collage process book

8/10/2019 Collage Process Book

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A N O V E R V I E W T O T H E C R E A T I V E P R O C E S S

ElizabethSt. Hilaire Nelson

Collage with Hand-Painted Paper


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What sets the collage work of ElizabethSt. Hilaire Nelson apart is her use of unique,one-of-a-kind, papers. Her signature collagestyle utilizes papers colored by hand,in every hue and texture needed for acomplete paper palette.

Only professional artists colors are used forthe under-painting and paper painting,Golden brand uid acrylics are fade resistantand archival. Finished collages are coated withultra violet light stabilizing varnish for a nalprotective layer that eliminates the need for glass.

View a full portfolio of the artists work atPaperPaintings.com

Contact the artist via email [email protected]

For workshop information andwork in progress, view the blog atElizabethStHilaireNelson.blogspot.com

Follow her Facebook studio page atFaceBook.com/PaperPaintingsCollageArtwork

Finally, follow her musing as an Elite Blogger athttp://paperpaintings.growingbolder.com

All photos 2014 Doug Nelson Photography

2014 Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. All rights reserved.ISBN 978-1-304-80272-9

Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson earned a BachelorsDegree in Fine Art and graduated with honorsfrom Syracuse University in New York.

She currently lives outside Orlando, FL with herhusband Doug, her two teenage children andvery small dogs.


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Thank YouI must extend heartfelt thanks to my

biggest fan and supporter, my husbandDoug. He spent hours filming and editingmy DVD only to be followed by hours oftaking most of the photographs for this book.He professionally photographs all of myartwork, cuts wood for me, watches the kidswhen I attend art openings, solves storageproblems in my studio, and wakes up mostmornings to my side of the bed empty, as Ivealready headed out to my studio and s tartedmy day making Paper Paintings.

I love you, Elizabeth

Left: 7 Koi (detail) 20x20 / collage on panel St. Hilaire Nelson


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M My technique has evolved and changed as aresult of experimentation with hand-painted,hand-made, and textured/ patterned papers.Layering and weaving, pushing and pullingthe colors, patterns, and values makes thecollage process like a dance. Undulating,alternating, and overlapping, until the rhythmcreates something I love.

In my work I highlight the extraordinarywithin the ordinary, focusing on intense andvibrant colors combined with a sensibility ofdesign. My collages invite the viewer to look,and having looked, to linger.

Doug Nelson Photography

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St. Hilaire Nelson earneda Bachelors Degree in Fine

Art and graduated with honors from Syracuse University inNew York.

She currently lives outsideOrlando, FL with her husbandDoug, her children Emilie andConnor, and two small dogsSam and Bella.


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Backyard studio as featured in Cloth Paper ScissorsMagazine STUDIOS Spring Issue, 2010Doug Nelson Photography


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Left: Un Petit Coq #1 24x20 / collage on panel St. Hilaire Nelson

THE SKETCH ON BIRCH PANEL THE UNDER-PAINTING THE FINISHED COLLAGE

What is a

Paper Painting? A figurative, painterly collage is created by adheringhand-painted, hand-made, and found papers over anacrylic under painting on wood panel.

The overall impressionistic feeling of the work isachieved by treating every bit of torn (not cut) paperlike an brush stroke, keeping details loose, and usinga variety of texture and shades of paper in everycolor field.

Creating your own papers for collage offers a custom paper palette with every shade of every color thatappeals to you, offering variety and inspiration.

Utilizing the same techniques that apply to paintingwith acrylic or oil, the success of the work dependson a firm understanding of shadinglight, dark, andmedium values coupled with brush strokes thatfollow the form.

Often times, the viewer will be totally surprised thatthis artwork is not a painting, but rather a mixedmedia collage. Even up close, people will still ask,

You mean its not a painting?

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Why Paint Your OwnCollage Papers?In the beginning, I used art store purchased papers in mycollage work. I found the most richly colored, textured,patterned papers in the art store and I collected andcoveted them on every trip I took. On a trip to New YorkCity I must have spent over $100 on sheets of luxuriouslycolored papers at the store Kates Paper.

What happened next was sad, but true. Most art storepapers fade! These papers are possibly colored with dye andnot pure pigment (the color that is the base of all fine artpaints and pastels). Dye fades over time, depending on itsexposure to sunlight. It will break your heart to see a collagefading right in front of you, little by little, as the years go by.

At first you might not even notice it, until you look back ata photo of the work on a note card or on your website, and

all of a sudden you realize that your original just does notlook as vibrant as it used to.

To combat this dilemma, I started painting my ownpapers. I use Golden Artist Colors Fluid Acrylic paints,they are lightfast (resistant to fading) professional paints.Painting my own papers offered me a whole new world ofpossibilities of color, a perfect paper palette.

Fluid Acrylic paints are lightfast and permanent, an excellent choice for painting your own collage papers. You can water them down extensively and they keepthe same level of vibrancy, making them excellent for dripping and splattering.

Some samples of my natural toned artstore papers that I like to paint forcollage, fibers and lace cut patterns.

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Papers for PaintingThese acid-free Oriental papers are strongand absorbent. They are made in thecenturies-old Japanese tradition. Theyare white and natural tones which makean excellent base for creating your ownbrilliantly colored collage papers. All areavailable at DickBlick.com

Hosho Hosho is a traditional kozo(mulberry fiber) paper that doesnt shrink ortear easily, making it ideal for woodblock orline printing. Hosho paper is sized.

Kozo Kozo rice paper is highly absorbent,making it ideal for calligraphy and watercolorpainting. Kozo paper is not sized.

Unryu Unryu rice paper has been used forcenturies in Japan for creating Shoji screensand is extremely strong, thanks to molded-infibers. Its excellent for calligraphy, sumi-e,watercolors. Unryu paper is not sized.

Ricer Paper Sheets Hanshi Japaneserice paper for brush writing or calligraphyis mouldmade in the centuries-old Japanesetradition makes excellent base for fluidacrylics, available in sheets if you prefer,versus a roll.

Assorted Japanese Sheets You maypurchase a 10-sheet assortment of fine

Japanese papers from DickBlick.com. Thisassortment includes two full sheets of Chiri(sized), Okawara (sized), Unryu (not sized),Kitakata (sized), and Mulberry (not sized).

A nice way to experiment and find whichpapers work best for you.

Thai Unryu Long, swirling strands ofkozo provide contrast and texture in thesetraditional style unryu papers. Lightweightand translucent, choose from a range ofnatural tones, perfect for painting your owncolors, textures, and patterns.

Rice paper comes on a roll inHosho, Kozo and Unryu

Yasutomo Ricer Paper Sheets

10-sheet assortment of fine Japanese papers

Thai Unryu offerswonderful fibers which

tear very fluffyedges

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Preferred Products As I have mentioned, I prefer to use GoldenFluid Acrylic colors to paint my collage papers.These paints are lightfast, durable, and flexible.They are wonderfully versatile, professionalquality acrylic colors with the consistency ofheavy cream.

Highly pigmented, their excellent tintingstrength produces strong color even whenmixed with acrylic medium or when thinnedwith water for staining effects on book pages,and memorabilia where you want to tint but notobscure the type or pattern.

Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS (Ultra Violet Light Stabilizers) is a waterborne acrylicpolymer varnish that dries to a protective,flexible, dust-resistant surface. I use this

product as my final sealant over collage.NOTE: Polymer Varnishes must be thinnedbefore use. They have been formulated thickerthan traditional varnishes, to maintain an evensuspension of matting agents. This ensures moreconsistency in surface reflectance.

Varnishes are available in a highly reflectiveGloss, and an exceptionally flat Matte. Thematte varnish will lighten dark value colors.

Liquitex Gloss Gel Medium is a high viscositymedium, it dries to a crystal clear gloss finishand makes an excel lent collage glue. Translucentwhen wet, it is transparent to translucentwhen dry depending on the thickness of theapplication.

Clear Primers for Wood Panels:GAC 100 Universal Acrylic Polymer is theproduct I use to seal my wood panels andprevent support induced discoloration. Itoffers a slick surface for the under painting,

preventing the paint from being absorbed intothe wood. I prefer a clear surface preparationbecause it gives me the opportunity to leavesome of the wood striation and grain of thepanel showing through.

Liquitex Clear Gesso makes an excellent high-tooth, stable surface for your under painting.It dries clear to translucent, depending onthickness. Flexible and non-yellowing when dry.

I use Liquitex Gloss Gel Mediumas my collage glue, its thick

and stays in place while I workupright at the easel.

I prefer GoldenUVLS varnish ina satin sheen, youmay like gloss ormatte, its a personal

preference. This isthe final protectioncoating of thecollage which allowsit to be framed

without glass.

For glue application as well asunder painting, I prefer synthetic

filbert brushes, my favor iteis the #8.

Fluid Acrylics available in 16, 8, and4 oz. sizes. I suggest you test colors inthe 4 oz. size and buy your favorites inthe 8 or 16 oz. size for better value.

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Doug Nelson Photography


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Techniques forPainting PapersEvery couple of months I pull out the paints,a large sheet of plexiglass, paint brushes, and Imake myself a batch of custom colored collagepapers. My friend and fellow collage artist Jo

suggested that I try fluid acrylics, since theyretain their intensity when watered down. I saidto her, Jo, are they REALLY better? Becausethey are REALLY expensive. Well she saidYES and I took her advice, guess what?They are REALLY GREAT!

You can dilute fluid acrylics, spatter, splash,blot into them, and they stay very intense intheir color. Its usually quite warm in Florida,with a mild breeze, this is perfect weather forletting the papers dry on the grass outsidethe studio, if need be you can also let thepapers dry indoors on plastic trash bags.

There is a table in my studio covered with alarge sheet of plexiglass for monoprinting. Ilearned the hard way that if you let the paperdry directly on the plexi, it sticks. Transferingthe painted papers to trash bags allows themto be easily peeled off when dry. This processcan also create some interesting effects from thecrinkle pattern of the bag.

Beyond just tinting collage papers with fluidacrylics, I have developed some interestingtechniques. To achieve texture and variety ofcolors, I spatter, dry brush, and monoprint.

I start with Japanese Washi paper (white ricepaper, very absorbent) and natural tone artstore papers. The art store paper offers texturesand a variety of thickness. I also often buyart papers with some printing on them (andor glitter in them) that will show through the

fluid acrylic applicationthis offers nice effect.I also paint my kids old workbook pages, aswell as old book pages from used book stores,maps, old check registers, addressed envelopes,anything I can imagine would make goodcollage material.

The sheets of paper above are an example of theblotting technique. This is white Washi paperpurchased on a roll. I tear off a sheet and keep

it on hand to blot the excess drips and globsof paint from the plexiglass between paintingother sheets! Let nothing go to waste. I canalso enhance the blotting feeling of this paperby spattering some paint directly on to theplexiglass and then blotting the Washi into it.Not only does this technique clean your worksurface by absorbing all the leftover paint, italso makes for some wonderful collage paperwhen you get the color combinations right!

In the Florida climate, I am lucky tobe able to paint my papers and bringthem outside the studio to dry in the

sun. I rest them on the grass andlater pick them up and sort them

according to color family.

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MonoprintingFor a monoprint, I create a pattern with thebrush and fluid or full-body acrylics, painteddirectly onto the plexiglass surface. Then,I press the paper into the paint and pull aprint. This process is very good for showing

brush texture and interesting patterns. You can monoprint first on white paper, letthat dry, and paint over it with watered downfluid acrylic so that the monoprint showsthrough.

Alternately, you can paint the paper a solidshade first, let it dry, and then monoprint acomplimentary color in heavy body or fluidacrylic.

Experimentation is the name of the game.

Using colors that sit next to each otheron the color wheel, or analogous colors,look pleasing together because they areclosely related. Orange, yellow-orange,and yellow are an example of analogouscolors. Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh is anexample of a painting that utilizes this typeof color palette.

Painting directly onto the plexiglassand pressing the paper into the paint

once, is very successful for thin papers that cannot take overworking

with the paint brush

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Making the Most of Art Store Papers

I gave up using colored art store papers due to

lightfast or fading issues. Now I only buy white ornatural papers and paint them with artists fluid orfull-bodied acrylics.

I do like to utilize the printed patterns that oftencome on art store papers. The papers shown withgold printing and iridescent patterning on them werepurchased on a trip to Binders Art Supply in Atlanta.

Whats fun about painting these types of papers isthat the pattern resists the fluid acrylic (not so muchthe full-bodied unless its very diluted) paint, andyou still have the printed pattern PLUS the benefit ofyour own custom painted color palette.

The gold patterned paper (opposite page) started outbrown, I painted some brown, some red, some blueand some purple. I stayed with dark colors becausethe paper started out dark. The iridescent paperstarted out white, so it was a wonderful startingpoint for any color I wanted! This paper was thin, soI used sheet music underneath it to catch the extrapaint, and the end result was a bonus!

I purchased these art store papers in person, you

can also buy similar types of papers, if not the sameones, from DickBlick.com, I like Blick because theytake PayPal.

Top: White paper with silver swirls pr inted on it servesas a great start to create custom colored versions.Bottom: White patterning on white paper takes paint indifferent ways.

Hint: Take your oversized ar t store sheet and divide it

into 4, or even 8 pieces, paint each one a different color.Collage utilizes a var iety of bits and pieces of paper, onesheet goes a long way.

Below: Art store papers come with some wonderful printed patterns that you can take advantage of by painting over with diluted fluid acrylics which will allowthe patterning to show through. Be sure to paint darkcolors over dark papers.

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Hand Made Paper Often times people ask me if I make my own paperfor collage. With all the WORK involved, I cant evenimagine! I have an artist friend in a neighborningtown who makes 100% cotton hand made paper inevery color of the rainbow (photo left).

I use many of Judys papers in my collage work.Over the years weve become good friends andcollaborating artists. Judy and I shared a showtogether at Steinway Piano Galleries in Orlando, ourwork goes hand in hand and shows well together.

Hand made paper is an artistic process all of its own! When I use these papers in my collages, I knowthey are extra special and luxurious. I make surethese papers are in a prominent place in my work,knowing what care and labor went into makingthem!

Interested in purchasing some of these wonderful papers,or learning how to make your own in a workshop?Contact Judy via email: [email protected]

Pressing out excess liquid from a sheet of hand made paper on top of a screen.

Pulling the sheet from the vat of slurry

Freckles (detail) hand made paper really captures the textureof the cows nose.

St. Hilaire Nelson

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Work SpaceMy studio was built on an existing slab in ourbackyard where a long-gone shed once stood. Theslab sat there looking lonely and without purposefor many years.

My studio is just outside the back door from mykitchen and down a cobblestone path. I can runout there and put a coat of varnish on a collagebetween loads of laundry, designing a magazinelayout, and making dinner. I would never be ableto be as productive without my studio space; I canmake a mess and leave it, closing the door behindme. Its the most efficient use of time and space.Oftentimes I am out there very late at night andvery early in the morning, working on my art withmy dogs at my feet and my family fast asleep inthe house. I can play my music and turn on all thelights without waking anyonethis quiet time ismy inspiration.

My favorite studio organization piece is a kitchencart on wheels. I have three sets of clear plasticdrawers stacked on top of the cart so that they are

easily accessible while I work at my easel.(I prefer to stand and do my collages rather thansit at a table) I divide my hand painted papers bycolor family and the clear plastic allows me to seewhich colors of paper I have in each drawer. WhenI know I will be spending some significant time onan area of one color, I take that drawer out and putit right next to me.

I organize my painted papers in clear drawers according to color, I have them on top ofa rolling cart in my studio so that when I work at the easel, they are easily accessible.

In addition to the easel, I use my table top for painting paper, varnishing pieces and framing, here are some sheetsof Judys hand made paper on my cutting mat.

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Making a MessIf you can afford some space to call your own, itmakes all the difference in the world. I am veryfortunate to be able to create a mess of torn paperand be able to close the door and walk away whenI am done for the day.

In the past, I have worked in an extra bedroom,and in a corner of the garage. Being creative meanshaving your work accessible at all times so that wheninspiration strikes, you can jump right in. You dontneed an ultra fancy space, I have an artist friend whoworks in a storage unit!

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Step One:Surface and Sketch

When framing my work in traditional molding,I work on 1/4-inch sanded hardwood panels foravailable at The Home Depot near me in pre-cutpieces (24x24 or 24x48). These pre-cut pieces canthen be cut down to smaller sizes by HD (no smallerthan 1ft.) or by you with elbow grease and a utilityknife with a new blade.

This is THIN wood, not standard plywood. As an

alternative to having to cut wood, a product I reallylike is American Easel Wood Painting Panels. Thesepre sanded panels are available at DickBlick.com. These gallery wrapped wood panels can be hungwithout frame molding, or they sit very nicely in afloater frame.

The reason I work on wood versus canvas is simple,you can push the glue into and against the woodwithout experiencing give. Stretched canvas doesnot offer enough resistance for some of the thicker,more highly textured papers which require morepressure and more glue. In addition, wood resistswarping, especially the boxed panels. Since I do notframe under glass, warping can be an issue with anymatt board or foam core type of substrate.

I seal the wood with Golden GAC-100 or LiquitexClear Gesso. The gesso has more of a tooth, whichis good for sketching but bad for erasing. The GAC-100 is pretty slick, which is bad for sketching, butgood for erasing. My solution: sketch on the rawwood, then prime with either clear primer over the

pencil sketch.HINT: I use Faber-Castells 9000 series pencils forsketching, they are a mixture of graphite and varnishand this helps to prevent the sketch from smearingwhen you apply the clear primer over it.

American Easel Wood Painting Panels are awonderful pre sanded gallery wrapped surface.I like to seal them with a clear product and leavesome of the wood grain showing through the colla

Some basic cross hatch style shading can be helpfulwhen determining the darks.

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Step TwoThe Under Painting

After the sketch comes the under painting, thispainting should not be ultra detailed. I use the underpainting process for two reasons: 1) I like to block inall my colors so that when I apply the paper over thetop, if any spaces are left between bits of paper, thecolor of the painting is there, rather than the color ofthe wood. 2) It is in the under painting process that Iwork out my values, what is light, dark, and mediumtone. I also work out my colors . Its much easier andquicker to work out these challenges with paint than

to have to work and rework the collage. Once I getthe values and colors to my liking, I let the paintingdry completely over night.

I use fluid and full-bodied acrylics for the underpainting. When I do drippy, splattered backgrounds,I use strictly fluid acrylics thinned with water oracrylic medium or both. I like leaving the woodstriation and grain showing through these drippyareas. When letting the wood show through, Illeither leave it natural, or stain it with a dilutedyellow/gold/ochre fluid acrylic.

Dont spend tons of time laboring over your underpainting Do use it as an exercise to help youdetermine where your values are and what colorsyou will use in your collage. Sometimes Ill paint theunder painting the color wheel opposite color of thecollage paper I intend to use on top, letting some ofthat color show through between the pieces, this canbe an interesting effect.

I tell my students, Dont fall in love with your under painting! Do not take this to a level of finish detail

that you love so much, you will not want to applycollage over the top.

Under painting for Paradise Foundblock in basic colors, determine shadowsand highlights, dont go into fine detail,save that for collage.

Left: I will leave the drippy backgroundon this under painting in the final piece.Sealing with GAC-100 or Clear Gessoallows the fluid acrylic to roll right downthe wood and not absorb into the surface

Under painting for Finish Your Veggiesleaving some pencil line and some raw

wood showing through.

Under painting for one of a Bird Series,keeping it simple is the key.

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St. Hilaire Nelson


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Step ThreeThe Collage ApplicationThe photo at the left shows the beginning of collagepaper being applied over an pencil sketch with theunder painting. You can see that all pieces of papersare torn, I never cut with scissors. I treat each pieceof paper as a brush stroke, therefore I do not want anyhard edges. Even when I do small birds, I create thepupil with a teeny piece of torn black paper, I eventear the highlight!

Working in small areas, apply Liquitex Gloss GelMedium to the wood panel and then lay your tornpiece of paper into this thin layer of glue (thicker formore textured and handmade paper) then brush asecond layer of glue overtop of that piece of paper.

Apply glue and paper in this under, over techniqueas you add more papers. The over layer provides youwith a sticky surface for your overlapping pieces andhelps the paper to adhere without bubbles to thewood panel. Pressing the papers firmly with the gluebrush will help to eliminate buckling.

Demonstrating the collage application, pressing

the glue with my favorite #8 filber t syntheticbrush, the wood does not have any give, and provides a firm surface for pushing the glue intostubborn, or thick handmade papers.

Left: Finish Your Veggies (detail, in progress)

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Natures Gold / 12x12 / collage on panel St. Hilaire Nelson


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Directional Rippingand ShadingDirectional ripping is basically following theform of an object with pieces of collage paper

that have been torn into shapes that alsomirror that form. Practice this technique bycreating round objects like an apple, focus onshading and creating a feeling of roundness.

You can see the apple at the left has a feelingof roundness for two reasons: 1) Shading 2)The collage papers are torn in a semi-circularshape, and they wrap around the form of theapple. Larger, rounded pieces are layered inthe center area of the apple which is closestto the viewer. Smaller, thinner crescentshaped pieces are around the edges and inthe areas that are further from the viewer.

The apple exercise is the first thing I teachin my workshops. Once you get a feelingfor following the form of the apple withdirectional ripping and shading you willrealize that this form of collage is much likepainting.

Coffee Break (detail) Round items offer excellent practice for defining form and volume in collage. Tearing papers in semi-circular shapes and wrapping them aroundthe form helps the student to understand directionalripping.

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St. Hilaire Nelson


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WhitesHere you can see that directional ripping playsa major part in defining the form of the cowsface, which does not offer much shading in thepure white areas. The semi circular pieces followup and around the eyes and brow bone area,the straight pieces come down the center of thenose, the short spiky pieces form the tuft at thetop of the head, and rounded pieces help tomake the cheek and jowls feel full.

White values are tough to shade, I l ike to usetext and variety of paper color for this purpose.Not all whites are the same, different bookpages are different shades of white, old booksoffer a nice yellow white, whereas new books

offer brighter white. White can also be shadedwith text. Small body copy that is close togetherappears darker than large headlines where thetext is more spread apart. Utilize both papercolor and text density to help you shade yourwhite on white areas. Utilize your directionalripping to help define the form in your white onwhite areas that do not offer a lot of shading.

Once paper is coated back and front with theLiquitex Gloss Gel Medium, it becomes archivalas each piece is sealed off from the one above

it and below it, as well as sealed off from airoxidation. A final coating of Golden UVLSacrylic varnish will seal and protect the collage.

Left: Sheepish 20x24 / collage on panel

St. Hilaire Nelson Du Coq a lAne (detail) White shading should beapproached with different colors of white paper and text,smaller text is more dense and appears darker, larger textcan appear lighter.


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Poised Peacock / 20x24 / collage on pan St. Hilaire Nelson


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Related MaterialsIt can be a lot of fun to try to find printed materialrelated to your subject, and use it in your collages. Ihave found a book of nursery rhymes to be a wonderfulresource for all of my barnyard animals.

Purchasing books especially for the occasion canbe worth while as well. For my peacock series I didpurchase a book of stories about birds, it offered mepages of text with words like nest and birds and evenpeacockand feathers.

Nothing is off limits when it comes to materials you caninclude in your collages, remember to stain and tintthem with fluid acrylics to offer a variety of colors.

Flea markets, yard sales, and eBay offer all kinds ofmaterials that can be wonderful for collage: sheet music,postage stamps, old letters, cancelled checks, vintage

childrens books, foreign language books, and on andon. To be a good collage artist, you must be a good packrat! The key is organizing these materials so that you canfind them when you need them.

Trading papers with other collage artists also opens upa world of opportuni ty. Often times others will createpapers in colors and with techniques that you wouldnot have considered or have not yet attempted, thisbrings new papers into your palette and opens up yourcreativity.

Blue (detail) was created with some collage papers that a friend had made in a class, and never used. I bought her lunch andshe handed over this wonderful stained paper with the word blue all over it.

Report Card Rooster (detail) I createdthis piece for our kitchen, utilzing childhoodephemera from my husband and I.

Here Boy! (detail) Postage stamps can berelated to your subject matter as well

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Compositional

ConsiderationsCollage is a busy medium, there are lots ofcompeting elements, between the viewer tryingto read the related materials, to the multipletextures and colors and variety of sizes of tornpieces. Because of this, the most successfulcompositions are simple. Consider one largepoint of focus with a simple background.Choose a large vase of flowers, the head of acow, one bird on a branch... Make your point offocus the thing with the most detail and let therest be simple.

When creating an area of color, be sure to use avariety of different shades of that color as well asdifferent papers. Do not create an area of brownentirely of one brown paper, this is nowherenear as exciting as a variety of textures andshades of brown as in the Contented Cattle II on the left.

Left: Contented Cattle II 24x20 / collage on panel St. Hilaire Nelson

Un Petit Coq (detail) Here you can see thatthe fields of green and red are made up of manydifferent shades and textures of red paper.The shapes are simple, the barn and the greenhorizon let the rooster become the main pointof focus. HINT: I always use orange as myhighlight for red.

St. Hilaire Nelson

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Final Varnish Coat I frame my collages without glass and withoutmatting. I do this because I want them to beconsidered paintings, hence the name PaperPaintings. After applying two coats of GoldenUVLS acrylic varnish, you can put your woodpanel directly into frame molding. This glass

free framing allows the viewer to experienceall the texture of the various papers you haveusedthick and thin paper, book pages andhandmade paper. Without glass, the varyingthickness of the papers is more apparent sincethe light reflects off the collage and not thesmooth surface of the glass.

When applying UVLS varnish, work in a wellventilated space and be very careful not to overbrush. Over working the varnish will cause itto get cloudy and it will dry that way. You wantto brush the varnish while it is wet (not when itis half way dry) working quickly but steadily. Ifyou brush too fast, youll create air bubbles thatwill dry into the varnish. Brushing varnish overhighly textured papers often cause air bubblesto form and the best way to get rid of them isto inspect for them, find them, and blow onthem while the varnish is wet. This will pop thebubbles and will not involve over working thevarnish coat with the brush.

UVLS varnish has UV light protection and issomething you need to make sure you use, thereare varnishes which do not have UVLS and theseshould be avoided. Allow varnish to dry totallyand completely before applying the second coat.

Collage is very forgiving, if you find that yourvarnish has clouded in an area due to overbrushing or even if you decide there is a part ofthe art that you do not like after it is varnished,you can always go back in with your Gloss GelMedium and put another collage layer overthe problem area, let i t dry, and re varnish thewhole piece. I do not recommend varnishingsmall areas, Id rather see you put a full coatingover the whole piece for an even surface. Thisre-working is successful because the varnish andthe gel medium are both acrylic based products,

they work hand in hand with each other.I have changed the color of the entirebackground of a piece after it was varnishedbecause I decided that it just wasnt working!

And I HAVE overworked my varnish andclouded it! The best thing about collage is thatyou can always add another layer.

Right: Here Boy! 24x20 / collage on panel

Chanticlear framed without glassin reclaimed barn wood, handmade

by Owen Tomlin in Kentucky. 24x20 / collage on panel

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Collage Supplies, A Helpful List: Variety of hand painted papers , maps, wallpaper, newspaper, personal

memorabilia, multi pack of handmade papers from scrap book or art supply store variety of thickness and textures. Washi or Unyuri (rice) white papers with andwithout bers/texture. DickBlick.com, PaperStudio.com or local art supply store.

1/4-inch sanded plywood panels for support, available at Home Depot pre-cutin 24x24 or 24x48, can also be cut down to smaller sizes by HD ( no smallerthan 1ft.) or by you with elbow grease and a utility knife with a new blade. Thisis THIN wood, not standard ply. OR AMERICAN EASEL WOOD PAINTINGPANELS, DickBlick.com .

Golden GAC-100 Acrylic Polymer or Liquitex Clear Gesso , pre-seal your woodpanels before doing your under-painting

Liquitex Gloss Gel Medium , this is the collage glue Filbert style paint brushes in a variety of small to medium sizes for under

painting and applying glue, I use cheap synthetic ones, abuse them and then throwthem away! HINT: I use The Masters Brush Cleaner to keep my brushes soft andclean as well as to extend the life.

Vessel for water, keep the glue brush in the water if you step away from yourwork, the glue dries fast.

Paper towels for cleanup, I like VIVA brand

Golden Polymer Varnish UVLS (ultra violet light stabilization)

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collage process book

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