Art Club replay!
Collage
Hello! Many apologies for the slow replay! I’ve been so busy with the launching of my new book and getting ready for Bologna Bookfair, which I am attending just for fun, and also as a professional illustrator and teacher as well. I am going to two dinners with publishers (my first as an illustrator - so many firsts at the moment!) and I am also presenting a Bologna Masterclass in the Illustrators corner with Shelley Jackson and Rachel Bostick called Building the 3 ‘C’s—Craft, Community & Career—Through Education & Shared Experiences. I’m also doing some Portfolio Review sessions. I don’t have links for any of these yet, but when I do, I will post them. IN fact, I should really do a separate post about Bologna (are any of you going? Would anyone like a signed book? I could bring along for you).
OK, on with the replay, and I’ll write a separate Bologna and life update post.
So this week, I month it would be fun to play with collage.
As regular subscribers will know, I like to let things meander and make each Art Club fairly improvised, and this month was no exception. I’m going to be honest with you and say I was pretty disappointed with my own collage - but I thought everyone who came did great ones, so it was a successful session - AND - I am breaking my own rules saying that, because the only rule of Art Club is you do not talk about Art Club there is no such thing as bad art, so I am celebrating that I made something I wasn’t so happy with, because it means I did something! I made something and gave it a go! And it made me want to make some more, so well done me!
Also, FYI, I forgot to switch on record for the very beginning, but it was only for a bit of the chat at the beginning and the recording is still 1hr 19 mins, so plenty of Art Club to enjoy!
Below are all the details for the session, along with how to prepare and what to bring.
You need to be a paid subscriber to attend or watch the replay Art Club. You can join for £4.50 per month, or £45 per year. That is like having one fancy coffee per month, and for that, as well as access to Art Club, you can come to my Picture Book Club, and get access to my full back catalogue of videos!
MATERIALS:
To play along with the replay, gather together the following if possinle - but there’s no right or wrong, just bring along what you can. If you have limited access to materials bring some paper, a biro, a magazine and some glue!
paper - ideally A3 or bigger
because this month we are playing with collage, ideally, bring along a selection of prepared paper for collaging. If you don’t have time, you could also bring along a magazine or newspaper, in the grand tradition of collage. If you are preparing paper, you could think about bringing a selection of patterns, textures, and tones. You could also think about whether you want to curate a colour scheme. It’s entirely up to you.
art materials - Just grab what you want: inks, watercolour, gouache, graphite, charcoal. When choosing, you could think about:
washes - something where you can lay down colour quickly in a wash - paint or ink is ideal for this.
tone - what will help you add tonal details. Some dark inks, paints or charcoal pencils can be helpful for this.
detail - what can you use to add detail. This might be for drawing details or for pops of colour. coloured pencils, neocolours, crayons, pastels, ink pens, pencils etc…
I have chosen a couple of fun images to draw from, or bring along something that inspires you - or even set up your own still life.
If you can, plug in a hairdryer (safely) nearby, as I might try and use some of the larks we make in the warn up in the collage later on, but we might need to speed up drying time.
HOW:
I generally begin with a warm-up, to get you loose, and help you tap out of your thinking logical brain and working a bit more intuitively. I then begin work with the camera focused above my paper, talking you through my own experiments, which you can either join along with or go off-piste in your own direction.
See you soon!
Ella xx
The video and picture we drew from are below for paid subscribers. You can join for £4.50 per month, or £45 per year. That is like having one fancy coffee per month, and for that, as well as access to Art Club, you can come to my Picture Book Club, and get access to my full back catalogue of videos!