Why Do I Teach Collage?
Colour Collage 1 will start soon, running from 1-21 March. This is the last time it’ll be offered as a live course and I’d like to tell you some reasons why I find painted paper collage to be an ideal way to teach various aspects of art, specifically design, colour and composition. The technique of painted paper collage works especially well for this three-week long art course, with adequate time to explore and experiment with eighteen art projects + bonuses over three weeks.
When I started teaching online in 2015, I used still-life as theme. The main focus for these courses were on paintbrush techniques, layering of colours and composition. When I incorporated a project on tissue paper collage in one of these courses to explain the layering process and ways to control translucent layers with paint mediums, it dawned on me just how valuable the collage processes were. It’s incredibly useful to understand how colours, textures and layers work together to create dynamic artworks, regardless of subject matter. I did a lot of experimenting with papers for collaging and found the most suitable option for thin layering.
The technique of collaging with painted papers helps one to be bolder with colour combinations and to experiment with brush techniques creating dramatic forms and patterns. Having the options to see what colours, textures and shapes work well when placed together is unique to this way of working.
As a professional artist and designer I find collage invaluable when planning compositions in miniature and to experiment with placement of textures and layered forms before creating them as larger painted artworks on canvas or paper. I use the exact same paints and mediums in the collages as I do in my canvas paintings and have developed ways to incorporate more water-based mixed media to expand what’s possible and to explore new ideas.
I continue to experiment with materials and techniques and add them to my collage courses. Colour Collage 1 Is the third collage course I’ve created and this is the last time it’ll be offered as a live course. This means that the course has a specific time schedule, has projects released daily (apart from Sunday), and I’ll be available to answer questions and to give feedback in an exclusive closed Facebook group. This is a valuable addition to the live course where you’ll get extra feedback and will be able to network and to post and see what other students have created.
The course is suitable for artists, illustrators and designers at all stages of their creative journey and all content will be available for three months after it finishes.
To see outcomes from the previous collage course, Imaginarium and other Explore Colour courses have a look at Colourexplorers an Instagram account featuring students’ work.