Week three of the 100 Days of collage challenge! (You can find the skill share course HERE)

This week’s focus was Mixed Media Mastery!

For Day 15 our prompt was to create a mixed-media collage that explored the beauty of nature. We were encouraged to incorporate elements like leaves, flowers, or twigs. We created our own gel plate collage papers with watercolours, acrylics, and ink. This enabled us to capture the vibrant colours and textures of the natural world.

I used a variety of leaves from my back garden to create my gel plate printed collage papers. I enjoyed layering up the negative space in my prints to create these abstract designs.

For my final image, I incorporated several of the gel plate collage papers I made. I also used a miniature collage I made last week as a focal point, amongst some printed leaves. I also added some script patterns over the top of my collage for an extra layer of pattern and interest.

For Day 16 our challenge was called “Time Piece”. This was because the process of creating our papers took a long time. For this challenge, we made a gel plate print using many layers. This involved letting each layer of the paint dry completely before adding the next layer to the gel plate.

Although I usually hate waiting for things, I really enjoyed the process of making this paper! I loved the textured design that came from it. I loved it so much that I have made several other prints using this technique since. For my collage, I ended up just sticking the whole print into my journal. I loved the design so much and wanted to keep it in its original form. I added a sentiment at the top- “good things take time.” as a nod to the prompt.

For Day 17 the theme was “Abstract Landscapes”. For this collage, we created a piece inspired by a strata composition. This means creating layers or levels of texture to form an abstract
landscape. The other part of the challenge was to use at least 5 different types of paper for our collage.

I used several gel plate prints that I had made in a prior session to create my abstract landscape. I used a photograph I had taken on my phone of a landscape to loosely base my design upon.

On Day 18 our prompt was “Tissue Paper Water colour”. For this prompt we were tasked to
craft a collage using recycled white tissue paper and water colour. We wet the tissue paper with a spray bottle and arrange it on a surface. I used “Brusho” to create my water colour effect. Brusho is a highly pigmented, powder form of water colour.

For my final piece in my art journal I used a piece of the tissue I’d created as a background. I scumbled over the top of the tissue with gold paint. I thought this created a very psychedelic effect. I decided to add these water colour collage mushrooms I had made a while ago and had in my stash!

Days 19 and 20 the prompts were “Black and white” and ” Re-use and restore”. For the Black and white prompt I created some prints on tissue paper. I used a gel plate and a Posca pen to create interesting script patterns. I also raided my stash for as many black and white papers I could find.

For the Re-use and restore prompt we were encouraged to use recycled items. For my collage I used an old playing card, some scrap cardboard, and a business card. I also used some old items I had in my craft stash from previous projects.

Day 21 and the final day of week three! We were tasked to create a collage using one or more of the techniques we had learned throughout the week.

For my collage I decided to use the techniques from day 16 “time piece”. I created some more papers using the slow layering technique we learned in that session. I loved creating these highly textured papers. I also added some of the tissue paper I had made in week 19 for the black and white prompt. I love how easy it is to layer up the marks using the tissue paper. It creates texture but still enables you to see the paper underneath.

My favorite part of this week’s classes was creating the layered gel plate papers. I learned that it really does pay to take your time if you want to create depth in your prints. I also really enjoyed working with tissue paper. I hope to create more interesting textures and layers with it in future collages.

See you next week for week four of my 100 days of collage challenge where we will be exploring texture!