What Is Collage and How Is It Made? Materials, Steps and Studio Notes

One of the things that has struck me most during my time in the studio is the surprising sense of ease people feel when making a collage for the first time. Instead of standing before a blank canvas wondering "what am I going to draw from scratch", you set off on a journey through dozens of magazine pages, old book leaves, scraps of fabric and coloured wrapping paper.

This article covers what collage is, which materials to work with, how to begin, and what happens when we gather around that table in the studio.

What is collage#

From the French coller, meaning "to glue", collage is the art of cutting and combining found materials to tell an entirely new story.

Unlike traditional painting techniques it offers the comfort of working with ready-made material. It removes the pressure of "starting from scratch" that a blank canvas creates.

To me collage is less a painting technique than a visual puzzle, or a game played freely. What I emphasise most in the studio is this: when making a collage there is no possibility of a mistake, only unexpected discoveries.

What you can use#

The list of materials is almost limitless, but these are what we reach for most:

• Old magazine and book pages: retro imagery, typography and textured papers make excellent foundations
• Handmade papers and packaging: different paper weights add depth to a work
• Fabric and thread scraps: the best option for creating a tactile quality
• Newspaper clippings and rough papers: they establish rhythm across the surface
• Paints and drawings: you do not have to limit a collage to paper

That last point matters. Adding a watercolour wash or touches of oil pastel turns the work into a mixed-media piece. It is my favourite part in the studio: rather than simply gluing papers, binding the textures together with paint gives the work an extraordinary sense of depth.

Three steps to get started#

If you are new to collage, these three steps make it noticeably easier.

First, choose your theme or colour palette. Deciding on a shared tone or mood before bringing random pieces together produces a composition that does not fall apart later.

Second, experiment before gluing. Lay the pieces out on canvas or paper, move them around, watch how the colours speak to one another, and do not touch the glue until you are sure of the composition. This is the advice I give most often: do not rush.

Third, build layers. Working from background to foreground gives the work volume. The atmosphere changes with every layer; two pieces that at first seem as though they could never belong together may suddenly become the focal point.

Around the collage table#

When we sit down at the collage table I like bringing an element of surprise into the process.

Choosing among the newspaper clippings, handmade textured papers and patterned fabrics piled on the table, the process itself can suddenly feel therapeutic. Nobody is looking for the "correct" answer; everyone finds their own combination.

What I see most in first-timers is the ease that arrives after a few minutes. Because no drawing skill is required, there is no barrier to entry; what you do is choose, cut and place.

Why it is so calming#

The reason is technical: in collage the threshold of "skill" is low but the ceiling of "expression" is high.

Drawing a face correctly takes years of practice. But placing two colours side by side and seeing how one changes the other requires no prior knowledge at all. That makes collage one of the fastest ways into making art.

In this space where boundaries disappear, the more freely you let yourself explore, the more personal and original the result becomes.

How it relates to other techniques#

Collage does not stand alone in the studio; it shares a table with acrylic, canvas, watercolour and rug weaving.

In fact its logic is surprisingly close to tufting: in both, the surface is built layer by layer, and texture matters as much as the subject. What the roughness of paper does in collage, the thickness of yarn does in tufting.

If paint interests you, I wrote separately about the difference between oil and acrylic and how oil paint works.

If you would like to try#

You do not need to buy special materials to begin. Old magazines at home, wrapping paper, a pair of scissors and glue are enough. Keep your first piece small; A4 is ideal for learning.

If you would like to come to the studio to discover your own collage world, or to meet the other techniques, I would love to have you make something over a cup of coffee. You can write through the contact page.

To see work that has come out of the studio, the gallery is here.