Get Your FREE Surreal Collage Kit!

Start Collaging with this FREE five-page Surreal Collage Kit

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People often ask me where they can get cool source materials for collages. I have spoken about it at length on my YouTube channel but I always felt like I wasn’t providing the best solution for my followers. I hope this free surreal collage kit will help anyone who wants to experiment with collage making.

You can print this free collage kit at home or your favorite photo/ copy center. It is a downloadable PDF sized at 8.5 x 11 inches (US letter). To get your free kit, I just ask for your email address. Once you print your collage kit, all you will need is a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Please share your collage using the hashtag #RedWizardKit so I can see your weird creation! Get your free kit by clicking the add to cart button below.

If you would like to learn how to use this collage kit, you can watch my free collage lesson by clicking my video below.

Stay tuned, because I will be creating more collage kits soon. I am working on a “Classic Surreal Collage Kit which is inspired by Dali, Man Ray, Rene Magritte, and Max Ernst.

Have fun cutting! - The Red Wizard

Natural History Redux Poster with Coral Morphologic

I am honored to have worked with Colin Foord and J.D. McKay of Coral Morphologic. Coral Morphologic creates stunning coral and invertebrate content. I had a blast cutting up their photos to create a poster for the updated release of their film Natural History Redux. The poster can be purchased here. Anything you buy from Coral Morpholgic goes to the science and protection of south Florida’s coral reef. These guys are advocates for the colorful and strange creatures of underwater Miami.

Watch the film Natural History Redux Here:

The 18 x 24-inch finished poster can be purchased here: Coral Morphologic Store

Shoulders of Giants Wine Label

I made an awesome wine label for Liten Buffel Winery.

Pat and Zach at Liten Buffel chose one of my collages to adorn their new red wine. They also named the wine after my collage. Liten Buffel produces only natural wines. I love their wine and working with them has got me hooked on natural wines. I have a limited number of signed prints of the artwork available below:


How to Collage Part 5: Composition

In this video we learn how to compose a collage and improve the way we communicate visually.

I am excited to say I am continuing my how to collage series. As for now, this is the second last video of the series. After this video, I will make a gluing demonstration video. After the gluing video, most of my youtube videos will be time-lapse videos and Vlog posts. If you would like to see me make certain types of videos please let me know!

Virus Update

Hello Friends.

Unfortunately, just like everything else, I will be postponing my Collage workshops until May. I am the odd duck in my family, several of them are medical doctors and they urge everyone to take social distancing seriously.

We can do this, it is time for the world to act as a team for once. I will be busy creating online courses for my K-8th grade students and posting them to my YouTube channel. I will also be continuing my collage lessons on YouTube as well. If any of you have attended one of my workshops, or have watched one of my lessons you should already know that you can collage with things you have at home. Create new life in this time of death… you can only watch so much Netflix.

Wishing you all the best of health, strength, and creativity.

-The Red Wizard

3/17/20

Collage Art Revolution Facebook Group Has Launched

A Facebook Group for Collage Artists

Hello friends, I just created a Facebook group for collage artists. My intention is that it will help collage artists support each other in their craft and help promote collage as a valid form of art-making.

Here is a little write up I did about the Facebook Group:

Collage Art Revolution is a community of collage artists, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. We share art, tips, and inspiration. Whether you are new to collage or a seasoned artist, you are part of the revolution. 

What makes Collage Art Revolution different from other collage communities? I believe that collage is the greatest art form in the world. My hope is that we create a positive and engaging environment where we support everyone’s innovation and promote collage as a valid form of art across the globe. 

Collage should be accessible to everyone, there is no wrong way to make it. Let’s see how far we can take it!

I want this Facebook group to be a resource for new as well as experienced collage artists.

Hey, but whats a group without members, click here to join Collage Art Revolution!

How to Collage- Part 4- How to Cut With Scissors

Yes I know you have used a pair of scissors before. However, I have a few tricks that will help you get super clean and accurate cuts.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Cutting with Scissors

  1. Remove the page from the magazine: Trying to cut an image out of a book or magazine is much easier if you remove the entire page from the book first.

  2. Plan Your Cut: Before you begin cutting out the image, quickly plan how you are going to complete the cut. The last thing you want to do is be in the middle of a cut and realize you ruined a really awesome picture of Joan Rivers by cutting her head off.

  3. Cut most of the extra paper off the image: Just like removing the page from the book, your goal is to eliminate as much extra paper off of the image you want as possible. While your cutting large strips of paper may snag and pull at your scissors and will likely cause a mistake.

  4. “Scissors Cut Paper Moves”: As a K-8 art teacher, this is my golden rule of good paper cutting. Instead of ‘tracing your scissors around the perimeter of the image, keep your scissors stationary. Use your other hand to slowly rotate and feed the image into the scissors as they cut.

  5. Slightly Cut into the image to avoid a “halo”: To get a perfect cut with your scissors, you want to avoid leaving a thin layer of the background.

  6. Know Your Limits: Scissors aren’t great at cutting everything. Cutting out negative space (without damaging the image), lots of small angular cuts and very long straight cuts should be done with a craft or hobby knife. Having said that some pictures may not be worth the time to cut. Complex clusters of hair and tree canopies are some things that come to mind.

Thank You for visiting my blog!

-The Red Wizard

How to Collage- Part 2- Intro to Collage Making Tools & Supplies

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:

  1. Scissors (regular and small)

  2. Craft Knife (small box cutter)

  3. A metal ruler

  4. “Art” knife (X-acto Style knife)

  5. Ruled Cutting Mat

  6. Acid-Free Glue Stick

  7. 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

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I hope you enjoyed the free tips. When I have time, I try to make resources for people who wish to learn. They take a lot of time to create. Any donations are welcome!

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What is a Collage Workshop, and Why Are They So Much Fun?

Many of us have been to a craft workshop or a “paint party”. At best, You imbibe some wine and paint a tropical sunset. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really cool arts and crafts workshops out there, but I believe collage workshops are the best.

What is a collage Workshop?

Generally speaking, a collage workshop is an event that includes a collage lesson and all the necessary materials to create a collage is provided. At the end of the workshop, you bring home a completed collage, some new skills, and a smile. What makes collage workshops different from the same old paint parties you see on Facebook?

First, let’s think about why people like arts and craft workshops in general:

  1. You learn a fun new skill.

  2. You get out of the house on a weekday and mix things up.

  3. You attend the workshop with a friend and have a good chat.

  4. You leave with something tangible that you made yourself.

  5. You have a glass of wine and hum a Bob Dylan song.

These are all things that make you feel great. So How is a collage workshop even better?

You can make impressive artwork with zero artistic talent.

OK, I got that out of the way, here are some more subtle reasons you may not have thought of:

  1. Collaging is a cheap and accessible hobby: Learning how to make a collage is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Its a bold statement but that's how I feel. Why? because collage art is a hobby that anyone can do. You most likely already have all the things you need to make a collage at home. Which brings me to my next point:

  2. Other workshops often require special equipment. Great, you learned how to make a melted glass wind chime. How are you going to make that at home?

  3. You can enhance your own hobbies with collage: Almost everyone has ephemera saved up from their other interests. This is something I learned while hosting one of my own workshops. I always provide all the materials necessary for collage, but one of my ‘students’, Nelly Marie (@nellster on instagram), brought in her own vintage hotrod magazines and made this fantastic collage:

4. Your finished artwork is entirely your own vision. Everybody Leaves with something different. As I said before, most people leave a “paint party” with the same looking painting. At a collage workshop, everyone’s artwork looks totally unique.

A collage workshop is a guided lesson in collage making.

A collage workshop is a guided lesson in collage making.

I am sure that there are many other reasons why collage workshops are a blast, and I am sure I will discover many more reasons as I continue to host them. If you are a workshop host, please share with me what you like about hosting workshops and what works for you!

At the end of the day, a collage workshop is all about learning something new and sharing your vision!

If you would like to up to date on my blog or attend one of my workshops, feel free to sign up for my email list, and I will keep you updated! I host about 2-3 a month in the Buffalo and Western New York region.

Thanks so much for actually reading this!

-The Red Wizard



The Making of a Red Wizard Collage Art Mural

The Red Wizard posing with a mural in Buffalo, NY

The Red Wizard posing with a mural in Buffalo, NY

In this post, I share my collage mural-making process. The style and feel of a collage mural is very dependent on the feel of the source material it is made from. I created a very colorful and electric scene for the family room in my home. Any vibe or theme you can think of is possible when making a collage mural. So long as you have a vision for what type of colors and images you want, anything is possible. Whether it is a baby’s nursery or a barbershop. Also, a collage mural foesn’t have to be one big piece, you can create smaller elements to accent a room. To learn more about my process, please watch the YouTube video below:

Choosing the material you print on is also important. I print my collage murals on UV proof matte vinyl. It is weather-resistant can even be installed outside! You have probably seen cars or trucks that are “wrapped” with a promotional image. This is a similar material. So if this stuff can last on a bakery truck in Buffalo, it will last forever in your home or for several years outside your storefront. Think of it is a massive bumper sticker.

-The Red Wizard

If you would like to learn more or request a quote for a mural for your home or business please fill out the form below!



Art Inspiration: Jen Stark Paper Sculptures

As I plan on blogging more regularly, I will be posting works of artists that inspire me.

Stunning paper sculptures by Jen Stark. Portal-like structures that transition from geometric to organic shapes. There is also a whimsy to them that reminds me of summer camp crafts.

Although Jen Stark is not a collage artist, she is pushing paper crafts to the extreme. Her ‘origin’ story is unique. While studying abroad she couldn’t afford expensive art supplies so she purchased colored construction paper and started to experiment with it. Eventually, Jen Stark made a splash with a massive art installation: she cut up 1 million pieces of paper.

Jen Stark’s paper sculptures are perfect examples of world-class contemporary works of art. Looking at her work a little closer:

The minutia, its repetition and the bold op-art like colors create an almost spiritual experience. Yet the familiar materials (construction paper, unmixed paint, and holographic craft paper) give the work an innocent playfulness. It’s like a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper came alive and started sprouting its own life forms.

-The Red Wizard

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!

Get Your FREE Surreal Collage Kit!

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!

FREE Surreal Collage Kit
FREE Surreal Collage Kit
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If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating so I can keep it up. Thanks! -Red Wizard

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How to get followers on Tik Tok: Tips for Artists

Here is a screen shot of one of my viral videos. In this article I will explain how I got a ton of followers on Tik Tok.

Here is a screen shot of one of my viral videos. In this article I will explain how I got a ton of followers on Tik Tok.

TikTok is a very fun and fast growing social media app on mobile phones. Tik Tok is a perfect social networking tool for visual artists. However, it may take some experimentation with the platform for you to figure out how to share your art in a video format.

There are lots of different ways to do this, and only you can figure it out. My advice: try videotaping yourself making your artwork in many, many, many, many different ways. That’s what worked for me. Experiment and post like crazy.

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Red Wizard’s Studio

I went through a ton of materials as I tried different video making methods.

I was predominately focused on my Instagram account, therefore I was really only making still images with my collage work. I had to try different ways to share my art on Tik Tok. Before I went viral, I was listening to a lot of Gary Vee’s advice. Gary Vee is a social media marketing expert. I downloaded his audiobook as a free-trial through Audible. I listened to Gary’s audiobook, “Crushing It” several times while I was going hard on Tik Tok ( I still am). Something that he said that stuck with me was “ Document, don’t create“. He means a few different things:

  1. Don’t overthink your content, don’t be a perfectionist.

  2. You won’t know what people want to see until you try it.

  3. MOST IMPORTANT: It’s far easier to create a lot of content to share on social media by documenting your process then it is to constantly be creating finished and perfect works of art.

    A month ago, my Tik Tok videos started going viral. (view my Tik Tok Profile here.) Since then I have a handful of videos that have been viewed over a million times and I now have almost 50,000 followers. If you would like to learn more, watch my youtube video below. I explain the meta of Tik Tok and how I may be able to help you get more views.