In my first blog entry I mention my love for collaging. So far I have not shown you any new ones, just those in my 'Collage' album. One reason is because I take soooo many photo's each day and want to share my adventures with you through my lens. Plus taking photo's and uploading them is much much quicker and cheaper than collaging.
I finally sat down today and took a look at my pic's and began collaging. Below you will learn my first steps in making a collage, some useful tips and some basic rules.
So, here it goes..........
The first thing that I do is pick a theme. I look at all of my photo's and start noting which ones catch my eye. I then see what the chosen photo's have in common. I have noticed that my collages are unsuccessful if I just start using pictures that do not really relate to each other. Not always but in most cases.
All my photo's in my South Padre folder go together well. They are all beach related and were all memories I have taken with me from the island.
I begin by cutting out images that I can envision fitting in with others. I look for parts of the photo that will be great for overlapping or allowing hints of a different photo to peek through.
I can see that this shark will be cool to use. I can put things in his mouth and have him poking out of the water. The photo of the wooden fence will be good for laying on top of an image as it will allow the bottom image to peek in between the poles once they are all removed.
I then layer images on top of each other and move them around to see what looks best. It is as though I am doing a puzzle. I move them back and forth, as well as upside down to see what works. It's fun!
Here are a few of the photo's that I used for this collage, followed by the final product.
I sometimes add text, paint, maps or anything else that will make the collage more interesting.
South Padre
I am happy with the way this collage turned out. The steps on the bottom of the page lead the viewers eye down to the man and young boy. He seems to spring off the final step as they run through the water. Your eye is then led over to the word 'LAUGH' which continues into the sharks mouth. Your eye follows up the shark and towards the seagull who is pointing to the title of the collage, which then forces your eye to go full circle around the piece.
That is the key to a successful collage or any piece of art. You must have balance and focal points (usually 3 main ones). It is all in the composition. That has been drummed into my head by my professors over the years. They are definitely right!
My second collage that I would like to show you is not as harmonious as 'South Padre' but it works well as a whole. Again I used images from South Padre this time mixing nature with man made objects, representing religion. Including text and a border pulls the collage together.
I really like this piece. I had trouble taking a photo of the collage that I was happy with. So I have posted a detail shot at the bottom to give you a clearer view.
Dear God
I used the same seagulls as in the first collage. I knew they would be handy. The background image can be found in my photography folder to the right of my weblog. It was taken in an Antique shop.
Detail Shot. This collage actually looks really cool just like this!
Ever watched Forest Gump? If so, you will know where that quote came from. It just popped into my head when I was looking at these two images next to one another.
I added text that I cut from the newspaper, because you can mix and match the fonts which makes it more interesting. I then painted a border. This frames the image as well as repeating what the collage is made up of...frames!
Now I am in the mood for collaging! That always happens once I getting going on one. I have two more in the making. I will have them up soon.
Feel free to post comments below. It's always good to hear your likes, dislikes or any questions...Cheers!
