Experimenting with collage

Posted on April 13, 2019

I’ve been pushing myself to try new crafts so was delighted to be #gifted a book all about collage. It was packed full of different ideas which totally challenged the way I thought about the art of collage. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself so printed out some vintage family photos.

I found a website which removes the background of an image but you could also cut the image by hand.

Then I placed my vintage photo over planes of flat coloured card to give it a totally different look. Reducing the background noise of an image really lets you focus on the image itself, in this one my Grandmother was enjoying a picnic with her friends on the beach.

It would look lovely in a little frame or made into a card and I can’t wait to try other ideas with the children.

Tate Project: Collage by Bev Speight

My experiments with collage was inspired by Project Collage which I was recently #gifted. Collage invites you to collect, combine and transform existing imagery and ephemera, both old and new, into entirely original compositions. Tactile, versatile and accessible, collage encapsulates the magic of reinvention. Through collage, you’ll learn how to manipulate, combine, deconstruct and reconstruct images. As you dive deeper you’ll discover how the art of collage stretches the imagination and encourages a reinterpretation of the familiar and mundane.

Bev Speight takes you through 50 step-by-step projects to inspire you from striking architectural builds to mixed-media menageries, Project Collage offers fresh ideas and guidance to help you cut and paste your way to unique artworks. Collage has become hugely popular with over 11 million hits on Instagram and is an art form for every budget.

Tate: Project Collage by Bev Speight was published by Ilex Press on the 7th March 2019, priced £14.99.

collage