Hellmuth - Collage discovery workshop

collage discovery workshop
CLAUDINE HELLMUTH

www.artistsnetwork.com

{About the Author}

Claudine Hellmuth is a nationally known collage artist whose work has been chosen as fine art poster designs, featured in numerous magazines, used as book cover artwork and published as rubber stamps, journals, magnets, greeting cards, drink coasters and more.

With an education background in fine art from the Corcoran College of Art, Claudine approaches collage the old-fashioned way. She enjoys the challenge of working with a variety of materials and cutting, pasting and painting her artwork by hand. In addition to working on her art full-time, Claudine teaches mixed-media collage workshops in the United States and Canada.

Claudine's studio and home is in Orlando, Florida, where she lives with her husband, Paul, and their very spoiled four-legged childrenthe cats Melvis and Maggie and Toby the wonder dog. To learn more about Claudine, visit her Web site at: www.collageartist.com.

ABOVE RIGHT: Count the Boundaries 6 x 4 x 2 (15cm x 10cm x 5cm)

Collage Discovery Workshop 2003 by Claudine Hellmuth. Manufactured in the USA. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote a brief passage in review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

11 10 9 8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hellmuth, Claudine

Collage discovery workshop / by Claudine Hellmuth.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-343-3 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-58180-343-5 (alk. paper)

1. Collage. I. Title.

TT910.H45 2003

702'.81'2dc21

2003051285

Editor: Liz Schneiders
Designer: Stephanie Strang
Cover Art: Claudine Hellmuth
Layout Artist: Kathy Gardner
Production Coordinator: Sara Dumford
Photographer: Tim Grondin and Christine Polomsky
Photo Stylist: Jan Nickum

metric conversion chart

dedication

TO MY HUSBAND, PAUL, without your constant cheerleading and support, I could never have the freedom to do what I love.

AND TO MY PARENTS, thank you for always believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dreams.

acknowledgments

I would like to thank North Light Books for believing in me as a first-time author. I would also like to thank my editor Liz Schneiders for all her hard work and ingenious ideas. Also, I want to say thank you to designer Stephanie Strang, photographer Tim Grondin and the many other people along the way who have made this book something that I am truly proud of. To all of you, thank you.

{INTRODUCTION}

the magic of Collage

W hat IS Collage? Collage is defined by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as AN ARTISTIC COMPOSITION MADE OF VARIOUS MATERIALS (AS PAPER, CLOTH, OR WOOD) GLUED ON A SURFACE. That's exactly what it is! You can use any materials in any way and glue them down to create a piece of artwork. What could be more exciting or full of creative possibility than that?

You Don't Need to Be an Artist

Collage is unlike any other artistic medium because you don't have to start from scratch. You can borrow already existing materials to make your art piece and to tell your story. Therefore, you do not have to be a great artist to create a collage or enjoy doing it. You do not even need to know how to draw! You simply need to open your imagination and let yourself be free to try new things, and soon you'll be having a lot of fun.

It's All About Play

I think as you start to try collage you'll begin to see that collage is all about play and pasting materials down and seeing what happens next. There is no way to make a mistake! If you don't like something, you can paste over it, paint over and add something else. There is no way to fail.

Find Your Creative Voice

Did you know that simply experimenting with collage can help you find and improve your creative voice? As I work on my collage pieces I like to ask myself questions. Why do I like a certain color, pattern or arrangement? Why do I choose this piece and not that one?

Ask yourself these questions often enough and you will learn to trust your own creative talents. And your artwork will get better because of it. I have added journaling prompts on to help you on your creative journey.

The World Is Your Resource