Creating original collage images...DIY!

 

Create your own collage imagery!

 

 Many of us end up with photos we like but have no real purpose for. Take the one above. I like it, it reflects the sense of community and hierarchy often seen in birds. I like it because I took it and it reminds me of the enjoyment I get from watching birds, even in my own back yard. It has visual and emotion appeal..to me..but it's not an overly great photo!

So what to do with this photo? Do I hit delete and simply accept that I missed the opportunity to get some great pics? Or do I make something of it, just because I like it?

Enter technology!

I cropped it then used an antiquing filter from photo scape.

 I love this photo, as is. I manually focused this photo, it' not quite perfect but it doesn't matter when you do this...

 Coloured pencil filter (photo scape) above

Pencil filter (Picassa) below.

Cropped and colour boosted (photo scape) ...

I've used many of my own photos is collages, I enjoy creating the main image and not using an image that others already have. It makes it more 'mine' and that's something I enjoy. 

These images are now ready to be used in collage work and all it took was a little extra time and faith that there was an image worth saving.

Obviously you will create according to your own style and patience when it comes to using filters.

I've shared a few of mine below.

Best wishes for happy creating and may your nest be blessed,

Lisa

This tutorial has been shared on home talk, Pinterest and Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground

ICE 2014 Collages 1,2,3 and 4!!

Wow, when the artist blocks finally breaks it sure does so with gusto! I have made 4 collages in 4 days! That includes the research and drawing. It's become as natural to me as breathing and I am totally liberated from THE BLOCK!

In my ICE 2014 series I am exploring our relationship with 'pest' animals in NZ.  

Pests are defined as 'A destructive insect or animal that destroys crops, food and livestock' or 'An annoying thing or person.'

My thoughts are still circling on this. It's our own fault that we have pests species. Most are introduced to our country and the damage that results from altering the environment is long lasting. We then seek to contain or destroy them and that action becomes entwined with our culture. 

Welcome along on my latest collage journey...

ICE 2014- THE HUNTED

 

 The Hunted: ICE #1.

Love Hate Relationship

We love their meat so we farm them, we set them free so we could love hunting them and now we hate them for destroying forest floors they had access too in the wild. We grew up with Bambi and Thumper. We loved them. So when did Bambi become prey?

  

The Hunted: ICE #2

"Separate the Men from The Boys"

Back in 'the days' it was a huge part of NZ culture to hunt deer. Out there in the rugged hill country you defined yourself...are you a man or just a boy?

I dislike the notion that you must be able to kill and survive camping in the cold, primitive deer huts in order to prove you manhood. The bigger the trophy you return with the more of a man you are...yeah right!

 The Hunted: ICE # 3

"Just not cute enough"

The possum has made it all the way to number 1 on the list of major pests in NZ. The possum kills not only plants but enjoys a feast on birds eggs. If that wasn't enough to make conservationist hot under the collar they have even been known for pushing our native Kiwi out of the burrows and taking over the residence. Oh and they're scary. They hiss, have beady eyes and the claws on them are those of a predator.

Maybe, like the counter-part the deer they would be more loved were cute enough?

This notion in particular reminds me a lot of society in general, but lets not go there...

 The possum...a bit raccoon like, a bit red panda but not enough of either to be 'cute enough.'

 The Hunted: ICE #4

"Run Rabbit Run"

Most people of my generation who grew up Kiwi will know the song " Oma Rapeti" which translates to "Run Rabbit." If I recall correctly the song is a warning to the rabbit because the farmer has his gun. The rabbit, like the deer are both loved and hated. Despite the fact they are a pest we still celebrate them at Easter and immerse the cute ones into our culture. They destroy vegetation to the point where land erodes but for most of us all it seems to take as one look at there sweet bunny noses and tails and we love them all over again...

May your nest be blessed!

Lisa

A new collage!! Artist block BROKEN!

This is the first collage I have created in around 2 years. I am pretty excited about that!

Finally that nasty artist block has been broken!!

 How did I do that?

I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Sorry I can't give any information more useful than that for others who are experiencing the same thing. I had to wait it out and work on other aspects of my life. Apparently there's been a lot to work on!

Not only does it feel FANTASTIC to create art again it's also a great sign about where I am at now and it's so encouraging to me to actually feel like I am winning in the battle with the black dog. Whoop!!

 Here's a close up of her. I made marks on paper in pencil then collage together the neck of the deer. It was the first time I have tried that technique and although I like the look I didn't enjoy working with the fiddly bits of tiny paper! I drew the head as one piece.

 Below: A sneak preview of the next collage, this one is intended for ICE 2014. I am not sure about the other collage.

 Of course, I have something to say in this one!

I struggle with drawing, I always have and it's very rear for me to include an image of something I drew in an artwork. I am so pleased with this deer I drew that I did 4 of them, all different but in the same pose. I find the grid helps immensely, not just for enlarging but also for seeing. I need to isolate a small part and stick to only what I can see in the square with no concern about any other part of the image. If it's not in the square it doesn't matter!

May your nest be blessed!

Lisa

Graffiti Exhibition.

Remember these book covers? I mentioned a while ago that I was going to use them as collage boards.

This book covers and I have been on quite a journey. Having a project has been so good for helping me to over come my depression. I missed the deadline for the international signature exchange due to it and the fact that I had made graffiti collage signatures that now had no purpose became depressing too!

But I got over it! One day I picked up a craft knife and cut those signatures to pieces. There was no turning back after that!  I cut out interesting pieces of the collages and re-assembled them into new collages. Instead of graffiti pages they became graffiti boards instead. I thought the boards would be my contribution to the 2012 International Collage Exchange....but guess what?

"D" was still my companion and I missed the deadline for that too! I made 6 boards in one almost manic session and couldn't bring myself to make the other 7 I needed in time. I hit the deadline with only 8 done. Depressing!

All was not lost. Just recently I had an unexpected opportunity to do my first ever solo exhibition at short notice. Lucky for me I knew just what to submit! My exhibition will be on the virtual tart website through out May. Please drop by and check it out! I am pretty excited about my accidental opportunity.

Is it just me or do these boards look wonderful just like this?

One of the original signatures, sorry for the shoddy photo. If I still had the collage I would re-photograph it but it was cut up with all the others. I really recommend cutting up homeless works, it's so much better than having them collect dust and reminding you that you failed to meet a deadline...it's a bit like having the last word, there's something satisfying about that!

Map pieces for me represent the community. Recycled papers, walnut dye, thread, indian ink...

Below: One of my collages for the exhibition. It has the remnants of multiple collages with some addition details. This is a particular favorite of mine because it has the look and feel of weather collage. The image is not really of anything but I really like it.

It's titled "Side Street." All of the collages are named after places you typically find graffiti. 

The text says:

I looked for signs and wonders

I have desired fame, riches

In strange webs of fortune caught

Thirsting to be more than mortal

I was even less than clay

If you have an interest in graffiti or guerrilla type art watch this space. A new collaborative project is in the pipelines. It's a little bit DisCo, a little bit Erosion Bundle Project and a little bit like graffiti...

Unify.We.Us.One

Remember the arthouse photo reponse project I signed up for a month ago?

The collage above it my reponse to the photo I selected. I'm loving this evolving graffiti style that's emerging in my work lately!

The decider for me (I was originally considering a photo of doors) was the ripple lines.

As you can see I played with the orignal image below.

From there my thinking progressed to the ripple effect, time and tides, movement, moon light, navigation, migration...and eventually I settled on unity.

The water connects the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Regardless of demographics water connects us all. Maybe this tide, that is now mine was once yours? Maybe it will carry a piece of me back to you? Will the waves that lap at my feet be the off spring of the waves that your sun sets apon?

We are warmed by the same sun, centered by the same source of gravitiy and our nights are lit by the same moon. Water is the only thing we can actually touch, it is mine, it is yours, it is ours.

Unify.We.Us.One

Avacado dye and a sneak PULP peek!

I am excited to get my Labyrinth book back even though it was bitter sweet! It's not quite over for us Girla's but I am already looking forward to the day when the  chance to collaborate like this again comes my way! One of the things that bothered me most about my book wasn't that it might get lost in the post, it was actually the quality of my own work. Or, the poor quality! I don't think anyone else felt this way about it but it didn't take long before I did. When I sent my book off it was the best I had to offer. I was pleased with it. That said, I grew so much and so quickly from the exchange. Very quickly I knew I could do better than what I'd sent so I couldn't wait to re-do some of my own work. Above is a peek of a nights work. Here is what I made disappear. I am happy now.

These are the MOST AMAZING shades of grey I've ever seen. True story! The reason they excite me so much is because I made this dye from good ol' avos. Yes, avacados!

I didn't even know you could make avacado dye until I came across it on another blog and as luck would have it I had 2 avo's in the kitchen and no-one to eat them.

This was the darkest shade of grey I could achieve before my paper developed serious tension issues. I had to dye both side of the paper in the end, iron it and then flatten under books! Isn't it beautiful though?

If these look a little familiar to you it's because I've played with similar patterns before. They were indian ink and home made walnut dye. This time both my colours are home made dyes so for me that's a double happy! Amiria featured my background papers on her blog a while ago now. Check out the great selection of styles and  artist's here.

These ones really appeal to the wanna be graffiti artist in me! Some of them have a touch of walnut dye as well. With the last of my dye (2 avacados gave me enough to play with) I threw in some wet fabric scraps just to see what would happen. I like what happened!

Strangley enough, when I made this dye I expected to get pink not grey. As usualy I through bits of different methods together to make do with I had. It's ok though, I don't actually like pink!

Anatomically Inspired Grafitti

I am so excited to be back in my art zone! I have been wanting to do another lino cut for a long time now but couldn't settle on an image to carve. I thought a lino cut could lend itself quite well to my graffiti pages for the International Signature Exchange and for want of a better search term I googled "lino cut grafitti' or something to that effect. Look what I found! The whole website is fantastically inspiring for a graffiti 'wannabe' such as myself! Full of inspiration I seized the moment and spent several hours drawing, carving, printing and collaging. In the end I only stopped because my shoulder blades were insisting! (Standing hunched over a bench isn't as easy as it used to be! lol)  Below is the result of my efforts...an anatomically incorrect inspired linocut heart-nest!

I realised after printing several of these that my heart is not anatomically correct. The valves are back to front! I was going to re cut it and but had a little laugh at myself when I realised that I was worrying about making a heart with a nest in the middle anatomically correct! The existence of the nest made it incorrect  and the rest I am putting down to artistic license:)

This is signature two for the swap. I am enjoying adding collage elements to my grafitti inspired papers. Below is the inside of page two, which will have a blank double-sided page in the middle making these pages 1,2,7 and 8.

Above, my sketches, not included in my signature!

Below, signature one for those who missed it.

Below, a segment of the inside of this spread and the back of the signature, heart-nest added!

Sneaky peaks of the signatures I've collaged but not yet stitched. Anatomically correct or not, I love this heart-nest! 

PSSST> Watch this space to see my contribution to Seth Apter's Style File, coming soon!