COLLAGE WITH UPCYCLED PAPERS

Photomontage allows artists to splice together different images to make a statement. 

Photomontage began as a style of experimental photography in which the photographer makes a work of art by combining several different photographs. Before digital technology, this was often done with scissors and glue. The end result was then photographed and processed to get a seamless image. In modern times this may be easier to accomplish simply by using photo editing software. However, here we'll use the good, old-fashioned collage method!

Easy collage using scraps of bad photos.

Here's an easy one, above:

I cut strips with a paper cutter.

Vary the widths and lengths 

for added interest. Arrange

the pieces on a backing of

matboard, trying them every

which way until your composition is pleasing.

When you glue the pieces down, leave mosaic-like 
spaces if desired.

TIP: If you don't care for the color of the matboard, 
use a ruler and marker to change it!

Another image from my new photo book!

 The collage above was also done with strips, but without any spaces between them. Too, I added a few short pieces to the top and bottom, and staggered the edges for even more interest.

The next project, below, is yet another lesson using discarded photo papers. My advice? If you don't have many reject-photos to create this type of collage, make it from magazine or scrapbooking papers.

I used 3 different photos of the same subject here.

Note: some edges were torn rather than cut, to better tie in with the subject-matter. My background was an enlargement that seemed boring to me. Before adhering the extra pieces, I used a black marker on their edges for more contrast.

I think the finished piece is far more successful than the original photos were. 

Which of the three collages do you prefer, if any?

All of them (and so many

more ideas!) appear in 

this book, below, available

at Amazon.com