More Tips For Creating Collage With Mediums

Since I started creating collages I have asked a few friends for advise, and came up with my own solutions. Typically almost everyone will use a Matte Medium of some kind to do their collage work, but I have discovered that it is not as clear as most gloss mediums. Matte medium works a little like plain white glue, when it dries it is slightly opaque while gloss medium dries like glass, transparent.

I am finding there are pros and cons to both. Gloss medium has seemed to punch up color when it is applied as a varnish, and when you plan to add a final gloss coat using it to apply the collage is an excellent idea, it will avoid the clouding caused by matte medium. Gloss is nowhere near as forgiving as matte, it requires a lot more massaging to prevent the paper from puckering or wrinkling.  Excessive massage of the paper is dangerous for tears as the medium dries. The idea is to squeeze out as much medium from under the paper as possible.

Matte medium is much more forgiving for application of paper. When you lay down the paper and massage out the excess it is not necessary to be as thorough, the matte medium will flatten wrinkles that are mild as it dries. Being a perfectionist I must remove as much as humanly possible when applying paper, wrinkled collage makes me insane.

The above image shows the pieces after their final gloss coat, the blue piece was done with gloss and the magenta with matte. There are still small wrinkles in the blue piece that you cannot see unless inspecting it closely, but they are in fact there. On the matte piece, the wrinkles disappeared as the medium dried and shrank.

At this point, I am using diff technique for gloss and matte when applying a collage piece. Either way, I have found that you should let the piece cure a MINIMUM of 24 hours before applying the collage, 72 hours would be better especially when using matte medium and wiping away the excess with a wet cloth.

Matte:

1. Apply a liberal amount of Matte medium to the area where the collage is to be applied (spread even with #6 brush)
2. Apply a liberal amount to the back of paper to be applied (spread even with a #6 brush)
3. Position the bottom of the paper while holding the top off of your piece.
4.  Squirt some matte medium on top of the paper while holding it up, for lubrication.
5. Using the same #6 brush, start at the bottom and brush hard from side to side as you lay the paper down a little at a time.
6. When the paper is all the way flat, use a damp cloth to wipe away the excess around it (not touching the paper)
7.  At this point I rub out the excess medium from under the paper with my fingers
8. Wipe off excess again
9. Using same brush, make a few light passes over the paper to make sure the medium brush strokes go in the same direction as the paint.

Gloss:

1. Apply a liberal amount of Gloss medium to the area where the collage is to be applied (spread even with two inch wash brush)
2. Apply a liberal amount to the back of paper to be applied (spread even with a two inch wash brush)
3. Position the bottom of the paper while holding the top off of your piece.
4.  Squirt some gloss medium on top of the paper while holding it up, for lubrication.
5. Using a #6 brush, start at the bottom and brush hard from side to side as you lay the paper down a little at a time.
6. When the paper is all the way flat, use your fingers to squeeze out any excess
7.  Use two inch wash brush to spread the gloss evenly across the paper and painting
8. Use fingers to remove excess again if necessary
9. Using same brush, make a few light passes over the paper to make sure the medium brush strokes go in the same direction as the paint.

Remember to work AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, both mediums dry very fast, the gloss faster than the matte, even though it appears to be opposite to the eyes. Gloss medium will require more work to keep the paper flat, working fast is key.

At this point the mediums we speak of are “Liquitex Matte Medium”, and “Liquitex Gloss Medium And Varnish”

©2010 James H. Pickett

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Art Tip: Something to Watch Out For When Doing Collage With Magazines.

Using my own “Fashion Collage” 8×10 as an example, there is a strange phenomenon that occurs with magazines that are printed in color. In Glossy paper stocks that ink of the printed image tend to ride on top of the paper more than it does with uncoated stocks. Most of us will assemble our collage art with a matte medium of some kind, I myself am using Liquitex Matte Medium. (when applying things heavier than paper to a piece you may have to use a different medium or find other ways to secure the object like wire for example.)

Typically I will follow the same steps when applying any paper to a piece:

1. Coat the surface of the piece that will be mounted to, eg. a painting, with matte medium leaving a heavy layer of the medium on the surface (it dries fast.)

2. Coat the back of the paper or magazine clipping that is to be mounted with a heavy layer of matte medium

3. apply the paper to the painting, taking advantage of the excess matte medium to slide the paper into position where I want it.

4. Once the paper is in place, add more Matte medium to the top and brush with heavy pressure to seal the paper to the piece and remove any bubbles or excess medium under the paper. This is where things can get funny, a brush isnt perfect for this task as it isnt solid, and you cannot use a squeegee. (a squeegee will tear the paper). I use my fingers to squeeze out all of the extra air and medium, If you do this often wear rubber gloves. You must make sure to complete this process in one pass, fast and thorough while the medium is still wet. When matte medium is spread to a thin layer it dries VERY fast. If, after the medium is spread thin, you try to go back and smush out a leftover bubble, the medium has a chance of sticking to your skin and removing the ink layer on the paper when you remove pressure on the bubble.

5. After all the excess medium has been squeezed out from under the paper being applied, I use a clean wet brush or a clean wet paper towel to remove the surrounding puddles of medium that have collected from the squeezing process being extremely careful to not touch the paper and remove more ink.

Dont be afraid to ask questions if I wasn’t thorough.

“Fashion Collage” and Limited edition print are available for sale at my Etsy Store.

The areas of white in the model on her dress and in her hair are small places where the ink has lifted, it may add a little character, but I myself am a crazy perfectionist.

Image © 2009 James H. Pickett.

Unknown Model Acrylic Collage Original Art $350 Prints $150

Unknown Model Acrylic/Collage 16×20 on canvas
Original $350 + shipping
Limited Edition Print 16×20 on 20×24 $150 + shipping

All Original Acrylics Are signed by artist, All prints individually signed and numbered. All works © 2009 James Pickett

Eric Roberts Acrylic Collage Original Art $350 Prints $150

Eric Roberts Acrylic/Collage 16×20 on canvas
Original $350 + shipping
Limited Edition Print 16×20 on 20×24 $150 + shipping

All Original Acrylics Are signed by artist, All prints individually signed and numbered. All works © 2009 James Pickett

Marilyn Monroe Acrylic Collage Original $450 Print $150

Marilyn Monroe Acrylic/Collage 16×20 on canvas
Original $450 + shipping
Limited Edition Print 16×20 on 20×24 $150 + shipping

All Original Acrylics Are signed by artist, All prints individually signed and numbered. All works © 2009 James Pickett

Next Body Of Work In Acrylic. Original Art Work For Sale.

All works shown before varnish.

Yellow and purple tree, acrylic on canvas 18×24, $300

Yellow tree acrylic

Green tree, acrylic on canvas 18×24, $400

green tree acrylic

Rainbow tree, 9×12 acrylic on flat canvas $100 SOLD

Yellow tree scene, 9×12 acrylic on flat canvas $100

yellow tree scene

Brown Tree Scene, 9×12 acrylic on flat canvas $100

brown tree scene

Abstract Tree Scene, 9×12 acrylic on flat canvas $100

abstract tree scene

Black And Blue, acrylic on canvas 18×24, $300

black and blue acrylic

Eye, (unfinished) acrylic on canvas 18×24, $400

eye

Fine Lines, (unfinished) Acrylic on canvas, 16×20 $400

fine lines

Winter tree, Acrylic, leaves, enamel on canvas, 24×30 $1500

winter tree acrylic

Midnight Tree, Acrylic on canvas 18×24 $400

midnight tree

Red and yellow tree, Acrylic on canvas 18×24 $400

red and yellow tree acrylic

Depth, Acrylic on canvas 18×24, $400

depth acrylic

Heat, Acrylic on canvas 16×20, NFS

Study in blue/I am the moon 1, Acrylic on canvas, created for Jared Funari EP art. 16×20 $500

I am the moon 1

Study in greens, acrylic on canvas 16×20 $400

study in greens

Study in magenta, acrylic on canvas 16×20 $400

study in magenta

Transitions 01, acrylic on canvas 16×20 $300

transitions 01

Transitions 02 acrylic on canvas 16×20 $300

transitions 02

Transitions 03/I am the moon 2, Acrylic on canvas, created for Jared Funari EP art. 16×20 $500

transitions 03

Transitions 04, acrylic on canvas 16×20 $300

transitions 04

Study in rose, acrylic on canvas 16×20 $400

study in rose

Acrylic Paintings Available For Sale Soon.

If you are viewing this post and would like to purchase a piece, is a separate for sale post.

Original Acrylics, and prints will be available for sale soon. All prints will be limited edition hand signed and numbered by the artist, myself. Prices will vary by each individual piece, below you will find some preview images taken with my Palm Pre. Almost all of the paintings shown are currently being profesionally copied for purposes of printmaking, actual print representations will be posted when they come back from Visual Winds.

Remember, the previews were done with a cell phone, they are in no way color, brightness, or finish accurate.

The Soul Of The Artist Grows, Back To My Roots, Painting Again.

No not houses, acrylics. As part of being contracted for Jared Funari’s EP artwork, there was an image to be reproduced, an image he wanted to use. This “image” wasnt an image at all, but merely a crop of a stage image, a tiny section of a picture that was nothing more than a background blur of light. This piece of image, was such a low resolution it was impossible to use without an incredible amount of interpolation and jpg artifacts. For some reason I decided it would be a good idea to embrace the fact that I am an artist, and paint it. It was thrilling. I rather enjoy the process of creating an image package and not just photographs. Having not picked up a paint brush in ten years, my abilities have seemed to grow on their own, under the surface, by way of other media. It seems the soul of an artist can be developed by creation itself and not just practise and continued use of the same media. To get over the mind dump, the acrylic I created is now for sale, as will be many more to come as original acrylic on canvas and prints. Since I finally believe in myself as an artist again and not just a photographer, I am going to start playing with all other forms of media I have since left in the dark for many years, Look forward to some interesting work.

Limited edition hand signed and numbered prints
16×20 float on 20×24
“”You Are The Sun”
$300.00

Other print sizes will be available but will be limited to five piece runs and must be custom ordered.
Print reproduction available up to 44″ high on fine art paper, and up to 96″ high on canvas.

Original acrylic on canvas, 16×20
“You Are The Sun”
$3000.00

Shipping charges will apply.

As usual, © James Pickett 2009