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How I Went from Stuck to Inspired in 30 Days

05/18/2021 / By / art, art journal

Not too long ago I was in a bad place. 

I’d taken time off from being a working artist to raise my children and to work on some volunteer opportunities. While I was away the whole world seemed to have changed on me! 

I tried to get back into daily art-making and it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. I did not take that well and spiraled into a creative block that lasted three years.

The good news is that I got unstuck and I’m feeling more creative than I ever have.

Whew.

Lori Greenberg making glass beads at torch 2016
Making Glass Beads 2016

It took me a long time to find the magic potion that got me out of that slump, but once I found it, my transformation happened fast. I’d like to show you how to overcome creative block, or stuckness, too.

But first, let me tell you all it all happened.

How things went downhill...

Glass beadmaking was my jam! From 2000 to 2008, everything I made sold as soon as I put it up for sale. I traveled the country selling at shows, and making great friends at conventions.

What could possibly go wrong?

Anyone remember that U.S. housing bubble thing?

Yeah.

Countless people lost homes, incomes, and their businesses, and pricey glass beads were not exactly a high priority anymore.

Just like me, the jewelry makers and stores who had previously bought my beads were struggling, which led to people using less expensive materials like copper and resin, and more imported components. Customers adjusted their buying habits and just like that, glass beads were not on top of jewerly makers’ shopping lists anymore.

image of glass bead production work
glass bead production work

I, and a lot of my friends held on, thinking we could weather it, and figure it out. We’d done it before when we’d come up against cheap imports flooding the market, we could do it again.

image of art journaling roadmap
Get the Guide to Getting Unstuck >>

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, at least not for me. I’d grown weary of trying to climb that hill and I was fortunate enough that I was able to make the decision to take some time off to raise my kids and focus on some volunteer projects.

While it wasn’t ideally what I wanted to do I also knew that my kids would only be young once, and work would always be there.

Or so I thought.

I had gone into a creative funk...

Time went by and as my kids entered high school I was ready to get back at it. I lit up my torch and got to work. I signed up for my studio tour show again, and spiffed my web site back up. There was only one thing missing…

My creative juju had disappeared.

I could still make great stuff because my skills hadn’t gone anywhere but I just didn’t have the new ideas like I used to. And it kept going on this way. The longer I couldn’t snap out of my stuckness, the more concerned I became.

In an effort to find my muse I tried distracting myself from being blocked with different types of media. Maybe it was time to reinvent myself again?

I tried different kinds arts to snap me out of it.

  • 2012/2013 – I tried fused glass micro-mosaics:
  • 2014 – I tried glass murrine making.
  • 2015 – I tried writing fiction, and published 12 coloring books for adults.
mandala coloring books for adults

While all of those creative endeavors kept my mental health afloat, I was beginning to think that something was seriously wrong with me. It all felt like just going through the motions. I had no zest, or motivation, or drive. 

Nothing was rekindling my spark.

THEN, 

  • 2016 – Someone posted on facebook about an art journaling workshop.
    I had no idea what that was but it looked bright and colorful, and I needed a getaway. So, I signed up and went without expectation. I just needed a break.
Art journaling turned it all around...

That long weekend, when I found art journaling, things started to change. It’s funny because I have always been afraid of painting, drawing, and basically any type of what I call “flat art.”

It had always bothered me that I couldn’t draw realistically, and I envied those with great looking sketchbooks. And here I was, with the things that always scared me on the verge of giving me one of the biggest gifts of my life.

When I got home I was inspired, but I also knew that workshop inspiration fades. I made a commitment to art journal a little bit every day for 30 days.

I found that the more I worked in my art journals the easier it was to access my creativity.  At the end of the 30 days I noticed that other areas of my life, and my attitude, had started to shift, too.

I was excited about my day job of jewelry-making again and I’d started to grow a following of customers at a rapid pace.

image of hand holding pen and journaling
The Jumble Journal Method...

I continued working in my journals and eventually realized that I hadn’t been stuck at all for a long while. I’d been putting out unique collection after collection of my silver jewelry, and had so many ideas that I couldn’t wait to get to. And I was really having fun with my flat art creations and the journals I’d been making.

I started to pay attention to what I was doing and how I was doing it and that’s when I started to take note of what I now call my Jumble Journal Method.

It’s a way of creating art journals where the techniques address all kinds of blocks that we, as creative-maker-artist-crafters come up against, and the more you do it, the freer you feel. 

I’d love to show you how you can overcome your own blocks, and how to stay in that creative frame of mind. You can get my free Jumble Journal Roadmap below that shows you the exact steps I took to go from stuck to inspired.

image of art journaling roadmap

Need Help Getting Started?

The FREE
Jumble Journal Roadmap
will show you how!

GRAB YOUR FREE ROADMAP HERE >>

4 Big Myths about Art Journaling

05/17/2021 / By / art, Art Journals, Creativity, inspiration

Art journaling sounds like a big fancy thing that only people ‘blessed with talent’ should take on. I can’t believe how many times I’ve heard that.

Don’t believe the hype!

I’m going to debunk that, and some other common art-based myths once and for all.

image of art journaling roadmap
If you're ready to get started, check it out:

The FREE
Jumble Journal Roadmap
will show you how!

GRAB YOUR ROADMAP >>
Myth One: Not Everyone is Creative

I will fight this myth to my grave!

Everyone absolutely is creative–you’ve just either forgotten what it looks like, or you’ve suppressed it.

Don’t believe me?

This is how you can tell that you're creative:

  • When was the last time you had to come up with a way to make dinner with just four ingredients because you forgot to grocery shop?
  • Have you ever come up with a solution that made your baby or toddler stop crying? Or to get them to eat their vegetables? Or anything to get any kid to do something that they didn’t want to?
  • What about at work? Have you ever had to persuade a boss, but have them believe it was their idea?
  • Ever plan a fun event or a surprise for someone?
  • Have you ever negotiated, and felt like you came out on top?

I could go on, but you get the point.

All of those things require creativity. 

Making art is the same way. It’s really just making one decision after another. It’s problem solving, and solution finding, and as soon as you start to recognize that, the world looks a whole lot different. You start believing you can, rather than saying you can’t.

If you can relate to any of those things above, or similar instances, you can rest assured that you are creative.

Image of a jumble journal in progress
Start of a Jumble Journal

How to start rediscovering your creativity:

If you’re someone who has lost touch with your natural state of being creative, here are two things you can do to start to get it back:

1.  OBSERVE:
Pay more attention to what you see in your everyday life. Be deliberate and use all five of your senses.

Have you ever wondered how painters make such inspiring works, or how photographers capture such great images? Their eyes are trained to see the world differently, and that is what you need to do.

You can do this exercise anywhere, anytime. Do it as often as you can remember.

  • When you look at something notice the color. Go even deeper to see if you can see more than one color. Is it more blue-purple, red-purple?
  • When you hear something take a moment to really hear it. Is it high pitched and shrill, or deep and booming. Is it pulsating, or smooth?
  • When you feel something, what are you really feeling? Is the soap just slippery, or is it creamy? Astringent? Does it feel soothing?
  • When eating, try to distinguish individual spices (beyond salty, sweet, etc.)
  • And smelling…notice smells around you on a different level. If it’s a bad smell, is it sour? Weirdly sweet? Pungent?

We use all five senses every day, but rarely do we really examine them. The more in touch with this type of perception you are, the more in touch with your creativity you will become.

2.  NOTE:

Take some time to write (maybe even in an art journal) about what that experience is like for you. Take notice of how you feel, and any awarenesses that arise because of it.

  • Does it make you feel anxious, or calm?
  • Is it hard? Does it get easier? Does it come to you naturally?
  • How distracted do you get? Can you come back to it?
  • Did you notice any changes in your thoughts or actions?
  • Note anything else.
  • Do mindful exercises like noticing how your bare feet feel as you walk, or how the pen feels as it drags across the paper.

Do this for at least a week. Longer is better, until you start noticing yourself doing it without having to think about it. Ideally, you will start to see the world this way all the time, effortlessly.

Grab my FREE Art Journal Roadmap Here >>
image of art journaling roadmap
Myth Two: You Need Expensive Supplies

Nope. Totally a myth.

Have you ever heard of junk journaling? It’s where you take all kinds of stuff that would normally end up in the landfill and turn it into a cool book that you can either use for a daily journal, or just as an art piece to work on.

When my great-aunt died we found stacks of old wallpaper sample books stacked in her farmhouse attic. She had used them to collage in newspaper clippings, photos, and foldouts of detailed family trees that she’d maintained, that dated back to the 1800s. Even though that was all she had to work with, ohmygosh, they were amazing! Art journaling can be done the same way.

Here are examples of free materials and supplies you can use:
  • Old books, as with the wallpaper sample books, can be used as art journals. Just work on top of the pages.
  • Discarded paper grocery bags or paper shopping bags can be used for inner pages.
  • Coffee, tea, dirt, or any other colored liquid can be used as a stain for aging, weathering, and colorizing pages or portions of pages.
  • Discarded food boxes, like cereal boxes can be used as the base for covers.
  • Any tape or glue you already have on hand can work for attaching collage.
  • Old magazines, catalogs, greeting cards, business cards, postcards, junk mail, etc, can be used in various ways for collage or other elements.
  • Any supplies you already have on hand from previous projects, including school and office supplies. You’d be amazed at what you can do with pencils, pens, and markers that you have lying around.

When I use my Jumble Journal Method I regularly turn to these free materials. I feel satisfaction that I’m saving a little bit from the landfill, and saving money that I can use on other things that can’t be found free.

If you start looking at things around you differently (as suggested in myth number one) you’ll see all kinds of  things around you that can be incorporated into your journaling.

photo of different recycled materials for art journaling
Myth Three: It Has to Be Perfect

Now, you know where I’m going to go with this myth, right? 

There is no such thing as perfect when it comes to journaling, or art. Or anything, for that matter.

Think about it: Art JOURNALING.

Journaling is meant to be a personal process to write out your thoughts–a diary. I don’t know many people that would say that a diary needs to be perfect. WE are not perfect, so the expression of ourselves therefore, should not be perfect.

The problem comes in when we add that dirty little word, “art” to the journaling process. Those three letters throw us right back to Myth Number One, where we start judging our product, and ourselves, and our abilities.

Remember: art journaling is a place to explore and experiment.

To try new things, and to express yourself. No one needs to see it. Heck, you don’t ever have to go back and look if you don’t want to.

What to do if you find yourself overwhelmed by perfectionism:

  • Just say no.
    Seriously. Have a literal conversation with your inner critic and tell it to hit the road. Maybe even write it out in your journal. I totally do that in my warm-up journal.  You can let it come back later, but there is no room for it while you’re in your journal.
  • Just do it.
    Remind yourself that you have every other minute of the day to be perfect. Dip your toe into the pool of uncertainty and push yourself to break through the desire, even just a little bit, in this moment, right now.
  • Think different. 
    Do the opposite of what you’re feeling compelled to do. You may not like the outcome at first, but the more you practice stepping outside of your box, the sooner you will start to feel more free Once you get comfortable with that, precision will be a choice, and not as much of a compulsion.
  •  So easy a caveman can do it.
    Simplify. Stop trying to be so fancy and comphrehensive, having to know and do all the things. Go back to basics. Sometimes we make things more complicated that they need to be. Rather than looking too far ahead at what you want it to be, take a step back and focus on what is in front of you…the next line or small section. 
Grab my FREE Art Journal Roadmap Here >>
photo of colorful art journal
Warm up journal. I work on small sections over many months.

Myth Four: You Must Finish Before Starting a New One

Do you fret that you have so many projects going but never seem to finish any?

Not finishing is totally OK when it comes to art journaling. In fact, it’s encouraged.

If you feel like you have to finish one journal before starting a new one you will inevitably come up against a wall where you feel like you’re forcing yourself to do something that you don’t want to.

Ask yourself why something unfinished is so uncomfortable for you. Then take some time to drill deeper into that belief. 

  • Was it a family value you learned?
  • Do you feel inadequate in some way if you leave something open-ended?
  • Does this belief help to serve or hinder you, or both?
  • What would your life look like if you could leave an art project on-going and unfinished indefinitely?

As my fourth grader teacher used to say, “P-shaw!”

Life’s too short to keep yourself in limiting boxes! Jump around and have all the journals you want going at the same time. They look pretty cool when they’re all stacked up, and fun to flip through while you decide which one to work in next.

Benefits of multiple ongoing, unfinished journals:

  • You always have something ready to work on.
  • You don’t have to plan and start a new project.
  • You can work for a small amount of time and not feel like you have to finish an entire project.
  • Pressure to get to a certain state of doneness is removed because you know you can come back to it at any time.
  • You can move from journal to journal depending on your mood.
  • You can have different journals for different reasons, such as:
    • Warm-up journal, where it’s just jotting small things or trying out things that you might not want in your “good” journal.
    • Travel-based journal.
    • Pet themed journal.
    • Inspiration and affirmation journal, etc.
  • By keeping open ended journals you continually go back and flip through the work you’ve done previously. Looking at art makes you happy, especially when it’s yours.

I could so go on with reasons why not finishing while art journaling holds benefit.

illustration of journaling supplies
So, there you go...

Everyone is creative, you don’t need a lot of expensive, fancy, tools or supplies, you absolutely do NOT need to be even close to perfect and, you do not have to complete what you start.

What’s stopping you from giving it a try?

I’d love you show you how, and you can get my FREE Jumble Journal Roadmap that shows you my favorite way of art journaling. I have about six of them going right now, and I could probably do with a few more.

Wanna try?

image of art journaling roadmap
Need Help Getting Started?

The FREE
Jumble Journal Roadmap
will show you how!

GRAB YOUR ROADMAP >>

The Ultimate Guide To Getting Started with Art Journal Collage

05/17/2021 / By / art, Art Journals, Creativity
What is collage?

Collage is an art form that involves gluing various pieces together into a whole piece. One of the earliest collage artists, maybe the first, was Pablo Picasso in 1910.

Any items can be used in collage but the most common are of pieces of paper or fabric glued to a surface.

If you are like me, and challenged in the drawing department, collage provides the ability to bring realism into your works–and a lot of surrealism, too.

Collage is one of the techniques I use while art journaling and it’s really helped me to get outside of my creative box.

While collage seems like merely cutting out photos and gluing them somewhere else, there are a lot of nuances to the process that you might not realize, and I’m here to fill in some of those blanks and equip you with what you need to know to get started yourself.

image of art journaling roadmap
FREE Art Journaling Guide >>
Best materials to use in collage:

As you start to collage you will find what you like to work with best, and which adhesives and cutting techniques work best with different weights of papers and fabrics.

You can use anything from tracing paper and tissue paper to card stock, cardboard, plastic, fabric and even 3D objects like keys, pieces of wood, etc.

When you are gathering materials to be used in collage I like to suggest using the criteria: “Can this be glued down (or stuck to a surface)?” If the answer is, “Yes,” and you like the item, then for sure add it to your collection!

Where to find elements for collage:

The easy answer is: Everywhere!

Library Sales

My favorite place to find good collage materials is my local library sale.

Twice a year the Phoenix Public Library has a sale where they raise money by selling extra books that have been donated, but aren’t needed. They often have great coffee table books with color photos, and children’s books that have fun illustrations and popups that can be disassembled.

Libraries are often recipients of donated  school textbooks, atlases, and anything else printed on paper that aren’t put into their lending rotation.

Library sales are a great way to find inexpensive materials. Some libraries have additional discounts for “friends of the library” donors. It’s worth checking out your local library.

image of table full of used books for sale

Garage, Estate, and Yard Sales, Flea Markets, and Swap Meets

Another great place to find inexpensive materials are garage, estate, and yard sales. Sometimes you can even find stacks of magazines that are free for the taking.

Don’t rule out photo albums or discarded scrapbooks, either. You can find some interesting pictures and ephemera that may have been let go.

Packaging

A big way that companies compete for customers these days is with their packaging. Marketing materials have great lettering and graphics, and some even use really good, sturdy papers.

Some of my favorite collage papers were once branded paper bags or papers that were used to wrap an item.

images of tissue paper and shopping bags

Craig's List, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay...

Facebook Marketplace and Ebay are great places to find vintage magazines. If you have a theme you like to work with like music, people and faces, houses, flowers, a certain era, etc., it’s easy to find larger lots of similarly bundled magazines. Even better if you can find the lots offering local pickup, and save on shipping!

Likewise, Craig’s List is a good place to find things for free that people just want picked up and out of their house or garage.

Etsy and Other Artists

If you don’t feel like searching through books and magazines there are plenty of artists who make and sell pre-made collage pages from images they have either created, or stock photos that they have compiled into sheets.

You can shop and find almost any theme you want through Etsy sellers, or direct from artist web sites.

NOTE: it is not OK to print artists works and use them for your own without purchasing, unless otherwise stated by the artist.

Your own Trash

I know. That sounds gross. But hear me out…

Some food boxes (like cereals and crackers) are a nice heavy weight option to either collage on, or to become parts of pages onto which you glue collage.

If you progress from collaging alone, to building your own junk journals (like I teach) you will be glad you collected some of these heavier pieces.

Make Your Own

Obvious, right? But I’m not talking about just taking or drawing your own pictures and cutting them out to glue somewhere else, but that is totally a source of collage!

Once you get some collage done scan it into your computer and cut out and reassemble portions for a new look. You may also want to scan other things you’ve made like paintings, sewn pieces, photo albums. 

Start looking at things around you differently. Anything can be photographed and used for collage.

image of collage elements sheet
Example of collage sheet made from previous art journal pages.

Craft Stores

Craft stores also have decorative papers and various scrapbooking materials for purchase.

FREE Art Journaling Guide >>
Best Colors to Use in Collage:

The most obvious choice is to start out a collage piece with very colorful pieces of paper or fabric. After all, we see our world in color.

But, think differently, too! I’ve seen some really amazing pieces made of black, white, and gray, or other monochromatic color schemes.

Of course there is no right or wrong choice. I encourage you to collect a variety of images, and lettering/words, that you like.

Also, you don’t have to only work with images or decorative lettering…you can also get a lot of use out of typewritten pages and even sheet music.

Background and texture:

Another way to look at potential collage material is by texture and color. For example, you come upon a magazine ad that has a house with a yard and you LOVE the vibrant green of the grass. While you might not have an idea of how to use a photo of grass, keep the page anyway because that swatch of green grass can be used abstractly in a place where you want green (like a border, or shape, yet it has nothing to do with actual grass.

Maybe you want to make a character and you want it to have green legs. Oh, how much more interesting legs of green grass would  be, yes?

So, chances are, if you like the color of the grass itself, you will be glad you saved it when you need it.

image of crazy angel collage
Example of textured collage portions used to build character's body.
Cutting Tips:

I had a great art teacher in elementary school. So great that I remember her teaching me how to cut paper!

If you didn’t get this lesson at some point in your life, here is a tip: for precision cutting, move the paper, not the scissors. You will be amazed at how much easier your detailed cutting will be. And start deep into the blades, not at the tips.

There are some fun decorative edge craft scissors available, too. From zig zags to scalloped edges and all kinds of shapes in between.

These aren’t necessary, by any means, but they can be kind of fun.

Another option is to use an Exacto knife for those little places in which you need to get a tight cut.

And, if you want a more organic look? Tear it up! That’s right…no rules when it comes to collage art. The deckled edge that tearing leaves behind can be fun.

TIP: If you tear towards yourself you will leave a raw piece of paper border around the edge. If you tear away from yourself your image will go to the edge  of your tear.

Glues and Wet Adhesives:

I could write a book on tapes and glues. In fact, I bet there is already a book out there somewhere. So, how does one decide?

If you’re new to collage I’d say just work with what you have. White school glue, glue sticks, paste, rubber cement, gel medium, tape or adhesive dot rollers, etc. You will see what you like to work with most as you go along.

Here is a recap of some of the adhesives I’ve tried:

White or Gel School Glue

Also known as Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) glue, this one is easy because almost all of us have it on hand. Examples of this are Elemer’s Glue, carpenter’s glue (the yellow version), school glue, and book binder’s glue. There are many brands of PVA glue available at craft stores and online.

It’s flexible, strong, and usually non-acidic, if archival quality pieces are important to you. Smaller bottles have a dispenser top, but it can also be applied with a paintbrush for a more even application.

PVA glue can make thin papers buckle and bubble.

Yes! Paste

This is my current favorite. My local craft store carries it. Despite the name “paste” it is not like the old school paste you used in third grade. It’s thick yet smooth and creamy and goes on well with a brush. It has a lower moisture content than PVA glue and therefore does not buckle most papers.

Yes! Paste is acid-free and archival quality.

Glue Sticks

I like the Uhu and Avery brands, and the blue and purple colored ones the most because you can easily see where glue has been applied. They dry clear and both are acid-free.

Glue sticks also have a low amount of moisture and therefore don’t wrinkle average papers.

Mod Podge and Gel Medium

Mod Podge and acrylic gel mediums can be used as an adhesive under papers, and also over the top as a sealer. They are acid-free and dry clear. You can find them in different finishes such as matte, satin, glossy, and more, depending on your desire.

As sealers over the top of collage pieces it can form a barrier between your paper products and applications of paints and other media and can receive layers of acrylic paint as well.

Matte gel medium is one of my favorite adhesives. Make sure you let Mod Podge and gel medium pieces have a good dry time so the pages don’t stick together. You can gently use a hair dryer or heat gun to speed the process and also put waxed paper between the pages once they are mostly dry, but not fully there.

Spray Adhesives

I don’t use spray adhesives because of the fumes, and I think it’s messy, but if this is something you are comfortable with, it’s an option to consider.

Rubber Cement

I haven’t worked with rubber cement for a long long time, but again, it’s another option if you don’t mind the smell.

FREE Art Journaling Guide >>
Dry Connections:

Tape Applicators and Dot Rollers

Tombow double-sided tape applicators are fast and easy to use, and less messy than wet adhesives. They’re still really sticky and if you’re trying to work them right up to the edge of your paper they can still be a little messy.

They’re a fun alternative, and you can purchase refills in bulk.

These pre-loaded Tombow adhesive dot applicators are also a strong adhesive option that applies a double sided dots. They also take refill cartridges. 

There are other brands of applicators that also work well.

Tapes

Tapes, tapes, tapes! So many to choose from.

Washi tape is a favorite for it’s bright colors and patterns and the fact that it can be lifted and repositioned without damage to the paper below. It’s also strong and somewhat flexible.

I also like using colorful masking tape and painters tape, which comes in multiple colors now. Masking tape is paper based so most times it will take media like pens and paints well without beading up. It’s fast and easy and is a great reinforcing border around the edge of pages if that’s your thing, like me.

Scotch brand tape, either the matte version or shiny version. The shiny doesn’t take media like paints or pens well but you may find that you want to use it somewhere where that isn’t a consideration. I sometimes use clear packing tape as a mock lamination for covers of my journals, or portions of pages. It can also be used as a resist for painting techniques outside of your collage work.

Duct tape is a fun addition and comes in decorative patterns and colors nowadays. There is a wide variety available in craft stores. It can be used to reinforce spines of journals, covers, or pockets, or to make hinges between pages to create fold out panels of your heavier collage pieces.

Sewing and Stitching

I’ve only used sewing or stitching in my journals a little bit but I love the look. You can adhere collage pieces to pages with hand-stitching or even with your sewing machine.

Rivets

Craft stores sell decorative rivets that can be used on paper products. It’s kind of a fun touch to secure photos, or thicker pieces of material.

Surfaces and Substrates:

You can collage on anything. I just saw an example of someone collaging onto a Pringles can. I’ve seen chairs covered in collage and tables at restaurants that were collaged and then sealed with polyurethane.

You can use pre-made art boards for a surface, paper journals that you create, or repurpose old books and glue right to the pages.

If it can hold an adhesive, it can be collaged. Of course, collaging something that will be out in the elements won’t withstand weather well so, don’t expect that to last long unless you apply some type of weather-proofed sealer.

Oh No, I Made a Mistake!

Hahahaha. I’m so funny, aren’t I?

There are no mistakes, only extra under layers that give your work more depth and texture. If you don’t like something? Put something else on top of it, or paint over it and start over. 

Some of my favorite journal covers have had multiple layers of collage and paint applied until I got a design I liked. I use gel medium on a lot of my covers and I love how multiple layers of collage applied in that way start to make it feel like a leather-bound volume.

image of art journaling roadmap
FREE Art Journaling Guide >>

Bonus Collage Help:

Make Your Collage Pieces Stand Out

Now that you’re a pro at getting all that great collage down, are you ready to make it pop?

One of the things I love about collage are the edges of pieces. It’s the perfect place to add depth and definition. You will find that different papers take different media, and some don’t take it at all, like some glossy papers.

There are so many ways to make your collaged pieces stand out, but here are a few:

Shading

Plain graphite pencil, or colored pencils are a great way to add shadowing around your collage pieces. Use the crisp edge to really get the pencil color down in there.

If pencils won’t stick to your shinier pieces of collage, fine permanent markers can also be used to crosshatch or even use different densities of tiny stapled dots to give the illusion of a shadow.

Really though, any media can be used for shading, such as acrylic paints, or even staining with coffee or tea.

The idea is to just make a faint border around the edges to draw the eye in.

Outlining

I. Love. Outlining.

It’s hard for me to not outline collage pieces in some way. Whether it’s just a black or white paint pen or marker, or making some type of other border around my collage pieces…I just can’t stop.

But outlining, either up close to the edge of your collage pieces, or a little further out with multiple outlines or border elements, serves to highlight your images and say, “Look here! This is important!”

I’ve had a love affair with fine tip Micron pens for quite a while. Their delicate felt tips make the most delicious dark black, permanent lines.

Try an assortment and see which tip size you like the best. There is also a real nice brush style tip.

If you prefer colors other than black, acrylic paint markers are great, too. There are so many options in paint pens but I prefer the acrylics because once they dry they won’t smear if they come into contact with other wet media like paints or glues.

They go over most media too, including some of the shinier papers found in magazines.

Depth and Texture

Other ways of highlighting different parts of your collage is by getting a little more 3D. Cut out borders from your thicker collage materials and glue them down and embellish, like frames. 

Glue down strings or fibers to create frames. I’ve even used beads of hot glue and carved it around favorites parts of my collage. Heck, you can glue down split peas and paint them.

Try everything! What’s the worst that could happen?

Storage and Organization

You will find as many ideas for storing your collage as there are people out there doing collage! Here are a few ideas:

File Folders

Regular old manilla file folders are easy to use, and label. For collections of smaller pieces I like to tape up the sides so the bitty parts don’t slip out. Just be sure that none of the adhesive part of the tape is exposed inside your folder or your collage will stick to it, and no one wants that!

Ziploc Baggies

Baggies are a great way to store smaller pieces too, and you can see the basic contents at a glance. I’m a little in love with binder clips and keep collections of baggies together and hang them on a peg board.

Craft Storage Drawers

This is another thing I could go a little crazy with. I have stackable plastic drawer units that I got from Walmart. I keep my larger pieces in these drawers.

Sort by Theme, Color, Weight of Material

I like to sort my collage by elements that I work with a lot. I have folders for face parts, body parts, flowers, lettering, etc.

I have folders and baggies with areas of color cut out (like my green grass example above) and I have folders for images of just windows, doors, and buildings.

You will find what your recurring themes are and you’ll find what organization works best for you. And…once you get that, you may even decide to try it a different way. Or, you’ll just throw it all into a bin and dig around in it every time you sit down to work.

I have plenty of bins with magazines, and shelves with picture books. I have a box with old decorative shopping bags and discarded wrapping papers and greeting cards.

Organizing is a really personal process so everyone will do this part differently, for sure. I’d love to see what you come up with.

From materials to adhesives to techniques and storage, there is so much to the world of collaging. The resources I’ve shared are still just the start of a collaging journey, and I still learn new things every day.

If you’d like more information or help about how I use collage in my art journaling, be sure to grab my Free Jumble Journal Roadmap. 

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