor)
Watercolor and/or acrylic paint any brand
Usual brushes, bowls for water, paper towels or old washrags
Oil pastels, Caran D’Ache water-soluble pastels, or colored pencils, inks (optional-used for accents)
Derivan Matisse Background acrylic jar paint (available from Jerry’s Artarama)
Matte medium – I use Liquitex (don't use gesso!)
Jar for ½ water, ½ matte medium mixture
Large telephone book yellow and white pages
Masking 1” tape, good quality
Craft synthetic brush 1.5” or sponge applicator type house painting brush
Large flat palette knife
Patterned collage paper such as gift wrap, not too shiny or thick
Coates brand charcoal vine sticks, very thin, for line drawing onto dry prepared paper
Photo reference to draw

INSTRUCTIONS
Use 4 phone book pages/half sheet HP paper. Coat one section on paper using water/matte medium mixture, lay page down, doing each one at a time, pressing down with hands and fingers. DO NOT COAT THE TOP OF PHONE BOOK PAGES. Quickly lay 1” masking tape lengthwise, pressing hard with palette knife. Wait 10 minutes only, then you’ll pull each tape strip off along with the pages. Some will readily remove and some will stick. If edges curl, remove them until all is fairly flat. Set aside to thoroughly dry. Don't recoat!
When dry, draw your large shaped subject matter on the paper with charcoal. It does not have to be a figure. You may use any subject. There are no mistakes with this fun art method. Liz Hill likes to draw pigeons, etc., so do check out her website/blog for inspiration or mine for step by steps.

I will post photos of the above instructions here so anyone can easily see the fun that is about to begin. Enjoy!!! Any questions, PM me or ask here.

[KreativeK]

First lay out your supplies: Hot press 140 lb wc paper, 1" masking tape, matte medium (1/2 mixed with water in a jar), and 4 large phone book pages, large flat palette knife and timer. Adhere one page at a time by covering one area brushed on with your matte medium/water mixture. I use 1.5" flat craft brush.



Next step is how the paper looks when you remove long strips of tape.



Final step with all loose edges pulled off. Be sure to dry totally before charcoal sketching with thin vine sticks (I use Coates).



Okay, you are ready to now sketch something onto the prepared paper collage. I usually add other collaged paper at the end, then cover background with Matisse Derivan acrylic ground paint (a gesso-type solution).

[gakinme]

Kay, thank you for the instructions. I look forward to seeing your WIP.

I don't have a phone book around here so I used newspapers and improvised along the way.




This was done on Stillman & Birn 100 lb spiral 9x12 inch sketchbook on the back of a monster piece that is acrylics.


First layer - gel medium

Second layer - collage

Third layer - gel medium

Fourth layer - pencil sketch the girl and then Holbein Jaune Brilliant watercolor with Daniel Smith pink color watercolor for the body. Holbein gold gouache for hair.


Fifth layer - Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay India ink splats and then sprayed with a water bottle here and there





Sixth layer - Michael's cheap powdery watercolor palette

Seventh layer - detailed with Neocolor II and wash here and there


Finally, more cheap watercolor and more India ink here and there to darken the piece.


At one point, I was tempted to get my Pentel Calligraphy pocket brush to do outline of the girl but I resisted. I don't want it to be manga like.

I'm quite pleased with it despite the bubbly surface which I don't know how to get rid of at the wet stage and when it dried, it really stiffened. Can't use colored pencils as a result or it would tear.





Really my first serious collage.

[KreativeK]

Wow Sandra, this is really cool! The newspaper really adds a lot of intrigue that I like a lot. Your figure is nicely done, too. Well rendered for your very first collage! Now you have the addiction

Yesterday I drew mine based on a figure featured in a women's wear sale catalog quite a few years old that now looks nothing like the model, drew in charcoal over the phone book pages, then applied Turner's gouache to her skin, hair, hat, shoe, blue jeans. For the big shirt, I used old gift wrap collage using matte medium and another floral wrap for the tulip she's holding. Still another gift wrap was used for the tank top. Grass is gouache with watersoluble oil pastels, and the OPs are at random thru out the composition. Her straw hat pattern is gouache using a coffee cup paper doily (painted the holes a darker raw sienna). Background is Matisse Derivan Off White that is more like a creamy yellow. I did forget to take photos of the steps; title is Meadowland, 15x22, watermedia collage.

[gakinme]

Kay, yours is very pretty. It does look like a wholesome model from some years back. Very nice background to set it off.

Question: So the bubbly stuff that I have, I should have just pulled it off to make blotches and then paint over it somehow rather than having it jutting up and down.

Also, the masking tape you use. It's the normal high adhesive stuff that could pull paper off and not the expensive watercolor tape that is easy on the paper, right?

Do you need to put an extra layer of medium gel on the top to glue it down or just the first layer of medium and stick the paper on and that's considered done?

[KreativeK]

Thanks Sandra!
Yes, pull off any paper that is sticking up, don't reapply your matte medium/water concoction or whatever you used to adhere it. Yes, use the good quality 1" masking tape, not watercolor tape, just the household type tape. I bought a cheapie from the dollar store and it would not adhere to anything! Really a waste of money and had to trash it. NO do not put another layer of anything on top of what you paint or collage on there.

[gakinme]

Kay, thanks. What's the difference of putting in Elmer's glue compared to gel medium? Will water reactivate the Elmer's glue?

Actually, I'm thinking of using cooked starch as glue so I could roll it flat.

[gakinme]

Today, I used wheat starch to glue the phone book pages to my sketchbooks to do collages.

I microwaved the wheat starch with a bit of water for 1.20 min. Too long. It should be around 1 min or make it into the consistency of clam chowder.

Anyway, I used all of it.

Stillman & Birn Alpha 100 spiral bound lb 9x12 inch

First layer - wheat starch and glue the phone page down.
It curled so hard because it's very strong stuff for mounting Chinese painting.

Second layer - Liquitex acrylic gesso and Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay India ink - golden yellow.

Third layer - at a loss. Not sure what to draw. Did a few Japanese figures from a book. Not very successful.




Then I tried a second piece on Michael's 90 lb watercolor paper 9x12 inch. It curled even more because it's so lightweight. I wetted the back and paint it quickly with Poster paint - gold!!!

Then Michael's cheap watercolor and Yarka student watercolor with some Neocolor II for detailing.

Monet's reference.

Now it's sunset scene!



Finally, my favorite piece of the day. Some cardboard from the bottom of a box. 10.5 x 16 inch

First layer - wheat starch and newspaper clippings
Second layer - Michael's watercolor palette and Yarka student watercolor



Third layer - the sun was setting and I had to do this before daylight is gone so I could photograph it. Used Portfolio watersoluable oil pastel instead of watercolor or gouache and then Chinese ink. Incidentally, my previous attempt on another cardboard of 2x3 ft is a soft pastel piece and it's still hanging on the wall because I like it so much. Cardboard painting gives you such freedom to experiment in larger scale that often gives me superb inspiration.

[KreativeK]

These are all so entertaining and fun; you do figures very well! I don't know about Elmer's glue or if it is even archival.

[gakinme]

Thank you, Kay. I had a lot of fun trying collages.

[KreativeK]

You're welcome Sandra. I hope some more will join in the challenge. Would you like for me to mail you some phone book pages? The paper is thinner than with newsprint.

[gakinme]

Kay, it's alright. I found a discarded phone book this weekend in the garage. I hope more people would try this experiment. It's fun.

[robertsloan2]

Kay, yours came out very cool. I'm impressed.

Sandra, yours are interesting. So much variety to them. My top favorite is the first though, those seductive courtesans have me fascinated. That one is finite perfection. There's no way to improve on it. They're so beautiful and so sensual. Your favorite is dramatic and would make a cool illustration for a thriller. I'm sure it's personal taste though, that has me going back again and again to those gorgeous courtesans.