Collage Design

Design is one of the most important aspects of collage. Even though the workis an assemblege, it needs all the important aspects of a traditional painting.This includes values (a full range with a light light and a dark dark), colorharmony, and design.

Poor mixed media and collage art is often due to poor design. Too many objects, no center of interest and similar flaws. One easy method to help your design is have the major element very large, say 20% to 40% of the total image. And supplement it with smaller elements.

Notan

One good design exercise is notan. Notan means light and dark and was taughtby Arthur Wesley Dow in the early 1900's. I like the simplicity and pure design.Most are black and white, but occasionally I paint the paper black and dark bluefor a subtle contrast. Where the paper is cut, it is folded out in a mirrorreversal. To try a notan, start with a square or rectangle of black paper. Use scissorsor a kife to cut the paper. When a section is cut, it is folded out in a mirrorimage. One of the unusual aspects of notan, is you don't know the finishedsize of the piece until you are done. I cut the paper, position them sectionsout, and when done measure the total image size. I cut a piece of rag mat boardor 300 lb. watercolor paper eight inches larger to leave a four inch border onall four sides. I can add a 3 hour notan exercise to any mixed media workshop we do. Contact joel for details.

Notan 071000 Dos Gatos Notan 101200