Abstract Collage Ideas: Scraps, Layers, and Faux Encaustic Finish
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Today I have ideas for abstract collages using paper scraps you probably already have in your stash. These are beautiful and mysterious, easy and a very forgiving way to jump into collage-making and can be used in a lot of different ways so stay tuned.
These abstract, patchwork collages can be stand-alone art pieces or turned into cards, book covers, ATCs, tags for junk journals and altered books, and and many mixed media project ideas, so get those scraps and some glue and let's get making.
Please check out my online classes on Thinkific at this link:
kelly-s-school...
To see printable scans of vintage paper ephemera from my private collection, they are here on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/u...
A variety of free printable scans are on my website here:
bookandpaperar...
And if you are interested in buying original paper and vintage ephemera bundles full of cards, paper, handwritten pieces, lace, and more I sell them here:
bookandpaperar...
Please check out my online classes on Thinkific at this link:
kelly-s-school-b1d1.thinkific.com/collections
To see printable scans of vintage paper ephemera from my private collection, they are here on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BookandPaperArts
A variety of free printable scans are on my website here:
bookandpaperarts.com/free-scans/
And if you are interested in buying original paper and vintage ephemera bundles full of cards, paper, handwritten pieces, lace, and more I sell them here:
bookandpaperarts.com/french-ephemera-book-arts-boxes/
So many good tips - thank you
Thank you, Alise. I hope you make some gorgeous abstract pages. Keep me posted! Kelly
I’ve been creating for over 60 years and am seeing techniques I’ve never seen before…my art journaling adventure only started a little over a year ago and I will definitely be trying these new, to me, techniques…thanks so much for a great channel and such fun info…
Thank you for this, Patricia. Making art journal pages is such a joy and as you say, an adventure. Normally when I make a page I plan, plan, plan and then scheme but in my art journal I just make messes and see where they go and hey, presto, things are discovered! I hope you have a creative weekend, and keep me posted! Kelly
So glad i found you! I love it!
Thank you, Cindy. This is truly nice to hear! 🌷🌼🌻Kelly
❤love ❤love😂
“It’s only paper people, let’s go!”
Gosh I love the way you encourage and inspire me to create art.
Why thank you, Carole. This is really nice to hear. It means a lot to me when someone "gets" it. Kelly
J’aime ça :)
Merci, Sylvie. Cette message me faire heureusement ! Kelly
Very intriguing.. makes me want to.. get up and make something…..🤣👏💜💜
Why Bette, that is what I want to hear! I hope you are having a creative weekend. Kelly
This is such an informative and inspiring video, one of my favorites. Thank you.
Why thank you, Diane. I will be making more abstract collage (and videos) very soon. Kelly
I love the little trading cards idea.. I smiled when you said that and wish I had someone to do that with.. That is such a cute idea
Hello and welcome, and what a great name you have there. Love it. Making these tiny collages is contagious. If I am just Not In The Mood to tackle a big project I can always turn out stacks of little cards to give away for the fun of it, and it is very meditative. I hope you make gorgeous pieces! Kelly
I have been binging your channel & wow - I am SO HAPPY I found you!! Your ideas are incredible! 😍😍😍😍😍
Now Wendi this is what I like to hear. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! Kelly
Best line ever: “Boy, do drizzles make me happy!”. Another great, inspirational video. Thank you.🖤
Hi Roberta. Well, I am a gal who likes mark making and drizzles just look like rainfall and waterfalls and paper foxing and I love them so. Thanks for touching base! Kelly
I’m chemically sensitive so I use a Powertec product for cold wax. It’s a white creamy substance with no odor and dries like clear matte wax.
Wait, what??? You have to tell me. What is it called? Because it sounds like something I need to try. 😺
@@BookandPaperArtsa bit pricey but It goes a long way. Powertex water based cold wax Powerwax. Their website has it for around $21. for an 8oz jar
@@janeruthraphael4644 Found it. We do have it in the UK and I am going to try it.
Something about these earth tones!
Hi Colette. For a hot moment I thought of adding some pop of colour then I thought - nah, why start now. Using blue ink instead of walnut was already pushing it, colour-wise. 😎
If you bet The Farm that I have paper scraps, You Win the bet 🎉❤😂😊
Well, Lynda, I know my tribe. 😺For me, the funny thing is in my home life I do not hold on to stuff and I am ruthless but with paper and fabric, I keep every little stamp-size bit. And you?
@@BookandPaperArts I fully am confident that everything necessary is always fully intact. 💗 I call my left over pieces adornments because trees are beautiful and it’s lovely to have a way to dress them back up and give them a voice and a new life.
I have been having sooooo much fun using your glue recipe, tea bags and now the glueless, stitch free journal.
I gathered some leaves this morning on a walk with my puppy to eco dye. This is next on my list. Thank you so much, Kelly!!!! You are a blessing in my life and I appreciate you 💜
@@LyndaWilkinson Golly, what a lovely message, Lynda. It is truly nice to hear and you have made my evening. Keep on making! Kelly
Great idea! For scraps and your pieces are beautiful!! Thanks for the tips on how to use glue & the medium in place of the wax.
Thanks, Esmeralda. You can also just use scraps from magazines and everyday stuff. The idea is just make a patchwork with what's on hand. I hope you get some gorgeous, messy results! Kelly
Greetings Kelly from Pacific coast of California, sending you warm wishes and and best of all that's good in 2023🎨❣️😊look forward to more of your creative prompvlogs... As they are well structured and sooo helpful🌞
As always, your art never fails to inspire, thank you! Beautiful pieces and techniques. And gotta love scriptscraps and gloppiness😂
Hiya, Regina. And as always, your comments make me smile. 😎
Try saying scriptscraps, three times, fast! ☺️✌️
Oh Kelly I looooove this!!! 😍😍😍
Thank you, Kri. I make these from time to time and find them kind of meditative. Try it! Kelly
Hi, Kelly! I love abstract compositions, specially with collages of scraps (paper and fabrics, that I get from slow stitching). You gave some great ideas for the finishing touches. I have never experimented with that and I will try it, because they look really great. I specially love them for book covers 💙❤️💛💚🧡💗🖤♥️💜
Thank you, Alexandra. Yes, I envy you that slow stitching and I bet you even have scraps of threads and twine and whatnot that would look cool glued into paper scraps. And a big yes to making book covers with messy collage. I am making an art journal from a child's board book and each page will have a different abstract collage. Photos to follow soon. Let me know what you make, my dear. Kelly
@@BookandPaperArts Yes, I use bits of thread (not one goes to the bin😂) in my art journaling collages. The texture it creates is so interesting 💙🧡💛🖤💚💜💗♥️
@@alexandraalmeida3661 🎨🎨🎨🎨 (Those look like cookies, but they are supposed to be paint palettes!)
@@BookandPaperArts 😂😂🎨🎨
Great wee tutorial and lovely finishing ideas.
Thanks bunches, Pauline. 😺😺
I really like what you do. I think you’re amazing and I’m learning so much.😊
Thank you so. Patty, this is truly nice to hear and you have made my day. 🌷🌻🌼
I’ve just discovered your channel. I am loving your work/art. So I am down the rabbit hole to binge the day away. Are you still making ephemera boxes? Thank you for sharing your talents.❤️
Hello and thank you, Donna. This is truly nice to read. 😺 Yes, I make boxes as they just keep selling. Earlier this year I thought maybe I would phase out the boxes then sold six in three days so I guess the universe was laughing at me and I carried on making them. And I am off to France in ten days so who knows what new treasure awaits? Thanks again for your kind words and for touching base. Kelly
Hi Donna, for some reason I can't reply to your reply but yeah, my studio is an old timey curiosity shop. You should see the stuff I don't sell! Do you like antiques and juntiques? Just say when on the box. I am still sending them out until next Tuesday and then I will be back around 20 May and start the next round! Where do you live?
Again, can't reply to your reply. Hmmmm. Silly UA-cam. "When I travel, I am a packaging, brochure, label and receipt hoarder. " Otherwise known as free art supplies! I have an enormous amount of stuff but have cut back on the hoarding after I reached a certain birthday and realised that I would never use it all in this lifetime and I could safely leave some stuff for some young 'uns just starting out. Kelly
Glad i came across this video today...
Thank you and welcome, Gloria. Hope you have a creative weekend! Kelly
Thank you so much for your generosity an ideas 🙏❤
You are welcome, Julia. The pleasure is mine. 🌷🌼🌻Kelly
Well, you made this eight mos ago, so I'm assuming that you have moved on. But, guess what. I just happened upon it. So, if you are interested, I thought I would stop by and say a few words. First off, your work is lovely. Absolutely, unconditionally! Truly. My problem is that I don't have your beautiful scraps. Bummer. I am just starting out, so... I know, I know, you said to grab what you've got and tear in strips. I will have to work on that. I am not organized yet, either, so basically, I don't even know where to start! (Geez, how do I get myself into these messes?!) Well, I will figure it all out, somehow. But, I'll be back. I love vintage. And, I appreciate the different methods of "sealing" your work....I have learned so much, today, and, I had fun. So, thank you, thank you! See ya. 🌹🎈🤗✌️
Dear Buna. My apologies for the late response and thank you for this great message! Now you can make your own stash. I am lucky enough to work in vintage paper but that wasn't always the case. If that isn't you, then take magazine, old calendars, brochures and whatnot and tear them into rough strips. Go to a thrift store or flea market and buy an older book and then rip the text and printed pages into rough strips. Maybe find some older children's books with oversize text. How about rubber stamping on brown paper (paper bag?) then ripping that up. What you will have is a stash that is different than this one and so what? Go with it and go big and see what beautiful thing emerges. Please keep me posted and let me know how it goes. 🌷🌼🌻Kelly
Thank you for sharing enjoyed 😀😍 love your collarge too
Thanks, Lara. I am making them to sell in the studio this summer to the occasional passer-by in the marina. Hey, the sun came out! Now they are just messing with us.
"I'm not really comfortable with gloppiness. I know ...for someone who likes smudges and drizzles?"
I gotta say, this is my artist quote of the day! 🤣 It's going in my journal. Only an artist would get it... but every artist has their thing. It took me until Monday to sit with my tea this morning and enjoy your Friday video, but well worth the wait. ☺ ~~C.
Hiya Catherine. Even as the words came out of my mouth I thought WHY AM I SAYING THIS IT IS SO BORING but as I was, in fact gluing my last sample piece I couldn't redo. So thank you for the vote of confidence. I actually have some gorgeous suede brogues that I love to bits until I wore them making encaustic collage and the was fell on them and never came out and yeah, there is always some mess that is a line too far. 😎
@@BookandPaperArts Don't get me going on "why did I just say that?" Don't forget, I'm the artist who gets a kick out of vintage laxative ads.
@@CatherineSunnysideJournals Old ads! My favourites may be the ones for (so called) male vitality. 😉 The more things change.....
Thanks, nice video. I appreciate the faux encaustic techniques.
You are very welcome. I hope you make some fun and gorgeous collages! Kelly
Oòoo love it must make .♥️🙋♀️
Now that's what I want to hear, Laura Mary! 😊
I love love this video! You got me up into my art room today and that’s exactly what I needed. Gorgeous work🥰
Sheryl, that makes me happy to hear. While I always wants lots of views here on UA-cam, I also hope that we can all learn something then get off the screen and go make stuff. So glad to hear you did! 😺Kelly
Great video! Thanks for the info on the white glue!! That turned out great!!
Thank you, Catherine. My supplies are a healthy mix of the well made pieces and the plastic stuff from the kid's section. And white craft glue is a wonder. Hope you have a creative weekend and make some gorgeous messes! Kelly
You have a great eye for composition.
Why thank you! It's all in the wrist. 😻💗
Excellent. I thought I knew every trick in the book but you showed me! Ha,ha. Thank you so much for posting this video.
Hi Patrick. Thanks for this. I learned by making stuff up as I went along - getting things right and getting things wrong but taking notes and tweaking - and that adds up to a ton of found, resourceful ideas. I am so glad you liked these and hope you will be making some fun pieces from the scrap box. Keep me posted! Kelly
Beautiful collage & lots of great tips. Wow, I didn’t know there was a product using rosin!
Have a great weekend.
Hi Nola, once you start going down the encaustic rabbit hole it is a lot, as in you need the wax with the right amount of resin to wax ratio and this all depends on how you are going to use it and...I am probably overthinking it but it wasn't exactly just dripping a warm candle over a piece and hoping for the best, either. 😮😁
Loved the video and your collage pieces! I am trying to grow my creative skills and this was definitely helpful!!
Hello and thank you, Peggy. It is good to hear about this creativity and skill growing. Be bold and make messes and learn from doing things wrong but remember you can always say "I meant it to look that way" 😉 and keep going and growing. Keep me posted! Kelly
I just love your voice. It is so soothing
Thank you, Jessica. It is funny, though. I always hope I sound like Marlene Dietrich or Lauren Bacall and then I hear my own voice on the playback and sound more like Marcia Brady. Sigh. 🙄So thanks for the vote of confidence.
Always enjoy your videos, Kelly. I didn’t know about encaustic, so I learned something new today! Thanks! Cheers from NC.
Love this!
Thank you, Susan. Hope you have a creative weekend and make some gorgeous messes.
Great tips!
Thank you, Teresa. Hope you have a creative weekend!
I love this piece of work!
Thank you so much for sharing the cold wax and the faux encaustic techniques I love that look but have little space and tiny budget but will give some of these a try ! 🙏🏻
Hi Sheryl and thank you. While I like encaustic a lot it is pricey and not always practical so good to have alternative tools in the creative toolbox, no? I am planning a longer version of just the faux encaustic techniques for March, including adding 3d elements so stay tuned and keep me posted on what you make. Kelly
Excellent, a different slant on collaging. Thank you fir sharing this technique. Your video was clear and precise too, thank you.
Hi Cheryl. Thanks for touching base. It really helps to hear what creative souls are thinking and what speaks to them and which direction to take the teaching in. I hope you make gorgeous, fun collage!
Great video Kelly
I am definitely going to try all that you showed us.
You are always so inspiring.
Why thank you, Susan. That is truly nice to hear.
Very interesting, Kelly. I also think you might have coined a new word-- "scriptscraps". I like it!
Thanks bunches, Donna. I am actually an old fogey when it comes to language, grammar, and usage but dang, scrip-scrap ought to be a word. 😎
@@BookandPaperArts It sure should! I love it and I'm using it. I like the hyphen.
@@BookandPaperArts It sure should! I love it and I'm using it. Like the hyphen, too.
Kelly, I'm just loving this encaustic project!! The only wax I have been using over the past 10 or so years, has been tiny, pariffin wax beads from the craft store, like Michaels. You simply drop a few beads over the project and iron them over the piece. It looks great and sometimes very transparent. But I LOVED that look, of the first piece you made. Now that one looked so dream like and ethereal! It appears to be a thicker coat. But as you pointed out, I have very little creative space, no windows and it seems to work best for the time being. However, I might just try one of your other two techniques used here. Thanks so much for these beautiful ideas. Your collages are all amazing, no matter, what you put over the top layer!
Thank you, Lynn. Yes, they are gorgeous at every step and I actually have some that just stopped at the patchwork stage with a little colour added for pop. I do like the sound of ironing wax pellets and need to look into that. While I love making true encaustic it makes a lot of itself and some hacks are the way to go. Hope you have a creative weekend! Kelly
What a nice idea, wax. You could perhaps also do it with a candle against your iron? That's how I used to have to clean the old iron: with a candle against the iron and then iron it on an old cloth. Then you always got a strange hard cloth (something like making batik). It smelled nice though
@@Lucyverre Lucy, what an interesting way to clean the iron. Maybe instead of cloth you can iron it onto paper. Let me know if this works!
@@BookandPaperArts old school 😂
Well, I’m hooked. 😂
I love using the charcoal pencil to give it depth, and the end ideas to warm it up. Beautiful work! Thank you so much! ❤
Hi Debbie. Thank you for touching base. It really does make my day to hear that something hit the target, creating-wise. Hope you are going into a creative weekend! Kelly
I love collage ❤ thank you for your course on book making.
Why thank you. This is truly nice to hear and makes me happy. I hope you are having a creative week! Kelly
Beautiful work!
Such fun! Your pieces are lovely. Can’t wait to give this a try. Thank you!
Thanks bunches, Joy. Hope you make great, gorgeous messes. Kelly
Just found you. How amazing!
Hello, welcome, and thank you! You have just made my day. Kelly
I just found your channel. Subscribed. I fold and tear full sheets of 300 pound watercolor paper to get a faux deckled edge. I like your limited colors.
Hello and welcome, Ava Nelle. That sounds so effective although I must say you have stronger wrists, to say nothing of straight-edges, than I do, although I will do a great deal for a good faux deckled edge. 😉😉Kelly
If you worry the paper back and forth on the fold several times, it tears easily.
Great video!
Thank you, Tanna. Glad you liked it. Keep me posted on if you give it a try. Kelly
@@BookandPaperArts looks really fun and I have tons of all kinds of paper scraps
Hello. I FOUND YOU!!❣️😊😊😊
Hello and welcome, Amy! Hope you have a creative week. 🌷🌼🌻 Kelly
Beautiful! Thank you.
Thank you, Kathleen! It is my real pleasure.
"It's perfect for making slime..." 🤣🤣🤣
Ah, pva. Gotta love that stuff.
Well this video ticked some boxes ❣️🙂 It's amazingly beautiful, Kelly. You are so creative, a true artist.
I had trouble understanding (I'm Dutch) what you meant by resin (rosin). But I assume you mean what I found now. The stuff that's in the tree trunk and it's really sticky, is that right?
Hello Lucy. Yes, resin is the stuff in tree trunks. 😁When you make real wax encaustic, the wax needs the dammar resin to make it hard. It is also in the cold wax medium. I hope you make some good collages with scraps! 😎
@@BookandPaperArts To be honest Kelly I'm not going to make this. I'm more of a collector (horder). And I shouldn't even do that... But given the number of responses I thought, good for you 👍🏻
I really enjoy watching your videos and your explanations. I find it all very interesting. But I'm afraid it's too late to start it myself. Especially considering my health and (lack of) energy
I saw that your health tends to hold you back from your creative "adventures". I have Fibromyalgia which affects me differently, on different days. Some days I'm sort of good to go, and I have a lot of fun. Other days, not so much, but I do what I can, when I can. Please , try to let your creativity out to play, once in a while. It's so important for both your physical health and your mental health. Bless you. Be well and stay safe.🌹🌹🌹☺️ 🎨🖌️📰📚👩🎨🎉
@@bunabunatetu6130Thank you for your kind words. I do my best 😁
I am familiar with Fibromyalgia. It's somewhat related to what I have, M.E. Which is very similar to Long Covid, right? I wish you many "good" days. "Get up and go make something" Kelly would say 😅🎃🧡🍂
Just loved this video. What can I use if I don't have the thick paper from Etsy? Will good watercolor paper with a coat of gesso hold up? Thank you for this inspiration.
Hi Diane. I'm so glad it went over big! I would definitely do this on watercolour paper. Or cardstock. I am also making some on book covers. So get in there and experiment and play around. The great thing about doing it abstract is you can't really get it wrong. 😎😎Kelly
Kelly, would mod podge be ok for this sort of project as far as the Encaustic effect? I have used it to make some really great journal covers with a paper bag/envelope as the cover. I do have PVA :) will need to go check out my supplies, maybe this will give me mental relief from the heat we are told to expect for the next couple of days.
Kerry, why not try the modge podge on a test piece. I think it is pretty much a glue and water solution so it might not be as thick as plain, old PVA but what the heck, use what you got! Keep me posted. Kelly
@@BookandPaperArts thanks Kelly, will do 💖
loved this video Kelly - can I ask a very basic question - when I glue pieces down with Matt Medium and then go over the top again with the glue it always buckles on me - any workarounds you can suggest? or what am I doing wrong? Fil
Hi there, Fil. Let's see if we can sort this. Do you mean you glue down images with matte medium then add a ton of craft glue on top for the faux encaustic finish and the images buckle? If so, I would say make sure you have a tight seal in the first place. When I glue down an image I usually put some greasproof (parchment or other) paper over it and flatten it out really good with a straightedge of some kind. I use a paint mixer with a handle that you get at the hardware store and you can see in the video but a ruler or old debit card will work.
Make sure you let it dry. I dried my collage overnight before adding the glue layer. I think that should help. If I got the question wrong, please clarify and let me know and we will see if we can fix this. Kelly
@@BookandPaperArts Hi Kelly, thanks for that - no I glued the first layer with matt medium and then went over the top of it immediately - so gluing under and over if that makes sense - I did use a bone folder to flatten it down but it might not have been dry before going to the second layer of papers. It was at that point it buckled - and that then was exaggerated by putting the thick layer on afterwards ... This has happened to me before ... the substrate was an old water colour painting on thick watercolour paper.
@@filomel1809 Hi Fil, yeah, try getting a superflat seal with that bone folder over a layer of deli paper (or what have you) to keep the bone folder from pulling up the sticky, damp glued paper. I actually let my pieces dry between each layer, which takes AGES - an altered book with six layouts takes about six weeks (!) but the results are satisfying. This might help:
ua-cam.com/video/15P6kw-Cs_0/v-deo.html
@@BookandPaperArts thank you Kelly - yes, I think that's my problem - I'm way to impatient lol. Have a lovely weekend.
Will these be durable? Prone to cracking?
So far mine have not cracked and if they do eventually, well, it can be part of the messy look.🙂
I've got some Gamblin's Cold Wax I bought for a class I took last year. I will see if it gives an encaustic look. Also, there is an embossing powder available from Seth Apter that is a vintage beeswax look. It takes about 3 tries with it but it definitely works. Thanks for this video!
Always enjoy your videos, Kelly. I didn’t know about encaustic, so I learned something new today! Thanks! Cheers from NC.
That is nice to hear, Kristin. Thanks for touching base. And I hope you are having a creative weekend! 🌻🌼🌷Kelly