Easy Cut & Paste Collage Art in my Junk Journal

Hello everyone!

In one of my recent private workshops we made a fun little collage with leftover scraps of paper and simple tools. My motto is always use what you have, recycle and upcycle. I created the left page as a demo and I thought, why not share my technique with my fellow bloggers :)

Below are the steps to create a similar page. I worked in my handmade junk journal, but any journal or even a loose sheet of paper will do.

In the first step I gathered my supplies, which consisted of my basket with paper scraps as well as a box of crayons, my favorite stamps and a couple of paint pens as well as some basic supplies like scissors and a glue stick. I like tearing my papers, but cutting them works fine, too.

I chose papers with interesting markings, usually gelli prints or painted papers. In the next step I added stamps in random areas and made some marks with a purple crayon to harmonize with the purple already present on the collage. I also swiped some black paint on the page with my finger.

While I left the page to dry, I prepared my focal image. First I stamped a text stamp on a piece of regular white paper. Then I placed a leaf stencil on top and dabbed black paint all around it. Once dry, I carefully cut around the image, leaving a narrow black edge.

Finally, I adhered the cut out leaf image along with a sentiment to my collaged page.

I hope you enjoyed this beginner-friendly tutorial. You can easily change things up by choosing different collage papers, making a variety of marks, adding more stamps and a different focal image (my workshop participant's pages all looked unique!)

Thanks for visiting!

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Why I make my own Painted Papers

Hello lovely, crafty people!

Painted papers or collage papers, as they are commonly known, are an integral part of mixed media art. When I first started out on my art journey I did buy a commercially printed collage pack and quickly found out what a mistake that was. Not only were the designs printed on cheap paper, on closer look the motifs seemed generic and uninspired. Worse still, on even closer inspection some of the printed text didn't make any sense at all and was simply horrible. I quickly discovered that I could actually make my own collage. Not only that, but I already had perfect papers at home - old book pages and sheet music - ready to be transformed. Once I got going I never looked back!

You, too, can make your own stack of painted papers and you don't require a lot of paints or tools. A block of regular white paper, a couple of your favorite acrylic paints, a few paint pens, maybe a stamp or two and if you are feeling very adventures you might try stencilling. An old wine cork dipped in paint is great for making big dots. The eraser on the end of a pencil makes small ones. While these dots aren't perfectly round or a line drawn without a ruler might turn out wonky, I find this adds a certain handmade charm and more importantly makes these papers uniquely your own.

For variation I paint or print on tissue paper, brown paper bags, that I have cut open, sketching sheets and old book pages that make interesting background effects. As shown above, I made a set of neutrals that are a good starting point in mixed media artwork.

A black stamp pad, paint pens in black in various sizes, text stamps all look good on a neutral background, while white or cream looks good on brown paper. I find simple motifs work best.

I later invested in a gel plate since I was planning to make a whole lot of painted papers!  Although it looks easy, working with a gel plate takes a bit of experimentation and you will eventually get nice prints through trial and error. In the above picture I used just a handful of colors and a couple of stamps. Mine seem to turn out best when I use less paint and choose simple stamping motifs. I'd like to point out that it is absolutely not necessary to own a gel plate to be able to create beautiful papers. In the below video I demonstrate just how easy it is to make a set of papers without one.

And did you know that my underpapers, e.g. usually printer paper, that I use to roll off the excess paint from my brayer or wipe off the ink from my stamps never get thrown away? I simply make more marks on them with paint pens! I think these look pretty amazing too.

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you enjoyed reading my post. Have you ever made your own collage papers with or without a gel plate? What's your take on gel printing. I'd love to hear. Let me know in the comments! Have a beautiful day.

Mini Art Journal - Collage Art with Gelli Prints Tutorial

Hi everyone, welcome back to another art journal tutorial!

When things get very busy around here, I still like to squeeze in a little "art time" - that's when my A6 mini journal comes in handy. This spread came together quickly. I used my handmade gelli prints to collage a background, added some marks with crayons, stamps and ink splatters, and finished it off with whimsical focal images stamped with black ink on white drawing paper, that I cut out and adhered together with some inspiring words. The quirky stamps are from Art by Marlene.

Enjoy watching the video tutorial:

 

Btw, if you haven't any gelli prints you can easily substitute those with colorful scrapbook paper. 

I selected some papers that harmonized well with each other and had interesting patterns. I tore them into random pieces and glued them on the surface with a glue stick. 

Next I added some marks with wax crayons in contrasting colors and also stamped some images for added texture. Note: the below spread is actually from one of my workshops, therefore the collage is a bit different than in the video, but the process is still the same!

I stamped my chosen focal images on white drawing paper and cut them out. These silicone stamps are from Art by Marlene, who is known for her whimsical style. 

And finally, I made some splatters with white ink all over the spread!

This collage only took me about 20 minutes, but I'm loving the result. I think I mentioned before that I love round shapes, therefore most of my marks are circular, but you can make any type of mark that you wish. Happy art making!

Relaxing Art with Stencils & Collage

Hi everyone,

I'm back with another mixed media art tutorial. My tutorials are oriented towards those who are just starting to explore the world of mixed media and are curious about all the different techniques. Of course, seasoned artists are welcome too! What I love about mixed media is you don't actually need a lot of stuff to get going. A good quality art journal or pad, your favorite paint colors, some brushes, your favorite stencil and stamp, and a couple of pens/pencils. All of these can be student grade except the surface. It's the same principle as in sewing. The fabric might be a bargain, but the thread must always be high-quality. So, be it a journal or paper pad - make sure you buy heavyweight paper atleast 200 gsm. Because if the paper is cheap, your work will look "off" and you'll be very disappointed at the result. That said, let's get to it:

For this tutorial I grabbed my square journal and taped off the edges, which you can skip. I just like the clean finish when the tape is removed. To ged rid off the blank page I stamped my postcard stamp in two areas. Then wet the page and dropped in some Sky Blue acrylic ink. Using the mop brush I spread the paint until it resembled a cloud like finish.

I layered a stencil on top using three acrylic paint colors. Remember that each layer needs to dry before adding the next layer. You can use a heat tool to speed up the process.

For the top layer I glued down bits of collage paper - tissue paper, vintage-style paper and gelliprints - from my stash. I usually rip the pieces by hand to make them blend into the page better. I then added my focal image and the title for this page. Would you like to see the whole process from start to finish? Watch it here:

If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below or on my channel. If you liked this short video tutorial please give me a thumbs up. Thank you and have a beautiful day ~

How to make Tissue Paper collage with simple tools

Hi crafty friends!

A big part of my mixed media art is incorporating collage, especially tissue papers. I've made a bunch of these in different colors for my various projects. Today I'm sharing an easy way to create your own collage with simple tools. Best part - you don't require a gel plate (these are quite expensive, I know...)!

The above photo shows an example of the simple tools I use to make my collage papers:

- a sheet of tissue paper, which I cut to a convenient A5 size

- acrylic paints in your choice of colors

- stencil to fit A5 size

- make up sponge for applying the paint

- chunky acrylic permanent paint pen

- small sponge brush

- masking tape to stick the tissue paper to a hard surface

In the above example I have dipped the sponge brush in black paint and simply made marks with the tip. You can make thin or wide marks or even use the side of the sponge brush to make larger marks. I often add pieces of these graphic marks to my art work (see below).

 

The chunky paint pen is such a fun tool to use. It has a chisel tip and comes in a big color range. I drew fat circles on my tissue paper. Keep in mind, that these paper need to dry completely, before you can use them in your mixed media projects. Below I am sharing even more ways to make handmade collage:

Using a make up sponge and a couple of stencils you can create endless patterns. After use, I always thoroughly wash the make up sponge and stencil with water and some mild soap, as I want to prevent a build-up of paint.

If you're looking for inspiration to use these handmade collage papers you can check out my new video!

DIY Vintage Style Accordion Book

Hi crafty friends!

For the longest time I wanted to make an altered accordion booklet. Well, last weekend I set some time aside to finally make one! Patience is required to make one of these, as a lot of prep work has to be done and the drying time between each layer takes some time. I wanted mine to have a vintage feel with soft colors and plenty of floral motifs. And as an animal lover I wanted to add animal images as well.

I pulled out a bunch of art supplies...acrylic inks, paints, stamp pads, assorted collage papers, pens, stamps and stencils. I usually decide which ones to use, while I am doing the actual crafting. That's the beauty of mixed media art!

One of the first things I did was make lots of floral ephemera. I stamped a whole bunch of floral images on white drawing paper, then I colored these in with gouache paints, and once dry I fussy cut them all out. This was quite a task, but I love how these turned out!

I started by randomly stamping a grid pattern on all the pages of the booklet. While the ink was drying I then altered a mini envelope (see top left corner). I would later add this to one of the pages. It's a fun touch and you can keep some special and personal notes in there. While this isn't a full tutorial - that would take hours - you can watch the demo below:

https://youtu.be/8VPJBnTDthk

If you are watching this on YouTube, a "like" or share would be massively appreciated ♥ Happy Friday!

Monday Moodboard

Another wonderful thing about May are the gorgeous lilac trees currently in full bloom. I love their pretty blossoms in all shades from deep pink to the palest lilac and their delicate fragrance is divine. Seen any lilacs in your neck of the woods?

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Im Mai ist wieder Fliederzeit. Ich liebe die kleinen Blüten in allen Farben von Pink bis Zartlila und wie sie duften...einfach herrlich. Meine heutige Collage habe ich dem Flieder gewidmet!

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Monday Moodboard

Hello there, lovely readers! It's Easter Monday - and I plan to enjoy a leisurely day - before it's back to  work tomorrow. I obviously had color on my mind while curating this moodboard. I hope you enjoy it :)

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Hallo, ihr Lieben! Es ist Ostermontag...und da es morgen wieder an die Arbeit geht werde ich es mir heute gemütlich machen und alles langsam angehen. Heute gibt es eine bunt-fröhliche Collage. Ich hoffe sie gefällt :)

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Monday Moodboard

Winter has made a late arrival. But instead of fresh snow like in most places, my area gets sleet and blustering wind. This type of weather guarantees that I stay indoors with a mug of hot tea and woolly socks on my feet. Today's mood came together quickly - I don't know, maybe the grey weather out there had something to do with it ;)

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Der Winter ist zurück. Aber anstelle von frischem Schnee wie in den meisten Orten, bekommt meine Gegend hier nur Graupel. Außerdem ist es windig dazu - da bleibe ich lieber drinnen... mit Wollsocken an den Füßen und heißem Tee, der mich von innen wärmt. Das graue Wetter dient als Inspiration für die heutige Collage ;)

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Monday Moodboard

Garnet, the birthstone for January, signifies eternal friendship, endurance and trust. This lovely rich colour is a current favourite of mine this winter. Enjoy and happy Monday!

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Granat, der Geburtsstein für Januar, wird mit Eigenschaften wie Freundschaft, Ausdauer und Vertrauen in Verbindung gebracht. Die satte Farbe gefällt mir in dieser Saison besonders gut, gern mit Grau kombiniert. Ich wünsche Euch allen einen guten Wochenstart!

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Monday Moodboard

Whenever I see turquoise I always think of summer, sun, the ocean...never really associating it with this month, however, it is actually the birthstone assigned to December. Anyway, I love this colour and would wear it in any month :) How about you?

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Türkis assoziiere ich immer mit Sommer, Sonne und Meer... tatsächlich wird der Schmuckstein Türkis dem Monat Dezember zugeordnet! Wie auch immer, ich liebe diese Farbe und trage sie das ganze Jahr über :) Gefällt Euch diese Farbe auch?
 

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Monday Moodboard

One of the trending colors to wear this Fall season is Pantone's Reflecting Pond, a quiet dark teal that pairs well with traditional fall colors such as tan or grey. I find this understated color quite appealing! How about you? Are you all over this color?

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Für die laufende Herbstsaison ist eine der Pantone Farben, Reflecting Pond, momentan im Fashion/Interieurbereich sehr beliebt. Ich muss sagen, dass mir dieses dunkle, subtile Petrol doch sehr gefällt! Wie findet Ihr diese Farbe?

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Monday Moodboard

Until recently I always thought Topaz was the only birthstone for November, but browsing Etsy it seems Citrine is another birthstone assigned to this month! So I went ahead and combined the two to create a warm, glowing amber mood. Enjoy!

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Bis vor kurzem dachte ich immer, dass nur der Topaz dem Monat November zugeordnet wird. Tatsächlich gibt es für diesen Monat noch einen Geburtsstein: Zitrin oder gelber Quarz. Also habe ich die zwei Farbtöne einfach kombiniert. Schönen Montag!

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Monday Moodboard

This week I'm continuing with the warm Autumn colours. From burnt orange to peachy coral - these colours brighten up any grey and rainy day!

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Auch heute zeige ich wieder warme Herbstfarben. Orange, Pfirsich und Koralle muntern an grauen Tagen richtig auf!

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Monday Moodboard

Although I'm sad to see summer go I do appreciate the turning of the leaves and the warm colours that autumn brings. This is reflected in my moodboard today. Hope you like it!

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Auch wenn ich den Sommer ein wenig nachtrauere, weiß ich die warmen Farben des Herbstes zu schätzen. Mit der heutigen Collage stimme ich schon mal darauf ein!

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Monday Moodboard

It's September already and the recent drop in temperature means that before long I'll be wearing my woollies again. Meanwhile, here's my latest moodboard in sapphire blue (Sapphire is September's birthstone). Enjoy!

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Kaum zu glauben, aber wir haben schon September! Morgens ist es schon herbstlich frisch und ich trage wieder langärmelig und doppellagig! Der Geburtsstein für diesen Monat ist der tiefblaue Saphir. Mögt Ihr diese Farbe?

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