So, I was browsing blogs the other day, and came across a wonderful post by an artist named Martha Brown. I have always been intrigued by collages; have even bought dozens of books and magazines.. and have also tried many techniques and failed. But, as I sat there reading her post about a collage in progress, it all came clear to me.  The technique was so simple; and yet I struggled for years to understand it.

At first, I was just excited to learn a new technique that I could someday use… but, as I started thinking of Create a Prim again and how I will be updating it; an idea popped into my head. I could recreate my house graphics in collage art! You see, a few days ago I had decided that I will be changing the business name “Create a Prim” to “Crafty Avenue”; so that it would appeal to a broader audience. Looking at all the prim colors and graphics, I knew that will have to be updated too. So, then I got really excited! I set up my easel, taped down some bristol board and dragged out my paints. I was itching all day to get the kids to bed so I could get to work!

Finally the time came to play, and I had a blast! I tried to take photos along the way, but I was too excited, so I kept forgetting! lol First I drew up a sketch on paper the houses I needed to create. Then, I sketched them out on my bristol board. I pasted down some black and white scraps of paper that I got from newspapers, and images I made on the computer then printed.

Next, I did a very light gesso wash over the papers so it wasn’t so dark. Then painted color washes over the houses. I forgot to not color over where I wanted the doors and windows! uh oh! Good thing I know how to edit photos in PhotoShop. I’ll take care of that later..

I added finishing touches with colored paper, some text from newspapers, and my favorite part: charcoal pencil! I love how the charcoal pencil finishes it all up.

It was a really messy first try; but I think over all it was a success! I have some major cleaning up to do in PhotoShop. Here’s a sample of what I’ve done on the computer so far:

As you can see, I’ve cut the houses out from the original messy background; then added in a drop shadow. I’ve also enlarged the text on the houses so you can read it at this small size (still need to do the shop one!). I also changed the color of the windows and doors a bit so they stand out more. A little more work, and we have new graphics for Create a Prim… I mean Crafty Avenue! ;0)

This has been so much fun; I can’t wait to start on some collage art that I can actually hang on the wall! My easel will not be put away until I give it another try. But first I have some cleaning up to do around it! lol