Expert: Gianina L. - 11/21/2004

Question
Hello Gianina,

     I am starting in a new direction for me involving collages and perhaps fragmented fiber collages.  My main question is how to transfer my own words onto either paper collage or fabrics. Also when involved with paper collages what type of paper and glue works best? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

             Thanks in advance.

                Jennifer M.  

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

What kind of effect exactly are you looking for in the transferring words department? There are numerous ways to do this, and the more you brainstorm, the more methods you can come up with. You can collage actual printed text (either hand-written or printed)…you can paste book pages, you can right directly on the collage…or use stencils. Perhaps try a turpentine transfer with Xeroxed words. To do a turpentine transfer, make copies of text on a Xerox machine (Note: If you want them to appear in the right direction, you'll need to write the words backwards or have them reversed by computer or other means). The cheaper the Xerox machine, the better your transfer will be. Take your Xerox copy and lie it face down on the collage or on another piece of paper (you can use vellum as well, which can create interesting layers in a collage, allowing whatever's in the background to show through a little) and apply a good amount of turpentine to the back of the sheet. Rub down using the back of a spoon and slowly peel away the copy. The turpentine melts the ink of the Xerox onto your surface creating a great effect for any collage or mixed media piece. Let me know if you would like to know anything more specific about transferring your words to achieve a certain tone to your piece.

Just about any paper works well for collage, although too thin a paper, such as magazine clippings, can tear and bubble really easily. If you're excruciatingly careful, they're still useful, and if any bubbles form, you can pierce them with a small pin to let the air out, and flatten as best as you can. I like to use a clean rubber brayer when pasting paper, to help squeeze out excess air (a brayer is a little roller that you can find wherever they sell printmaking supplies). I normally try and stay away from too thick a paper because they can be difficult to adhere securely. Also, if the paper is particularly fibrous, I tend to give it a light soak in water first, allowing the paper to expand.

As to glue, this is a good place to experiment. I stick with Acrylic Matte Medium (or gloss medium, depending on the finish that I want) because it serves as an all purpose glue and sealant, and it works well if you're also combining other media into the piece. I normally apply a thin layer of medium first to the needed area, lay the paper down, and use the brayer to roll out the air and flatten wrinkles. I keep a paper towel handy to make sure my brayer stays super clean, wiping off any medium that might stick to it. I really like “Liquid Laminate” when using fabric in my collages. That also works nicely with tissue paper, which can be a pain because of the way it curls, wrinkles and sometimes bleeds color. Though with practice, the translucency of tissue can be quite beautiful. Mod Podge, though I haven't worked with it too much, is also a great and popular product, and even good old Elmer's glue (Talk about a flashback to grade school years!) can work…though use a brush that you never want to use for anything else.

Above all…just experiment to your heart's content. Try and think of items you wouldn't ordinarily use at first. I have a box where I just store scrap paper and materials…from paper bags, to receipts that have an interesting look to them, to paper I would otherwise recycle. Even photographs that developed incorrectly (where you have a blurred image or the like) can create wonderful texture.

I hope this helps you in some way. Just let me know if I can provide any additional feedback. Good luck and have fun!

Sincerely,
Gianina