Collage Time

 I did this collage ages ago and forgot to photograph it. I used some old scrapbook papers, a bingo game and a stamp from Germany

Road Trip

I went up to SanFrancisco to visit family for a long weekend and one day, we did a self-guided walking tour in the inner Sunset district. The Golden Gate Heights area is hilly and from the top at Grandview Park, you get a 360 view of the city from the Pacific Ocean to downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the best parts of the walk are the Hidden Garden steps which go up16th Avenue between Kirkham and Lawton. The steps, which total 148, are covered in mosaics depicting all sorts of plants and insects. The colors are amazing as is the detail. Since this was a community project, many of the tiles have the names and inscriptions of donors to the project. The steps were completed in 2013 and were designed by by tile artists Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr. Nearby is another one of their creations, the Moraga steps which are located on 16th Avenue between Moraga and Noriega Street. Both are a sight to see. If you want to get off the beaten path in San Francisco, this area is a great place to go - just make sure to have good walking shoes!

Japan Blue

 This collage was done on a vintage Japanese book cover that I mounted on a wood board. The board has layers of paper from a vintage Japanese book. I also used patterned Japanese papers, an old label and a Japanese envelope with a vintage stamp.

Makeready Collage

I did this collage using letterpress makeready. Makeready is what happens when you get ready to print something new. I use scrap paper to get my colors and position correct on press. You can get all sorts of interesting patterns and overlays on the scraps. Sometimes it's one big mess, and sometimes the results are save-worthy. 

Kimono Designs

Instead of a collage, here are some vintage kimono designs for inspiration. I'm not actually sure if they are for kimonos, or obis but they are very beautifully done in gouache (opaque watercolor). 

I purchased a stack of original art from the 1920's - 1930's. They came from Japan all folded up so I had to carefully scan each piece and retouch out the folds. These show the whole piece of art. Each one is embellished with gold

Blue Star

I was going through my stash of playing cards and found this one with the blue star. It goes perfectly with vintage stamps and an international envelope fragment.

Valentine Collage

 Happy Valentine's Day! 

February 2

The background for this collage is a postcard that came with  an issue of Uppercase Magazine. If you don't know about Uppercase Magazine, it's a design magazine published in Canada, full of all sorts of inspiration and interesting articles.

 

No 19

These collages are great for using up some of my scraps. I call this one No 19 because of the scrap of type left from a vintage receipt. If I had planned better, this would be the 19th collage but...

Last of January

 I'm running a little late posting my last collage for January but better late than never.

This collages uses random scraps in shades of teal. The background is from a bingo game, there is a piece of vintage wallpaper and some vintage money.

Calendar Book Collage

Two collages tonight since I am trying to keep up with the calendar.

This collage uses some textured straw fabric, a piece of a Bingo game, hand made papers and a postage stamp.

This one uses a hand print that I did from a hand carved linoleum block on an old letter. I've used this image before on some other collages. I like the black, white and gold together. I still wish the pages didn't get so wrinkly. If I used a glue stick, that would help but I have found that it doesn't last over time and I don't want bits and pieces falling off.

Black Bird and Stars

Here's my first collage in the calendar.  Because the paper is wrinkling on the back from the glue, I'm going to collage only on the right side of the book.

For the bird, I tried an image transfer with Modge Podge. I don't know if I like it since it leaves a shiny residue on the paper. I also used a piece of vintage wallpaper, an old letter and a vintage Hungarian postage stamp. Still needs something....but, you gotta start somewhere.

2022 Collage Project

Way back in 2007, before I was addicted to vintage papers, I purchased this calendar. 

I loved the way it looked like a vintage ledger (so maybe I was addicted back then and didn't know it).  I never actually wrote anything in it, and it was way too nice to throw away in 2008, so it has been on my bookshelf for 15 years. I always like it when I see other people post online their notebooks full of collages but I never wanted to commit to gluing something in a book. This year, I am taking the plunge and collaging in the book. The nice thing is that the book is not as delicate as an actual old ledger although maybe next year...

The calendar was published by Andrews McMeel Publishing for River House Media in 2007 and was called "A Song In My Heart". The bird collages throughout were done by and artist named Greg Johnson. It was re-printed (with a different cover) in 2012 and some copies are still available on Amazon.

New collage

2 collages to start off the year, made with lovely vintage French documents and other bits and pieces.

Welcome to 2022

It's a new year and I'm committed to posting more often on my blog. I wanted to post earlier but our electricity was out New Year's Eve and as a result, we had no internet for the past week. I actually spent the time reading books instead of surfing the web. 

So we start 2022 late. Here's the month of January from my 2022 calendar. 

Stay tuned for a new collage project...

Geisha Collage

 I'm working on a series of collages based on vintage postcards of Japanese Geisha from the early 1900's.

This collage is a portrait of the a Geisha named Sakae. She was very popular and is featured on many postcards. I scanned the original postcard so as not to ruin the original. It's combined with pages from a vintage Japanese book, handmade washi papers, and a fan letterpress printed from my own design.

Spring Butterfly Collage

I thought I'd do a spring-y collage. I used antique French documents including one dated 1898, vintage floral wallpaper and a butterfly stamp from the Republic of Guinea. This collage is available for sale in my collage shop, The Torn Letter.

Collage Re-do

Sometimes I do a collage that after a while I look at it and think to myself, "I could use that canvas for something better". You won't see the before, but here is the after. 

I used some vintage Japanese documents, washi paper, and a piece of a damaged print by Keisuke Serizawa (1895-1984). Serizawa was a master of katazome stencil dyeing and in 1956 the Japanese government made him a National Living Treasure. I have several of his limited edition calendars and have posted them previously (although it may be time for another post!)

New Collage

Here are a couple of new collages. Vintage documents, postage stamps, handmade papers - all of my favorite things to collage with. On the first collage, I also used a metal bird and branch with a nice green patina. I purchased them a number of years ago to make some jewelry that never happened.

Soon to be for sale in my Etsy shop TheTornLetter

Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day