collage

How to Collage- Part 1- Where to Find Cheap Source Material for Collage Art

People often ask me where they can find fun and interesting books and magazines to make collages with. We have all seen the same old collages made from fashion mags that are covered in bright skin, lipstick ads, and luxury cars. I don’t find those interesting, but maybe you do.

In this post, I am going to tell you how and where to find some awesome materials to collage with, but first I have a question for you:

Do you have paper ephemera in your home that you have been saving for certain reasons? If you do, why are you saving it? Could those items be more enjoyable if you turned them into art for your wall?

Most likely you have some old books, souvenirs, and photographs sitting in a box somewhere. Its likely that those things could be taken out of storage and turned into some really cool wall art. Now, I am not telling you to cut up your passport, but I’m sure you have some cool family photos or baseball catalogs you could cut and reassemble into something cool and unique. All it takes to turn your old treasures into art is a little guts and some know-how.

This is my first piece of advice for you: Change your mindset about what needs to be “saved”, but also, change your mindset about what you think is “garbage”.

In my opinion, at the very least college materials should be inexpensive. At its very best, collage art is the epitome of upcycling: making treasure out of trash.

Okay, let’s say you don’t have anything at home and you want to go out and buy collage making source materials. I will share with you the handful of places that I like to look, and where you can get the most out of your money.

Before you go shopping let me give you some tips:

  1. Look for old books and magazines that are “dense” with the images that you want. Be sure the books have lots of pictures that are sized and shaped in a way that you can use. What if you find a book that only has a few pictures in it, but you really want them? Read my next tip…

  2. Value the books according to “density”: For example, you might find a book about “space”, but it only has 4 big color photographs. Hmmm… maybe not the best, but if the books are $1, go for it. Conversely, Let’s say that the book is $10 but you know you could really use those images for your project. Then, perhaps $10 is worth it for four big images you need.

  3. Use market haggling skills and buy collections. You will save a lot of money by offering to buy entire stacks and collections of books rather than buying individual pieces. Why buy old National Geographic magazines for $2-3 each when you can offer someone $50 for their entire collection (literally decades of mags) .

  4. Enjoy the hunt. Half the fun of collage is looking for and finding images that interest you. There is no “correct way” to collage. You can literally collage with anything from comic books to cardboard drink coasters. Please keep this in mind, when looking for collage materials, take your time and have fun. Take time flipping through books and magazines at the places I will mention. You might score big (like the time I got a box full of 1970s Heavy Metal Mags for $20) or may go empty-handed.

An old dresser is a great way to organize your collage supplies.

An old dresser is a great way to organize your collage supplies.

Garbage

Thats right. In the warm months when people are cleaning out their homes, you can find FREE collage gold. I don’t rummage through stank garbage cans like a bum, but I will pull over and check out boxes of junk by the curb. I’ve pulled a mint $40 vintage Spiderman comic book out of the garbage. (I also pulled an old dresser to organize my clippings in.)

Flea Markets

Different flea markets have different vibes. Look for antique and garage style style flea markets where people are unloading their basements. Not all cool books, mags, and comics are collage worthy. Steer clear from “collector” prices and look for things like $1 comics and boxes of old magazines. Again, you will always get a better deal when you buy collections. Offer someone $20 for forty $1 comics and see what happens.

Thrift Shops

Most thrift shops have an area with books. Be sure to check the children’s area/ toys as well for picture books. You may not find big collections or anything super niche, but the price is usually right.

Library Sales

Occasionally libraries have sales where they get rid of old books. Often times you can fill a whole brown bag full of books for around $5. I have had some great scores at library sales.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a great place to find free and inexpensive materials. Be sure to look for posts where people are moving and want stuff “out of their house”.

Garage Sales & Estate Sales

I think estate sales are often over priced. Usually books and magazines are cheap. Timing is super important for events like these. If a garage sale is from 10am-4pm, all the good stuff will likley be taken by 11.

Used Book Stores

Usually when I go to a used book store, I plan on spending more money than I would at the other places I mentioned, but there is a plus. Often used book stores are well curated and you may be able to find some really cool stuff all in one trip. Like libraries, used books stores may have a big sale annually.

Start Your collage hunt Today!

Please let me know what you find out there in the comments below! I hope this information is helpful to you! If you don’t know where to start, I recommend some source materials and collage making supplies in my amazon affiliate store.

Thanks so much for reading! I plan on posting more content like this in the future. If you are interested you can sign up for my mailing list!

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This easy to print five-page full-color collage kit is absolutely free. All that is needed to check out is an email address. This is a digital product that you download (PDF) and print at home. Once you have your kit, to make your own collages, all you will need is a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Which you can find on my Amazon affiliate store.

CLICK THE PRODUCT LINK BELOW TO GET YOUR FREE COLLAGE KIT!

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Support Red Wizard Collage through out Amazon Affiliate Store.

I created a collage art supply store on this site in order to help people find the supplies they often see me using on social media and during my workshops. I recommend and use all of these products. I also included some of my favorite source materials in the store. My supply store is an Amazon affiliate page, so any purchases you make on the page will help support Red Wizard Collage. You can access the store in the main navigation menu or the link below. Check it out! : Collage Supply Store

Collage Workshop at Liten Buffel Winery

Disclaimer. I am not a writer. Don’t be a grammar Nazi. Thanks!

Lets get right down to it. Liten Buffel makes the best wine in the Niagara Frontier. Most NY wine tastes like flat cream soda with a hint of grape jam.

bleh.

I am not going to pretend to know anything about wine in this post. Try it the wine for yourself. If your favorite wine is the Riesling candy-juice they serve at The World’s Largest Disco, Liten Buffel is probably not for you. If you like the living and austere flavors of natural wine, Liten Buffel is perfect. The wine is light and flavorful. It is not trying to be Californian. If you are on a fermentation kick, and you like the nuance of craft cider, local terroir, and maybe a hint of kombucha this is your beverage.

This Winery holds a special place in my heart. My friend Patrick Vaughn is co-owner of this beautiful place. A few years ago he told me he had been busting his hump for a year building a winery from the ground up. I had not heard much from Pat since high school. Pat was an Army Ranger, and after his service he was employed in Afghanistan for several years. Shortly after our phone call, we began to collaborate.

The custom label for Faucheaux “Fo Sho”

The custom label for Faucheaux “Fo Sho”

I designed a wine label for Liten Buffel, and it is now their most popular wine. This year’s vintage is totally sold out already! The name of the wine is Faucheaux pronounced “Fo Sho”. Needless to say these guys have a sense of humor and style. Faucheaux was also featured in Bon Appetite magazine as well.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the winery to learn how to collage. This was a perfect event. We celebrated craft on so many levels.

If you would like to attend a workshop, find out more here.

Fun Corporate Team Building Activity at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

I conducted a collage workshop at the Helm Experience & Design headquarters . Helm is located at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Innovation Center. We used collage as a simple team building activity.

Helm wanted their team members to discover and learn their company values. Each team member was assigned a different value. We then used hand-cut collage as a way to convey each value. After the workshop each team member presented their collage/ value to the group.

Special thanks to Jonathan & Nicholas of Helm. I never would have imaged that a software company would want to use a collage workshop as a team building exercise. However, I have never worked in such a cool office! I would love to host more team building activities in Buffalo and western New York . If you are interested please give me a shout here.

-The Red Wizard

Red Wizard Collage You Tube Channel! Please follow!

The goal of my You Tube channel is to show everyone my artistic process and share the joy of collage. I will be making DIY and work-process videos. I will share different project ideas and collage techniques. I will also be making educational videos that explain the philosophy behind different art movements. In the future, I hope to interview and discuss art with other artists that I admire. My first video is a quick intro to surrealism and I demonstrate how to make a bizarre Halloween themed collage. Please follow, and I hope you enjoy the content!