Colorful Collage

• Michaela Butterworth
Hero image of the completed Colorful Collage artwork. Close up image shows the center of the design featuring two small birds in front of abstract flower and leaf shapes in bright colors. A darker, stenciled background can be seen around the edges.
Colorful Collage 8″ x 6″ featuring gel prints, stenciling and collage

In celebration of World Collage Day on May 14, I decided to make a bright and colorful collage for my blog post this week. Are you going to make a collage for World Collage Day?

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with some product to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own.

This project is a simple step-by-step process that teaches you how to use gel plate printed papers (you can also use any other colored or patterned papers you may have), stencils and matte gel medium to create this colorful collage artwork.

Follow along with these simple steps to create this colorful collage work:

Close up image showing the gel printed deli paper containing blue, light yellow, and light green acrylic paints with touches of black here and there. It's quite a grungy print with odd shapes in it.

Step One: As shown in the image above, I started my project using this piece of gel press printed deli paper which I adhered to a piece of cardboard as a stable and sturdy substrate. I used our TCW9011 Matte Gel Medium with a catalyst blade (silicone spatula) to spread the medium as glue.

HOT TIPS: When using a silicone or scraper tool. work your way from the center of the collage piece out to the edges, this helps eliminate air bubbles and ensure excess medium is removed. Work with a light pressure when using thin papers such as deli or tissue paper as they rip or tear easily when wet, and ensure you have medium on the scraper tool when scraping across thin papers.

Close up image showing stencil TCW960 Cosmic Music laying on top of the background. Bright pink paint has been applied through the stencil.
The stencil has now been removed and the bright pink stenciled image can now be seen on the background. The stencil and paint bottle lay to the right of the flat lay artwork on my work table surface.
Craft paint was used to stencil the background design using our TCW960 Cosmic Music stencil.

Step Two: As shown in the two gallery images above, I applied bright pink craft paint with a cosmetic sponge through stencil TCW960 Cosmic Music to form a vibrant background.

Close up image of the stenciled background laying flat on my worktable surface. Stencil TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle lays to the right of the background. A black uni-ball signo UM-153 paint pen lays across the top of the artwork.
TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle was traced over the background stenciling.

Step Three: Using a black uni-ball signo UM-153 acrylic paint pen, I outlined stencil TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle onto the stenciled background.

Close up image showing the background with stencil TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle laying to the right of the artwork. A black Pitt Artist Brush Pen lays across the top of the artwork.
A black pitt artist brush pen was used to fill in the outlined TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle stencil.

Step Four: As shown in the image above, I used a black Pitt Artist Brush pen, to fill in the outlined TCW959 Rainbow Branch Circle stencil.

My messy worktable with a jar of TCW9011 Matte gel medium. The lid is off and my silicone spatula sits in the jar. My TCW drink container sits to the right, it's blue and says "This is how I DIY" in white lettering. Cut out collage pieces lay on the worktable above my completed background. Stencil TCW958 Splash Whoosh lays to the right of the artwork.
Multiple shapes were traced and cut out using stencil TCW958 Splash Whoosh.

Step Five: I used stencil TCW958 Splash Whoosh (such a fun stencil name!) to outline some shapes with a graphite pencil onto my gel press printed papers. I then used scissors to cut out the shapes that I wanted to use as flowers and leaves.

Step Six: Using TCW9011 Matte Gel Medium and the silicone scraper tool, I applied the collage elements to the background.

Close of the completed artwork with stencils used and matte medium jar surrounding it on my work table.
A white and black uni-ball signo pen were used to outline the collage elements.

Step Seven: As shown in the image above, I used fine point white and black uni-ball signo UM-153 pens to outline my collage elements to make them really stand out and pop against the background.

Close up of the completed stenciling and collaging central in the artwork.
Wide angle shot of the entire completed art work laying on my work table surface.
The completed Colorful Collage artwork 8″ x 6″

And here is the completed artwork for you to enjoy!

Want to see a brief step-by-step process video for this project? Hop on over to my YouTube Channel to view the video (21 sec). I really hope you found these step-by-step instructions and photos to be helpful and that you feel confident enough to try this on your own. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to post them below.

I’d really love to hear which part of this process is your favorite and why, please leave me a comment, below! Have a great day and happy making, we *LOVE* to see your projects, so please be sure to tag us using our hash tag of #ilovestencils !

Michaela Butterworth
The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member

PS: I’m really trying to build my following. Will you please hop on over and follow me on my blog and social media accounts, and please ask your friends to follow me too? Thank you so much!
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