Street art collage techniques
Street art is everywhere. While it may seem like there’s a limited number of ways to create street art, there are actually endless opportunities for originality, techniques and ideas. Working with a small canvas can be challenging, but working with the smallest canvas possible is an even greater test of skills. When you have to work within a small space and can only use materials that are found on the streets – what do you get? Street art collage! If you aren’t familiar with this type of artwork, you will learn everything you need to know about it in this blog post. Keep reading to learn some tips and tricks from master street collage artists so that you can create your own amazing works when you return home from your next walk through town.
What Is Street Collage?
Street collage is a genre of street art that uses found materials to create an image. It is also known as “cut-out paste-up” and can involve any combination of cutting, pasting and drawing. The art form dates back to the start of the 20th century in Europe and was used as a way to make social and political commentary in a time when visual communication was strictly controlled and monitored by the government. The art form is enjoying a resurgence today by artists who are using it to create commentary on current events and issues, and as a way to engage the community to talk about these issues in a creative and visual way.
Finding the Right Materials
When you’re creating a collage, it’s important to look for materials that will be easy to work with and lend themselves to the image that you want to create. If you want your image to focus on portraits, for example, you will want to find a few faces that match the size that you want your collage to be. You also want to make sure that the materials you’re using are removable. If you’re working on a busy street corner, you don’t want to leave behind any pieces that won’t come off when you’re done. Here are some materials to keep in mind when you’re creating your collage: - Paper: Paper is the most common material used in street collage, and there are many different types you can choose from. You can use newspaper, flyers, wrapping paper and more. - Stickers: Stickers are another common material used in street collage and are great to use for creating large images quickly. You’ll find stickers of all different shapes and sizes, so you can create images of just about anything you want. - Paint: If you want to create a more permanent piece and want to use materials that are easy to move around, paint is a great choice. You can use paint pens or spray paint, and it dries quickly so you can reposition it and create different images. - Photos: If you want to incorporate portraits into your collage, you can easily find photos of people on the street. - Coloured sidewalk chalk: Chalk is another easy way to add colour to your collage. - Scraps of paper: If you want to include words in your collage, scraps of paper are a great source for this. You can use torn pieces of paper or even just crumpled up paper balls, and then use glue to paste it to the collage.
Drawing Techniques
If you’re creating an image with paper, you can draw whatever you want on the paper and then cut out the shape to paste on your collage. If you’re using paint or stickers, you can draw your image directly onto the surface. In this case, you want to use a fine-tipped paint pen or a fine-tipped marker so that your lines are really thin. This will help them blend in with the paper once pasted onto your collage. If you want to create an image with words, you can use scraps of paper with words written on them and then paste them together to form a sentence or a phrase.
Layering Techniques
If you want to create a collage with lots of different materials, you’ll need to find a way to make them all work together. A good way to do this is to create layers. For example, you can create a background out of paper scraps or stickers and then add another layer on top of that with paint or more stickers. You can also create interesting effects with materials by peeling them off a surface and then pasting them to your collage. This is a great way to add texture to your collage or add a message or meaning to the collage.
Conclusion
There’s something very satisfying about creating a collage out of materials that you find in the streets. It’s almost like creating a piece of art out of recycled materials, and it’s a great way to engage with people around you and encourage them to speak out about issues that are important to them. Once you get started, you’ll find that street collage is a very interesting and engaging way to create art, and it’s something that you can do almost anywhere. If you’re looking for a new creative outlet, street collage may be just what you’re looking for.
You can check out my latest work in progress on my youtube channel.