• Write Your Recipe
• Create Your Collage
• Create Your Own Collage Papers
  • Introduction
  • Create your own papers using collage
  • Create your own papers using rubbings
  • Textures exercise: Making Rubbings
  • What are 'rubbings'?
  • Making rubbings - Step 1
  • Making rubbings - Step 2
  • Making rubbings - Step 3
  • Create your own papers using mark making
  • Suggestion - What next?
• Create Your Animation

Creating your own collage papers is fun, easy and much cheaper than buying fancy papers.

What is collage?

The name collage comes from the French word ‘to glue.’ A collage is a picture made by gluing down different materials including paper, fabric and other objects, such as buttons.
In this exercise you’ll find out how to create three different types of decorative papers using:

• Collage

• Rubbings

• Mark making

What might these exercises offer?

Creating collage papers:

• Gives us practice in using a number of different techniques and materials

• Inspires us to look at our surroundings to find interesting textures for taking rubbings

• Encourages us to enjoy ‘upcycling’ – this means making over old things into new. Decorating old papers, reusing bits of coloured envelopes and so on are great ways to be creative with what we have to hand

How long will the exercises take?

Click through these suggestions for ways to create your own collage papers to see which technique/s you'd like to use. Creating samples in each technique can take from ten minutes or longer, dependent on how long you'd like to take.  Remember it’s a good idea when doing a creative exercise to have a break from it and come back to it with fresh eyes.