This is a mixed media collage that I put together in almost no time at all this week:
Putting it together was quick and easy because I have a big stash of Art Parts.
What Are Art Parts?
Art Parts are individual elements that are made in advance so they can later be combined into a finished artwork. They’re different for everyone because everyone’s art process is different. They might be painted papers, gelatin prints, drawings, small stitched elements, stamped images, cut shapes, embellishments, or interesting leftovers.
They do not need to have a particular artwork destination when I make or save them. They simply need to hold some possibility and my storage of them needs to be organized enough to find them when I do need them.
The most important thing about Art Parts is not what they are. It is how they change the process of making art.
Making Art Parts: Embossing Leftover Paper Strips
I often use really nice watercolor paper and printmaking paper. But when I’m ready to frame or mat my artwork, I end up needing to cut off some of the paper. The narrow strips left behind seem too valuable to toss. But saving scraps is only useful if I eventually do something with them. Otherwise, I am simply moving little pieces of paper from one corner of the studio to another.
In the video below, I share one way that I turn those leftover strips into useful collage material by running them through embossing folders. The embossing transforms an awkward scrap into a textured element that I am genuinely excited to use.
Art Parts Reduce Decision Fatigure
People often tell me that I’m prolific — i.e. I make a lot of work in a short period of time. The secret to my success is a big stash of Art Parts! I don’t just have art supplies. I have prepared art supplies ready to go and this reduces the number of decisions I have to make at one time.
As you can see from the image above, the art supplies are scraps of paper that I need to think about how to use. The Art Parts, on the other hand, are ready to use. Here’s a quick list of the decisions/physical labor that has already happened to that bin of Art Parts:
- I located and set up my die cut machine.
- I located my embossing folders.
- I chose embossing folder designs I wanted to use.
- I cut and trimmed the paper scraps as necessary.
- I embossed the paper scraps.
- I put away my embossing folders.
- I put away my die cut machine.
It may seem silly at first, but that’s seven things I don’t have to do when I begin a mixed media collage. If every part of making mixed media collage has seven parts, you can imagine why it takes so long and feels so difficult. Whereas, when I begin with an Art Parts stash by my side, so much has already been prepared for me.
I often use cooking as a metaphor. We love bagged lettuce and already cut up veggies to speed up the process of making healthy food. Art Parts is the same concept. You’re taking ingredients (art supplies) that you know you’re going to use and preparing them ahead of time so that they’re ready to go when you need them! And unlike food, there’s no expiration date!
My mantra is “A stash is not automatically a system.” My goal is to create a collection that supports the way I work. My bin of embossed white paper is useful because I know why I made it and how I tend to use it. The pieces add texture without forcing a color decision, and they can be painted, printed, torn, cut, or used as they are. They have earned their place in my studio.
Learn the Complete Art Parts Framework
The embossed scraps in the video are one small example of Art Parts in action. In my online class, Art Parts: A Mixed Media Collage Framework, I teach the complete system.
We look at how to create and organize a useful collection of Art Parts, how to identify the elements that will work for your particular artistic style, and how to use those parts to build layered mixed media collages.
We also explore how Art Parts can help you move beyond your first idea, work more improvisationally, and make composition feel less overwhelming. The emphasis is not on copying a particular finished collage. It is on learning a flexible framework that you can continue to use with your own supplies, imagery, colors, and visual language.
The class contains 14 lessons and 13 step-by-step videos. All of the lessons are available as soon as you register, and you have indefinite access to the class. There is no required supply list because the goal is to make this system work with the materials you already enjoy using.
Learn more and register for Art Parts: A Mixed Media Collage Framework.
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