The Collage Workbook: How to Get Started and Stay Inspired

The only type of collage artist I think would NOT benefit from this book is one of whom all three of the following are true: 1) Already technically competent; 2) Has an established style which remains entirely satisfying; 3) Never runs out of ideas or motivation. For everyone else interested in collage, I cannot imagine how this book would fail you.The key words in understanding the purpose of this book and its intended audience are in the subtitle: "Get Started" and "Stay Inspired." Everything about this book is exceptionally well-tuned to accomplish these ends. (Unfortunately, the "Look Inside" feature doesn't adequately reflect this, due to the usual mistake of omitting ALL of the main substance of the largest section of the book and including only a few of the very first pages and the last few. How many lists of supplies and materials do we need to preview? For a flip-through view of some of the other pages, see BeachBrights's video, after you get an idea of what I mean, here.)The "Get Started" component of the book can be interpreted in several ways, and The Collage Workbook admirably addresses each."Get Started" can imply: * Instruction for the complete beginner. * Prompts for getting ideas flowing. * Motivation to begin working. * Initial materials with which to work.As with every section of this book, the introductory sections on supplies, techniques, design considerations, and sources of imagery are pithier than those in most other references. They are also at least equally useful, as most, and may be more so. These sections also provide value to those artists growing jaded by long familiarity with habitual materials, supplies, and techniques, or whose imagery libraries could use sprucing up. Although, one criticism: In the "Finding Imagery Online" section, most of the Web links to clip art (also linked directly from the author's site) are to imagery suitable only for screen-resolution collages; only a few bear printing out, especially if you prefer to work in a large scale. Even so, the introductory sections proved valuable to me: Despite several years of reading on mixed-media topics, I found it refreshing to discover a method of image transfer I haven't encountered before.Additionally, the author includes a nice selection of clip art in the back of the book, also available from his Web site. Since these are already at print resolution, you may get slightly better results at larger scale; however, do realize that (like most published imagery, these days) even these examples originated as digital scans; rectilinear pixels will appear, if you enlarge too much.(For another interesting selection of incidental clip art, albeit of an entirely different style of content, see  The Art of Vintage Journaling and Collage: Techniques and Inspiration for Working with Antique Ephemera , a bargain, single-volume reprint of  Vintage Collage Journals: Journaling with Antique Ephemera  and  Vintage Collage-Works: Artful Ideas with Antique Ephemera .)The design basics, while necessary for books targeting complete novices, are largely a rehash of many of the same principles stated for the same purposes in other books. The presentation is relatively complete and unusually practical, clear, and concise, though not new to anyone who has researched similar topics. However, the visual examples included--all of it the author's work--can yield rewards to any who already know or have just learned the material, and who study the examples closely.With the aforementioned basics tidily covered, the author amply fulfills the second promise of the subtitle, "Stay Inspired." The subsequent 50 Creative Exercises compose the bulk of the book and contribute its principal value--especially for the experienced artist, who will likely gloss over the earlier sections. Each exercise includes from one to seven example collages responding to the idea of that exercise. Again, all are executed by the author. Again, with critical scrutiny, the images themselves yield insights. But the exercises are the things that make the book worth keeping close by, and for years.Examples of the 50 Creativity Exercises include: * White Out: Use shades of white as the dominant element in your collage.(This is actually a variation of, but usefully distinct from, another of the exercises....) * Color Plunge: Create a monochromatic collage in a color of your choice * Typography: Use typographic elements as graphic components, independent of their linguistic meanings. * Seeing Double: Repeat the same element in a single collage.While these examples may seem simplistic, out of context, their very simplicity functions both to keep the exercises motivating as starting-points and to keep them sufficiently adaptable, to the individual artist and surrounding working context, that they can remain fresh, even if repeated over a period of weeks, months, or years.I think that one very good way to use this book--either while first learning to work in collage, or when facing artist's block, later on--is to randomly select one technique, one design element, and one compositional strategy to employ (from the first section of the book), along with one of the 50 Creative Exercises. Then, create a collage within those constraints.If you still feel stuck about where to begin, randomly select one background element from your stash or the clip art at the back of the book, and one image to incorporate, in either a focal or supporting role. From the base of those decisions, apply the workflow principles in the "Layering 101" section of the book. The number of inspiring and motivating permutations this method would generate (especially as you add favored components to your stashes of imagery, skills, and materials) would probably outlast the physical life of this book.Further, The Collage Workbook exemplifies two benefits of presenting a range of works by a single artist--particularly when varied groups of those works proceed from the same well-defined beginnings. First, I always find it useful to be able to compare more than one application of the same design principle or fabrication technique, by the same artist. Doing so permits the studied element of the work to emerge more clearly, since the stylistic and visual vocabularies tend to be held more nearly constant. Even for new collage artists, the technical education at the beginning of the book is sufficient to permit extracting this additional layer of information from the examples of the author's work, taken as a whole.Second (and again viewed as a body of work by a single artist), an equivalent benefit derives from considering the artist's use of similar thematic content. For the astute viewer, this permits a kind of self-education on the subject of developing variations on a theme. Scanning the entire book with either this, or the immediately-preceding, consideration in mind rewards the exploration.The previous two items are useful to hold in mind when reading any book on an artistic subject. However, they are particularly useful when applied to such a large and varied--yet, stylistically-related--body of work as that presented in this compact, useful, and accessible volume.I have been researching and collecting books in the fields of mixed media, hybrid analog/digital art, and printmaking for a number of years. I have bought so many books that I've repeatedly strained my budget and have begun borrowing the available titles from the library. This book is one I renewed so many times, that I'd already decided to buy it; but when the price fell to the ridiculously low $8.97 (as of this writing), I could no longer justify delaying my purchase. I expect The Collage Workbook to hold my interest, keep me busy, and become a frequent and treasured reference, over the next several years, at least.Those who appreciate the approach of The Collage Workbook might also benefit from a couple of my other favorite references:  Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects (Lab Series)  and  Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools (Lab Series) . The approach of both books is in some ways similar to that in The Collage Workbook--concise instructions, a broad range of fundamental techniques--but adds suggested variations and explorations for transforming the results into something uniquely your own. The 52 exercises in each are neatly selected to cover a year's worth of weekly projects. Highly recommended as inspirational means of breaking through artistic paralysis.

Another great book for an artist! My husband loved it! 😍

This book is strong on listing the basic tools for collage making and has some great suggestions for collage prompt ideas but is sorely lacking in the “how to” department. I didn’t expect technique to necessarily be the primary focus but I expected more.

Love the book | Follow the artist.American collage and mixed-media artist Randel Plowman is a rare bird in the crazy-popular medium of collage.First, he is male. And, he is relatively young to be as established in the art world as he is.Second, he does not follow nor prescribe to anyone else's methods of structuring his artworks, and lastly, he is a fine writer.His assemblage techniques are straight forward, user-friendly and going through this book it is as if you were taking a class or workshop with him. I happened upon the artist well before the book, and am glad I knew of his worksAs I have said in many art book reviews before: Any "How To" is likely going to tell you something. What it will not do is make you a better artist. *That* is up to you, the end user. So, you can buy this book and others like it, and read through the text and admire the photographs and the artwork - but if you do nothing more than that please do not complain that this book did not "help" you with your art.The "help" comes from you. It is the daily, regular practice of your craft, whether you sew, knit, paint, sculpt, write or dance. The daily or very regular commitment to your muse is what makes you better.This book is a fine example of what regular practice of one's art, and of one's passion, will provide: a level of expertise good enough to share.Excellent prompts and suggestions on furthering your own work, as well as a variety of examples of collage.One of my favorite books on the subject, to date.

This workbook has some good ideas but I thought they could have come up with better collages. Some of them were so primitive, simple and childlike.

This book s excellent for beginners of this hobby and art form because it covers a lot of the basics such as the materials to use, how to mat, how to use tissue, and other topics. It also includes 50 different projects through which one comes in contact with several styles of collage making. The only thing missing is how to apply your glued pieces without the bubbles and wrinkles that are so frustrating and could ruin your beautiful work. Otherwise, I'm glad I have it as a reference book!

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was too simplistic, but when I got to the fifty exercises, I started getting excited. This is a really good basic book on design with a lot of creativity prompts that make you stop and think. I used to do a lot of collage and loved it, but life got in the way and I stopped. This book has inspired me to pick it up again and is helping me get over my fear of that white support paper that I don't know what to do with. I've started tearing up old, failed paintings and pasting them back together in new ways that I find very exciting and fun. I think this is a really good book for anyone starting out or anyone who needs some study in design.

This is a nicely put together book covering a lot of the basics -- materials, how to mat, using tissue, etc. plus 50 projects intended to introduce the reader to different styles of collage making. I do wish the book included one step by step approach to making a collage that included the glueing process and troubleshooting problems, such as dealing with bubbles and wrinkles. But overall a nice colorful book, and very well edited so there are no typos and mis-spellings.

This is an okay book but somewhat basic and not a must have book. Lots like it around.

There was a price on the book with a much smaller price. :( i bought it used.

Für Neulinge und Interessierte der Kollage-Kunst könnte dieses Buch der ideale Einstieg sein.Das Buch ist zum einen ein (nicht vollständiger) Katalog der Werke des Autors/Künstlers, zum anderen taugt es auch als Werkbuch für den Einstieg in die Kollage-Kunst.Man kann sich jede Menge Anregungen durch die gezeigten Werke holen.Man bekommt aber auch jede Menge Tips und Anleitungen zu Techniken, zum verwendeten Material, Kleber, Messer, Papier usw. Der Autor geht u.a. auch darauf ein, wo man gemeinfreie Motive im Internet finden kann, wie man Motive übertragen kann und wie man gesammelte Papierschnipsel am besten ordnet, bzw. lagert.Am Ende des Buchs gibt es als Bonus jede Menge Vorlagen, die man verwenden kann.Anhand von 50 verschiedenen Übungen z.B. zu Farbwirkung, Geometrie usw. kann man seine eigene Kreativität ausprobieren.Empfehlenswert zum Buch ist auch der Blog des Künstlers, auf dem er seine Werke veröffentlicht. Leser seines Buches haben auch etliche Werke, die von ihm inspiriert wurden, dort gepostet.Fazit:Empfehlenswertes Buch für alle, die sich näher mit der Kollagetechnik beschäftigen möchten. Da der Künstler anhand seiner eigenen Werke verschiedene Techniken usw. erklärt, darf man nicht erwarten, dass dies ein allumfassendes Buch über sämtliche Formen der Kollagetechnik ist. Diesen Anspruch erhebt das Buch auch gar nicht.

For those with a more than passing interest in collage, this book is for you. Clearly laid out and full of wonderful ideas that encourage and inform.

I liked everything about this book ... Plowman even gives you 50 assignments to get you going