These four mixed media collages began as demo pieces for my Art Parts class. I finished them over the weekend, and I’m quite pleased with how they work together as a group.
Art Parts Reduce the Number of Decisions I Have to Make
One of the things I love about working with Art Parts is that I don’t have to begin every mixed media collage with a completely blank piece of paper and an unlimited number of choices. Art Parts are simply ingredients I have prepped ahead of time: painted and printed papers, cut shapes, textured scraps, layered embellishments, partially finished backgrounds, and all kinds of other interesting bits and pieces. It’s as if I’ve meal prepped my art supplies!
Instead of asking, “What should I make?” I can begin with a much smaller and more useful question: “What can I do with these?” That change may seem small, but it makes it much easier for me to get started, experiment, and keep moving. For instance, as I worked on the four collages above, I was able to repeat certain colors, shapes, and patterns while arranging them differently in each piece. The shared Art Parts help the collages feel related, but each composition still has its own personality.
This is also one of the reasons people sometimes describe me as prolific. It isn’t that I make every part of every artwork from scratch in a single sitting. It’s that I’ve developed a few habits that make it easier to maintain my creative momentum. I work smarter, not harder. Here are four tips for you to do the same:
- KNOW THYSELF. You can’t shortcut this one. Make lots and lots of work and think about what you like and what you don’t. Look at the work of people you admire and think about what you like and what you don’t. The better you know your art tastes, the easier it is to make decisions when you’re in the midst of making art.
- BATCH. Group like tasks together and do them all at the same time. For instance, if you need to paint backgrounds, paint them all at the same time. I almost always work on multiple pieces at the same time.
- MAKE ART PARTS. Art Parts are the things that make making finished pieces quick and easy: collage papers ready to go, layered embellishments, backgrounds, etc.
- MAKE BAD ART. Lots and lots of bad art. If you’re very concerned about each piece you make being great, you’ll spend way too long worrying about every decision. Kick off your next art making session with the mantra: make bad art. This will allow you to make decisions more quickly and without a lot of tension.
Try It in Your Studio
Gather five to ten scraps, shapes, backgrounds, or unfinished experiments from your studio. Limit yourself to those materials and use them to begin a small collage. You can always add more later, but start with what is already there. A limited group of Art Parts gives you something to respond to, and responding is often much easier than inventing an artwork from nothing.
You can learn more about creating and using your own collection of Art Parts in my online class, Art Parts: A Mixed Media Collage Class.
Do you keep a collection of premade pieces, scraps, or creative leftovers in your studio? I would love to know how you use them!
Thanks for stopping by!
I like the first one with the 1 leaf the best, with the patterned paper and the textures. it’s the easiest on my eye, I’m a minamalist. all your art interests me and I want to get more activity in my art, so I keep trying.
This may be part of #1, but for me it helps to set something aside for a day or two (or 30!) and come back to it with fresh eyes. I’m much more able to be objective, to analyze what might be “off” and what needs to be tinkered with or corrected.
Loved it!