Shelley Klammer

Gathering Your Collage Supplies

Many people ask where I find my collage materials. Here is a list of ideas for image sourcing:

1.) Libraries - Each year, libraries sell discarded books and magazines that are excellent for cutting up. Alternatively, you can spend an afternoon looking through books in the library for intriguing imagery to photocopy in colour or black and white.

2.) Thrift Shops - Look for antique and old nature books at thrift shops. I have an entire library of old picture books just for cutting up.

3.) Buying Magazines - I buy magazines just to cut up - especially European magazines filled with unusual imagery.

4.) Buying Bargain Books - I often buy gorgeous new image books to cut up. I search the bargain book section in the discounted section of bookstores.

5.) Dollar Stores - I search dollar stores for cheap printed tissue papers, wrapping papers, scrapbook papers and even patterned kleenex.

6.) Craigslist and Online Free Sites - Look online for people who are wanting to get rid of old magazines and books for free.

8.) Art Supply Stores - Origami paper, as well as beautiful handmade papers are available in art supply stores.

9.) Online Imagery - Specific imagery can be searched and printed off of Google Images Pinterest and Tumblr etc.

10.) Wallpaper and Paint Stores - Ask your local paint and decorating store if you can have their old wallpaper sample books. Coloured paint chips work well in a collage as well.

11.) Expired Calendars - These are great for backgrounds and larger collages.

12.) Found Items - Old peeled paint, unique hang tags from clothing or housewares, travel brochures, old playing cards, game pieces, bits of ribbons, pieces of netting used to bag produce create an eclectic collage toolkit.

Here is a list of ideas for collage materials:

- Art and Craft Magazines have expressive imagery that adds depth, colour, and interest to collages.

- National Geographic Magazines have imagery that taps into the unfamiliar that is good for exploring the unconscious mind.

- Fashion, Home Design, and Martha Stewart magazines have imagery that illustrates the ideal social self.

- Psychology, Yoga, Oprah, and Self-Help Magazines tap into encouragement, inspiring quotes and helpful wisdom.

- Dover Illustration Books - An endless source of reasonably priced, copyright-free illustrations that can be photocopied for collage. Illustrations can be ordered online in book or CD format for computer printing.

- Second-hand Animal, Flower, and Nature Books - illustrate symbolic aspects of our inner nature.

 - Vintage Books - Available in second-hand stores and thrift shops for reasonable prices, old books can be torn and cut up for collage.

 - Coloured and Printed Tissue Paper - provides layering and transparent veiling over other collage items.

- Old Drawings and Paintings - illustrate past feelings and selves.

- Colour Photocopies - any image from any book can be colour or black and white photocopies for evocative collages.

- Old Greeting Cards and postcards - for beautiful imagery and encouraging quotes.

- Printed Napkins and Kleenex - adds texture, print, and colour to collages.

- Fabric - adds warmth and texture.

- Wrapping Paper - check specialty paper boutiques for reasonably priced unusual prints and subject matter.

- Scrapbook Papers - some scrapbook papers are visually rich and offer vintage and antique looks that add patina to collages.

- Old Fine Art and Art Instruction Books - can be photocopied, or cut up for gestural drawings and artistic imagery.

Imagery Online

An American academic is creating a searchable database of 12 million historic copyright-free images. Kalev Leetaru has already uploaded 2.6 million pictures to Flickr. Use the link to see many hard-to-find historic images all for free now online here.

Other Items for Collage:

- Maps

- Dictionary pages

- Dress patterns

- Leaves, ferns, dried flowers

- Old stamps

- Yarn, ribbon, cord

- Buttons

- Vintage photos

 - Junk mail

- Origami paper

*I use found imagery for personal therapeutic purposes only. Please take care to check into image copyrights if you are selling your collages.

 

One Word for the New Year

Let Your One Word Intention Choose You!

I thought I had chosen my "word" for 2017. Yet, I decided to spontaneously choose one for my new collage journal, and I was utterly amazed how my word for 2017 chose me! 

The word dramatic surprised me, yet since most of 2016 was spent quietly behind my computer finishing up ten years worth of writing projects, this is my year to get in front of the camera to teach on Life Book 2017.

Dramatic is a wonderful opposite to my introverted, contemplative writer self!

Synonyms for dramatic are: considerable, substantial, sizeable,  marked, noticeable, appreciable; significant, notable, noteworthy, remarkable, extraordinary, exceptional, phenomenal. How exciting is this?! 

Spontaneously Choosing a Word

1. Ask the question, "What word do I want to live into in 2017?"
2. Intuitively choose a magazine.
3. Flip through until you find a word that surprises or delights you, and cut it out.
4. Research and contemplate what your word means to you. 
5. Create a collage to celebrate and illustrate your word.

Reasons for Choosing a One Word New Year's Resolution

1. Choosing ONE WORD for the next 12 months invokes clarity. Most of us forget our long list of intentions. It is easier to remember one word.

 2. ONE WORD deepens change. It relieves the pressure of having to make too many changes all at once and provides a laser focus on one significant change. 

What is your ONE WORD for the year?

 

Visit me on Intuitive Collage 365 - my 2017 online collage and poetry journal. 

Free Expressive Art Challenges

The Urge to Express Authentically

Expressive art requires no special talent, skill or inspiration. Because your original style is already within, you are already good enough to begin expressing yourself.

You are creative and whole, now and always. Authentic creative expression simply amplifies and reminds you of your wholeness.

Talent Arises Out of Self-Love and Acceptance

Your creativity is available at all times and needs only an invitation to reawaken. True "talent" as an artist comes from taking risks and being willing to express everything - light and dark.

In my opinion, "good" art is authentic art, no matter what it looks like. In authentic art, you do not pre-plan anything. You can learn to embrace whatever you express without judgment.

As soon as you try to create something "good" it is easy to become tense and self-critical. Authentic creativity is about loving yourself just as you are, allowing yourself to express yourself without shame or judgment.

I invite you to explore and learn more about creating without pre-planning. 

Painting for Product or Process

I once visited an artist who had two distinct styles of painting. Her one style was realistic. She laboured over her realistic paintings, placing a heavy emphasis upon trying out new techniques. She told me that she liked to challenge her mind to stretch in new artistic ways and that she often copied other artist's styles.

"I work very hard on these paintings!" she told me. This is what I would call her cultivated style. She painted this body of work for the results they produced.

When I pointed out several of her almost primitive, tribal paintings on her studio wall she laughed. "Oh, those are easy!" She exclaimed. "I do those just for myself for relaxation. I have been drawing like that since I was a child." She told me that her intuitive paintings just poured out of her effortlessly but that she thought they were strange and not very marketable.

To me, her intuitive paintings were beautiful. They were alive, full of risk and adventure. These paintings were an outpouring of her natural, intuitive style. She painted this body of work for the passion of the creative process.

Two Ways to Fall in Love with Your Innate Creativity:

It is my intention, through these spontaneous art challenges, that you fall in love with your own creative process - and your true self along the way. If you have not tried creating spontaneously since you were a child you will be amazed at the worlds upon inner worlds for you to discover. Spontaneous creativity is truly an endless adventure. 

1. 30 Day Expressive Drawing Challenges

I invite you to explore a 30 day spontaneous creative practice to see what it opens up inside of you. Try making mandalas, intuitive drawing or inner child drawing for 30 days just to see how you will change by the end of the process.

2. 90 Day Collage Challenge

I invite you to create 90 spontaneous collages and post them on Instagram and hashtag #collageforselfdiscovery

Many have already participated in this challenge. You can visit all the wonderful collages HERE 

Tag me @shelleyklammer if you would like me to witness your process.

 

Inspiration for Your 90 Day Collage Challenge