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Collage Playground: A Fresh Approach to Creating Mixed-Media Art
It's time for your creativity to come out and play!Remember the carefree spirit you had as a child? It's time to recapture that sense of wonder and excitement in your art with Collage Playground! Come play with author Kimberly Santiago as she introduces you to 10 simple techniques and 25 projects that take the "work" out of collage and bring back in the fun.As your imagination is reignited, you • Discover textural ways to create with papers, fabrics, paints and more • Learn tips for building up and using your own collage stash • Receive plenty of inspiration and encouragement from beautiful variations and helpful sidebarsGrab your pencil box and supply pail and join in on Collage Playground!
- GenresArtCraftsNonfiction
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2010
7 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 15, 2013
This is a good introduction to collage. I may have found it more useful if I came from a scrapbook background, but I am a painter and so that has influenced how useful I found this book.
Kim's writing style is friendly and conversational and really easy to read. I liked her emphasis on playing. Which was evident throughout the book. Having fun, trying new things. There is a good basic introduction to art supplies that would be helpful in collage. Then Kimberly went through some projects to create collage elements. There were a couple of sections I found interesting in here. Particularly the weaving sparked a few ideas for me.
Kimberly then takes you through numerous projects, illustrating different ideas that she is highlighting. While there are some other media, the primary media is collage, which I guess is only natural in a collage book. Some examples were stepped through, and some weren't, but all the guidance was clear. Most of her examples were geared towards finished works and canvases, but there was plenty I saw that could be translated to an art journal. Her use of fusible webbing as an adhesive is genius!
I wonder if it is my particular painter-bias, but I did feel that many of the projects felt a bit busy and paint by numbers (and there is nothing at all wrong with that, if that is what you are looking for), and I didn't get a clear sense of story telling through the works created (which is something I was looking for). I was left thinking that I would have taken things further and the projects felt a bit unfinished to me.
I do want to stress that I felt there was a strong scrapbooking/craft influence and I think it will be wonderful for you if that is your style. This rating is not reflective of the information contained within, it is reflective of the fact that this was not to my style.
Kim's writing style is friendly and conversational and really easy to read. I liked her emphasis on playing. Which was evident throughout the book. Having fun, trying new things. There is a good basic introduction to art supplies that would be helpful in collage. Then Kimberly went through some projects to create collage elements. There were a couple of sections I found interesting in here. Particularly the weaving sparked a few ideas for me.
Kimberly then takes you through numerous projects, illustrating different ideas that she is highlighting. While there are some other media, the primary media is collage, which I guess is only natural in a collage book. Some examples were stepped through, and some weren't, but all the guidance was clear. Most of her examples were geared towards finished works and canvases, but there was plenty I saw that could be translated to an art journal. Her use of fusible webbing as an adhesive is genius!
I wonder if it is my particular painter-bias, but I did feel that many of the projects felt a bit busy and paint by numbers (and there is nothing at all wrong with that, if that is what you are looking for), and I didn't get a clear sense of story telling through the works created (which is something I was looking for). I was left thinking that I would have taken things further and the projects felt a bit unfinished to me.
I do want to stress that I felt there was a strong scrapbooking/craft influence and I think it will be wonderful for you if that is your style. This rating is not reflective of the information contained within, it is reflective of the fact that this was not to my style.
September 2, 2022
You can check out the Review - https://youtu.be/vqOS6kHtph0
July 26, 2016
Collage Playground provides a solid start for a beginner collage artist. There is a useful introduction to the tools and materials needed to create collages; there are 25 projects that are explained clearly step by step with accompanying photos; the projects are relatively easy to execute; and Kimberly Santiago's style is bright and colorful.
The book teaches basic techniques like creating your own backgrounds and layered collages, adding depth and texture through the use of text or popup images. There are also interesting tutorials on using vellum and textile in collage art. But while I enjoyed the book, I didn't learn very much from it. My favorite section was the chapter on creating your own collage materials - especially the ideas of weaving paper and making backgrounds using a repetitive design - but I've come across most of the concepts online and from other books.
Santiago's works are cheerful and attractive, but I find the collages in the book very neat and simple. That's not a bad quality in itself, but the style may not be to everyone's taste. Overall, good book for starters but perhaps not so exciting for someone with more experience in collage or mixed media art.
The book teaches basic techniques like creating your own backgrounds and layered collages, adding depth and texture through the use of text or popup images. There are also interesting tutorials on using vellum and textile in collage art. But while I enjoyed the book, I didn't learn very much from it. My favorite section was the chapter on creating your own collage materials - especially the ideas of weaving paper and making backgrounds using a repetitive design - but I've come across most of the concepts online and from other books.
Santiago's works are cheerful and attractive, but I find the collages in the book very neat and simple. That's not a bad quality in itself, but the style may not be to everyone's taste. Overall, good book for starters but perhaps not so exciting for someone with more experience in collage or mixed media art.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews