I am forming a new website for folks wanting to get started on collage. I am not yet ready to launch it yet. I am building content pages right now and will be doing that for the next few months. It is a big job and I have only a little free time. But, step by step, overtime I will get it done!
One of the features on the website will be craft tutorials. I will be making the projects for the website as I go and plan to first post them here. That way I can get some feedback and alter my plans as necessary.
Here is the first 'How to' I have prepared:
SUPPLIES:
Gesso
Paint brush
Water soluble oil pastels
Lead pencil
Water color pencils
Scraps of scrapbook paper, left over bits of paper from other projects, painted papers, fabric scraps, newspaper scraps
glue
ruler & craft knife
scissors
Staz On ink - Royal Purple & Pumpkin
Stamps by Jenny Doh I have 'authentic party' and 'smitten for hope'
Folded card
STEP 1
Get out your supplies. Choose your color scheme.
STEP 2
Trim a piece of paper to the size you need your image to be (mine is 5 1/4 x 3 3/4) to fit neatly on my 6 x 5 1/2 folded card)
STEP 3
Rummage through your scrap papers and choose pieces that fit with your color scheme. Move them about until you it on a composition you like.
STEP 4
Glue these pieces down.
STEP 5
Turn over and trim the excess paper.
STEP 6
To unify the background paint a layer of watered down gesso over the whole background.
STEP 7
Mount the unmounted stamps on an acrylic block and stamp images on the background.
STEP 8
Now to make the dress: Stamps the dress image onto a piece of newspaper. Trim the dress.
STEP 9
Color the dress with water color pencils and then paint with a layer of gesso.
STEP 10
Glue the dress onto a piece of patterned or scrapbook paper. Trim.
STEP 11
Glue the dress onto the background.
Add finishing details: Stamp with word stamps. Use color pencils to add details to the stamped images, color the folds of the dress with lead pencil and blend, add more gesso if needed.
STEP 12
Stamp a design on the bottom of the dress, color the edges of the card with pastels and blend with your finger, layer the background onto newsprint and tear it out.
Glue the final panel onto the folded card.
And FINISHED!
I would love your feedback on this.
Questions - are the steps complete? are the directions understandable? if you are a beginner, does this seem like something you could do? if you are a seasoned collage artist, do the steps ring true to you?
I feel like the instructions were clear. As a beginner, I believe I could do this. Thanks so much for the step-by-step.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. With Christmas coming it is so nice to have some idea's for a very special Card.
ReplyDeleteDeirdra sent me your link and this is a great tutorial and wonderful blog. THanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave a great and creative weekend.
Cheers
This is great info......I want to get busy making something like that, this really helps cause I'm soooooo visual.
ReplyDeleteThanks, thanks, thanks.
I love this! It also works as a prompt for someone "stuck", like little lessons to go.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI am a beginner so my comments may be elementary. I think the steps are clear and easy to follow. It would be more helpful if you explain why you use certain material, ie newspaper (step 8). Is it preference or just what you have available or does the newspaper serve a specific suppose? What is gesso and what does it do? Is there substitute you can use instead?
ReplyDeleteI am intimidate by the coloring/drawing part. I guess that could be optional? It seems that some of the steps here are for certain effects (feel) you created, maybe you would label as such? It would be helpful if you could give an estimated time to complete. Also, maybe you can design different levels: easy (basic steps), intermediate (more details), advance (more sophisticated steps). Just a thought.
I would love to try this out, maybe when I am finished with my photo book for Christmas...
Thanks everyone for taking the time to leave a comment :)
ReplyDeleteJoyce, I like that prompt idea, that is where I am. I will watch tutorial videos of pretty much of any kind of crafting, even if it is something I have done, just to feel inspired. (video tutorials are planned for January... they are harder to do than I thought!).
May, those are awesome thoughts, I really need that feedback. I often assume that these things are obvious, but at one point they weren't obvious to me either... good to be reminded of that.
On my website I will explain so much more (like what is gesso, how to compose and choose colors etc) and links to those explanations from the tutorial. Your comments make me more excited to get the website up and going!
Thanks again all for taking the time to say hello :)
Shona, this was wonderful. You made it easy to understand and the finished product is gorgeous. I make a lot of cards but have never used my collage love to make them more detailed. You've inspired me and I look forward to your new project set up when you get there.
ReplyDeleteNew babies take up most of the "free" time and home schooling children fills more..I admire how you keep your interests going. You set a wonderful example for every woman!
Awesome work, Shona. I actually came to make a comment somewhat in line with May's. Having done much cardmaking and scrapbooking, I am not intimidated by the use of standard materials like cardstock, paper, even watercolors, etc. On the other hand, my knowledge of more uncommon artist products, like gesso, is very limited. I actually bought a bottle a few weeks ago thinking "maybe one day I'll need this and maybe I'll figure out what to do with it"! All that being said, I'm delighted to hear that you'll be expanding your tutorials to educate us novices a bit about these types of products and their uses.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Thanks for the tutorial! And I LOVE how short and to the point it is written. I hate reading mounds of text. I think you did an amazing job with the tutorial and I love the card. This is inspiring as I'm researching to do a wedding soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tutorial. It made me more comfortable to play with the gesso. I like some of my result. One problem was that some of the scraps I used were thicker paper. Also wasn't sure whether you covered the whole paper with scraps. I did not like the uneveness of the background. Would love to see a tutorial on using gesso.
ReplyDeleteThank you!