Paper Collage - A Successful Foray

I have never been very good at collage, but it's something I've always wanted to get better at and yesterday I finally decided to really try and make something good with this technique.  I didn't have a set goal or design in mind, I just started cutting and pasting, planning to see where I wound up.  I stuck to a colour family of reds and browns because I've recently learned to keep it simple simple simple when you are first learning something.  (I know, what a mind-blowing revelation at twenty two!) 

So, with no clear end result in mind I somehow came up with this piece that I have tentatively entitled, "Thinking About the Middle East."  I've never given something I've made a title before, but somehow I decided this needed one and that that was it.  It feels like a big step.

I think I'm going to mat it on black paper when I next get paid and can get some: I took a picture against my black desk to give myself an idea.

I really, really like this, possibly better than any stand-alone piece I've made in a long, long time, maybe ever.  I want to make more using this method and get even better at it.  I just thought I'd share with you what, according to me, turned out to be a wild success.

Five Minute Portrait of Myself

This took barely any time at all - honestly, it's just a doodle.  I meant it for my other blog, my tumblr; because I like the idea of a hand-drawn profile picture (or whatever it's called on there) but have been using the same stupid pencil sketch all year.  I always planned to replace it when I had time so tonight I just did it, and I ended up being really, really happy with how it turned out.  I was feeling kind of gloomy as I drew this and I think that feeling shows up in this drawing.   It's difficult to describe but it's like the way I was feeling at that moment just came out of my pencil and onto the page.

Anyway that's all...a pretty productive night because I also did some work on some other things.

Hope you're having a nice day today!

Love, Emily.