The fun thing about collage is how simple the material requirements are. You can make interesting artwork with as little as a pair of scissors and a glue stick. In this post I will discuss the different tools and supplies required to make simple collages, but, don’t be fooled: these are the same materials that professional artists use as well. In this post, I will not discuss source materials (the books, photos, and magazines You will be cutting up). To find out more about where to find cool source material, read my blog post here.
First, a quick list of all the items I recommend that every beginner collage artist acquire:
Scissors (regular and small)
Craft Knife (small box cutter)
A metal ruler
“Art” knife (X-acto Style knife)
Ruled Cutting Mat
Acid-Free Glue Stick
Bristol or Mixed- Media Paper
Scissors: You have used them before. You know what they do. A larger pair of scissors can be used as a ‘blade’ to remove pages from a book or magazine. A smaller pair of scissors can be used for fine cutting around small objects. If you haven’t splurged on a nice high quality pair of scissors I highly recommend it. You are going to be doing a lot of cutting. A nice pair or scissors turns a chore into a pleasant and intuitive experience.
Craft Knife & Metal Ruler: A craft knife is even better for removing pages out of a magazine. Paired with a metal ruler, it is excellent for making squared and straight cuts. These tools are also key for fitting your art into a frame. In my opinion, you always want to work in the standard frame sizes such as 8”x10” or 11”x14”. Your craft knife and ruler will help you trim oddly shaped collages down to these standard shapes.
Art Knife: X-Acto stye knives do most of the fine cutting work. This means these tools will help you cut small details and negative space. Many collage artists do most of their cutting with these tools for a reason.
Ruled Cutting mat: If you have never used a cutting mat, you are missing out. Cutting mats protect your blades while giving you additional control over your knives. They are also ruled so you can easily cut things to specific sizes and angles.
Acid-free glue stick: Acid-free glue sticks should prevent your photos from discoloration over long periods of time. In the art word we call this “archival” quality. You don’t want to use just any type of glue stick. Many of them are cheap and ineffective.
Bristol & Mixed Media Paper: Finally, you are going to want a thick and sturdy piece of paper to adhere your cuttings to. The most important thing you want to avoid is paper that curls or warps when gluing. Generally speaking, the more layers of cuttings you are gluing, the tougher your paper should be. Don’t over think it, just get some nice bristol paper, it would work perfectly.
Putting it all together
Done right, collage should be a wildly inexpensive hobby. Like I said, you can make your first collage using just a pair of scissors and a glue stick. All of the supplies I mentioned above will broaden your abilities and enhance your experience. All the tools I mentioned should last forever. The only thing you will spend money on are replacement blades, glue, and paper. If you are thinking of purchasing any of these items, please visit my amazon affiliate store below. I use all of these items every day and I stand by them. Also if you make a purchase, Amazon throws me some change and it helps support this content!
Thanks so much!
-Red Wizard 2/4/20
