One of the ways I make a lot of mixed media collage art really quickly is by using something I call Art Parts.
What Are Art Parts?
Think about cooking. If you open your fridge and see a whole zucchini, a raw carrot, and an uncooked squash, you know you have the ingredients for a great meal—but there’s still a lot of prep work involved.
Now imagine instead that those vegetables are already washed, cut up, and cooked. All you have to do is mix them together, season them, and serve. Way easier, right?
That’s exactly what Art Parts do for your creative process. Instead of working from raw materials every time, you create pre-prepped, ready-to-use collage elements that make assembling finished artwork effortless. Watch the video for more:
Turning Supplies into Art Parts
As I explain in the video, having an art supply isn’t the same as having an Art Part. An Art Part isn’t just a book page—it’s a stamped, cut, and colored book page element that’s ready to use. It’s not just a blank tag—it’s a painted, textured, or collaged tag that’s waiting for the final touches.
For example:
- I might stamp a book page, but I don’t stop there.
- I cut out the images and set them aside as pieces I can use later.
- I might color them, layer them, or add them to a tag—but they still aren’t finished artwork yet.
- They are Art Parts—ready-made components that make assembling a final piece fast and easy.
Why Art Parts Work
When you have a stash of Art Parts, making finished artwork becomes effortless. You’re no longer starting from scratch—you’re just making creative decisions and assembling.
- Less decision fatigue – No more blank-page paralysis!
- Faster process – You’re not waiting for paint to dry or digging through supplies.
- More creative freedom – You can focus on composition and storytelling instead of technical prep.
- Easier layering & depth – Having pre-made elements encourages richer, more complex collages.
Learn How to Make and Use Art Parts!
If this idea excites you, I’m teaching a brand-new class all about how I create my Art Parts and how I use them. In this class, I’ll show you:
- How to transform basic materials into Art Parts
- How to organize and store your Art Parts so they’re always ready to go
- How to use Art Parts to make collages, tags, cards, and more—quickly and easily!
Sign up now and start making more art, faster!
In Conclusion
“Art Parts” are the mise en place of art making. Having a stash of Art Parts makes the act of making finished art quick and easy. It’s a system for making mixed media collage that I love and use almost every day.
Regardless of whether or not you sign up for class, I hope you’ll consider building up your Art Parts stash. Piles of pretty painted papers are nice, but they’re not always immediately usable and that can be exhausting. When you don’t know what to make, turn your collage fodder into Art Parts!
Thanks for stopping by!
Any good ideas on how to store your art parts?
WHAT a cool idea. So then STORAGE is a huge issue. WHERE do you keep them? AND how do you label them so that your wonderful finger tips get to find them???? Big deal for those of us with fairly small studios. Maybe address this in another blog post?
I’ve been thinking about this class since you announced it. I want to be quicker at making art, so it sounds perfect for me. But, I can’t *quite* envision the second class – how a bunch of parts will become finished art. But, that will no longer be a mystery to me, because I finally signed up! See you this Saturday, Julie!
PS I loved your Instagram Reel, with the Bruno Mars, song about joining you for a class. That also might’ve tipped me over the edge to sign up – arting with you is so fun (& productive)!
I agree that storage is a HUGE issue. Currently I have a stash of things sorted into little baggies by image type — stars in one, leaves in another, etc. – but it is a pain in the neck and the bits still get mushed out of shape. As I’m writing this it occurs to me that I store everything else (paper, fabric, paint) by color, because that’s how I tend to think when I’m assembling a collage — “I need something purple over here…” — so maybe that’s how I should sort & store my bits, too. Ideas welcome!
Love your carved stamps. They are amazing and intricate design!
some storage ideas …
shallow plastic boxes which are about the size of photographs (sold separately or in cases that hold 6-16, or so, of the shallow boxes) … case is optional … these come in “clear” and translucent colors … these are also great for hand carved stamps …
sturdy plastic envelopes (some companies sell their die sets in these), easily stored upright in a box
shallow drawer units (you could make with foamboard if you have more patience than i do) … these could even stack
photo boxes
sheet protectors
just some ideas as folks are asking about storage. susan
I have a plastic bin and all my art parts fit into it: https://amzn.to/2PBBRUu
Art Parts are pretty small. They don’t take up more room than a piece of paper. I have a plastic bin and all my art parts fit into it: https://amzn.to/2PBBRUu
Thanks, Amy! See you on Saturday!
If you think by color, then I agree — everything should be stored by color!
Thank you!
Great tips, Susan! Thanks!
Late last night, I decided to sign-up. My 100 day project is 100 days of Collage, so Art Pieces will help with my collages. Looking forward to class!
Love this technique!! It’s a starter when you just can’t get started and fill ins when you need them.