Shape Up Collage Challenge

[Carol@Swallowcliffs]

For this challenge, you need to pick one basic shape, in mine I chose circles, but you can use squares, rectangles, triangles, octogon, pentagon, etc etc. Everything you put on the collage must use that shape some how. This might be a bit difficult to figure out, but I think the overall look will be fun.

I started with a hand made paper circle, a circle paper doily, a circle piece of kirigami, and the circle with spiral as my background. Then I searched my stashes for anything that had circles. I found the paper with the small circles which I cut for stems, and kept layering the circles for the trees bodies. This was a fun collage. The hand made paper sort of disintegrated when I tried to glue it on, and took like two days to dry it was so absorbent! I hightlighted many of the circles with charcoal pencil.

Hope you play with this one!

[Julia]

What fun Carol-I can see how time consuming this would have been-you must have SUCH patience.

I love your creative idea, and think I just might give this collage a go-great to see you by the way, I have missed Spacers after a bit of a creative drought-this looks very non threatening -I think I could cope with starting something like this. Maybe I can finally get started with my Japanese cutouts that I made about 3 months ago-I'm trying to figure out what I should glue them with so that they sit flat, could be a little bit of a problem like your hand made paper, but I'm usually never the one to knock back a challenge thrown out so temptingly!

This is a very joyful piece, all the pretty flowers and trees-it all looks very "Spring', but then you have added the enigma of the tiny round snow scene, I just love contradictions, it makes me look even more intently, and I let my eyes follow the circles-it's very inner mind stuff, the spirals and dreamlike quality of the collage as a whole.

What gave you the idea?Where did you start, was there an inspiration or did it happen just by chance? I'm loving the layered effect-I especially love that dark cloud circle top left, with all the fine cutouts-I know how hard this is to do after my Japanese cutout attempt, using blunt scissors, during Harmony week here a few months ago-I think I posted them somewhere then, with the aim of collaging them, even bought the glue, then everything in my life seemed to turn pear shaped for a while!


Here are my 3 starting pieces-yep, a couple of curves sneaked in here, but overall I will aim for straight lines and diagonals, so that this will be the leap off point. Sticking these down will be quite difficult I think, the pieces are quite fine, and bend very easily-well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!


I guess my theme is set then! Lines, squares and rectangles!


Not to worry, better late than never-thanks for the starting point on this idea girlfriend, you're a gem :-) hug

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In the meantime I am first going to put on a pot of beef and vegetable soup-I have a girlfriend who isn't well at the moment-I'll take some over to her later in the day :-)

[Lin Neiswender]

Those are all lovely Julia, and remind me of graceful insect forms like butterflies. Can you use a spray adhesive on them? Use another sheet of paper as a "pressing cloth"?

[Julia]

A spray adhesive-Lin you are a genius! I do have some rubber type roll off stuff to try, so I might give a bit of a rough practice go first with this to see what works! I also have one of those small flat rollers I used at art school-yes, I can feel a happening coming on LOL I might use watercolor paper as a base, and work some background layers up in paint, ink and the like...

I'm loving your idea Carol!

[Carol@Swallowcliffs]

Wow, Julia, your kirigami pieces are beautiful. I spent one whole winter doing kirigami and I have a drawer full, so I am now trying to use some of them in my art. I know what you mean about getting them glues down flat as they do "move" because of the inner cuts. It will be fun to see your finished piece! Go girl!

[Julia]

Kirigami-thanks Carol, I didn't know it was called that.The ladies that showed us couldn't speak any English LOL They had the paper already marked out to fold in a special way, so all I had to do was fold carefully and cut-some of the works they had done were so amazingly fine and intricate-it was all very relaxing and right brain-I loved it!

Yes, the pieces don't sit exactly flat, butterfly is fine, an easy one-I like Lin's suggestion of spray adhesive-sounds like less damage could be done-can't wait to get started!

[Susan Hosken]

Julia, I love your kirigami. I just learnt that word today too. I did some kirigami for a Julia Cameron challenge doing Vein of gold. had to make snow flakes. Great memories.
Thanks for sharing and it is nice to see you here and commenting. I have missed you.
lots of love from susan in australia

[Julia]

Thank you Susan, and it's great to want to be back-I didn't get around to finishing Vein of Gold yet, I wonder if I ever will-It doesn't have the same appeal for me as TAW, but that could be just plain old stubborn resistance LOL

It's really lovely to see you again too girlfriend and near neighbour, and we will will hit the dread Melbourne town very soon I hope, all things being well-it's been a bit of a rough time-well psychologically anyway, but that has passed thank God and I'm back and ready to face the world again hugs

[Ang Monsoon]

i think these are lovely, make me think of snowflakes, red ones!

[Julia]

Aw thanks Angie-come to think of it that bottom one is VERY snowflake-Looks like Carol and I may have inadvertantly slipped in a 'snow window'-well, it IS Winter in Australia, while you poor people, in California especially, are being ravaged by savage bushfires, similar to our disasters last sunner-At least it seems lessons have been learned by that, and no evacuation is being encouraged, not fight and save your stuff and lose lives-very scary.

LOL Doesn't take much to get ME off track! grin

[Susan Hosken]

Carol, I chose the star as a shape. I got a picture of a person full of stars and stardust and used texta and pen to draw stars and had some sparkly silver stars and a collage star. Did some writing and its done. The photo is a bit glarey from the flash. Great challenge. Now on to a message in a bottle.

lots of love from susan in australia

[Lin Neiswender]

So pretty and serene Susan. Like your journaling too!

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

What a lovely page, Susan ... the blue person reaching for the stars was a lucky find for you :)