It’s week 5 of the 100 days of collage course! ( You can find it HERE). We have been exploring real and imagined worlds! This week was fun to try something different and explore adding narrative to our collages.

Day 29: Steampunk Fantasy

On day 29 we were tasked to craft a steampunk collage! Steampunk combines Victorian-era elements with futuristic technology, incorporating gears, cogs, and metallic textures.

For this collage I used some of the textured papers I’d made in last week’s class. I also had fun searching for steampunk images. I used a mixture of vintage papers and stickers from the Antiquarian sticker book to create my collage. For a colour palette, I tried to stick to vintage sepia tones to give it an antique look.

Day 30: Surreal Self-Portrait

For day 30 we were tasked to create a surreal self-portrait. The aim was to reflect our real-world identity and our inner world of dreams. We used photographs of ourselves as the foundation and incorporated surreal and imaginative elements to depict parts of our personality.

I used magazines, gel plate prints and more stickers alongside my photograph to create my collage. I was drawn to the imagery of eyes, masks, butterflies and bugs in my collage.

Day 31: Parallel Universe

On day 31 we were tasked to create a collage that transports the viewer to a parallel universe. We used the surrealists as inspiration to create our weird and wacky collages.

I used some of the kitchen paper prints I made last week, alongside some of the textured papers. Added to this, I used pictures from a book on Picasso and more vintage stickers. This one turned out crazy, but it was fun to play.

Day 32: Nature’s Fantasy

In day 32 we explored the magic of nature! We were encouraged to by craft a fantastical world inspired by the beauty of the natural realm. In this class, I had a go at printing on the gel plate with fresh flowers. This was a great way to get detailed textured images. I mixed my flower prints with some textured prints I’d made in earlier classes. This ended up creating a solar system of floating flowers.

Day 33: Space Odyssey Adventure

On Day 33, we were encouraged to create a collage based on outer space. We had to do work that involved galaxies, planets, and other space elements. We also had a go at making galaxy-inspired gel plate prints, which used talcum powder as a mask. This gave the effect of a sky dappled with stars.

Day 34: Timeless Tales
In this class I made a collage that focused on a specific period of the past. I wanted to use some of the Asian inspired papers I had in my stash. I created a collage inspired by the Victorian-era images I had of India. These were in the Antiquarian Sticker book.

Day 35: Mystical Realms

Our task for the last day of the week was to use any or all of this week’s prompts. I really enjoyed making a space-inspired collage but wanted to give it a more vintage style. I also liked how my textured papers looked in my floral fantasy collage. I also wanted to create more of a narrative. So I created this collage with elements of vintage papers, stickers, tissue paper and gel prints.

I am enjoying sharing my collage journey with you! Which one has been your favorite so far?

See you next week for Week 6 of 100 days of collage- “exploring mixed media techniques!”