Life's a Journey - 4x4

I'm pretty much self-taught when it comes to mixed media collage.  Almost everything I've learned has come from my own experimentation, the internet or books.  One book that I purchased last year is The Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  He uses a lot of vintage images in his collages (which I love, of course) and the book's subtitle is spot-on: How to Get Started and Stay Inspired.  It includes 50 creativity exercises with samples that definitely inspire me.  I was looking at the book over the weekend and decided to make a collage based on two of his prompts:  color plunge (make a monochromatic collage) and five-minute collage.

The five-minute time limit went out the window when I spent that much time looking for the paint chip samples I wanted to use (don't you hate when that happens?  I never did find them).


So instead I worked with some papers that were in my scrap pile.  After adhering them to a chipboard coaster, I added the vintage bicycle (a rub-on) and a portion of a round playing card.  I decided it still needed "something," and eventually I decided that something was a vintage photo.  Because the gentleman was facing the wrong way in the original photo, I added him to the collage via a gel medium transfer.  The final step was to add the title (another rub-on) and some espresso acrylic paint around the edges.  I am thrilled with how it turned out.

For more information about Randel Plowman and to see samples of his work, feel free to visit his blog called A Collage A Day.

Have a great day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Chipboard coaster 4x4 inches; miscellaneous scrapbook papers; vintage French text; old tissue paper dress pattern; Vintage Finds Rub-Ons (Michaels); round playing card; laser copy of old photo; glue stick; soft gel medium; pumice stone distress ink; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.