Collage Discovery Workshop (Paperback)

~ Claudine Hellmuth (Author) "Collage is unlike any other artistic medium because you don't have to start from scratch..." (more)
Key Phrases: contact paper transfer, quilting iron, color laser copies, Yellow Ochre, Patina Green, Cobalt Teal (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In Hellmuth's hands, collage is not child's play but an artistic endeavor. Instruction in 15 different techniques, from glazing paint to creating a verdigris patina, form the core of her work, preceded by introductory pages on tools and supplies. The text is casual in tone and sympathetic to foibles and failures. What's even more impressive is the way she explains something nearly impossible to articulate--that is, how to transform a ho-hum collage into an aesthetically pleasing composition. The emphasis, in fact, is on the journey to art, on learning how to see better, to tell stories, and how journals can be used to capture ideas. A gallery, hints, and safety tips help focus readers on the possibilities of three-dimensional assemblages. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Inside readers will find more than a dozen innovative techniques and step by step demonstrations of 12 different collage projects specifically designed to help them achieve the modern, eclectic collage effect that's so popular today.

Collage Discovery Workshop shows readers how to rust or antique any object for collage and includes four recipes for creating amazing collage backgrounds from peeling paper to textured paint and so much more. In addition, five different image transfer techniques--for layering vintage photos and other art--along with creative excercises, journaling prompts and tips on altering books are included. Projects consist of the following:

*Collaged tin refrigerator magnets
*Heritage collage to honor a friend or relative
*Miniature candy tin assemblages
*Shadowboxes
*Beeswax collages

For stampers, paper and altered books artists--crafters of any skill level--Collage Discovery Workshop opens up whole new worlds of creativity.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books (December 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581803435
• ISBN-13: 978-1581803433
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #9 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Mixed Media
  #15 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > Reference
  #18 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Papercrafts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instructive and Inspring, January 13, 2004

By	Jennifer Shoup "jennifer_shoup" (Scotts Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Feast your eyes on Claudine Hellmuth's collage style!

Not only does this book include beautiful (and instructive) photographs of Claudine's collage work, but the reader is also treated to many versatile techniques, all presented in Claudine's engaging and thoughtful conversational style, along with very helpful discussions of design issues.

The first part of the book focuses on adding several techniques to your artist "toolbox". For example, Claudine offers explanation and instruction for several different types of image transfer techniques, from transfers using common tape or laminate to more unusual transfers using heat or even Elmer's clear caulk material. And forget about messy glues and decoupage mediums -- Claudine suggests an interesting way of using beeswax in assembling and even coloring your collage. Several other techniques i.e. peeling paint, will lend themselves to applications in many other media. There is also an interesting lesson in assembling a "frame" for your finished pieces that is both simple and effective. I found all of her instructions to be exceptionally clear and easy to follow.

Finally, I found Claudine's collage style to be refreshing. These days it seems that collage means seeing how many interesting or artsy things you can pile onto a canvas or paper. Yet Claudine's style is refereshingly spare, proving that it isn't quantity that counts, but quality. And there is plenty of quality in this wonderful and inspiring book!

95 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WhooooooooHooooooo!!! A REAL learning experience!, December 17, 2003

By	"skd" (Greenfield, IN USA) - See all my reviews

I pre-ordered this book, too, and eagerly awaited it's release. It is EVERTHING I hoped for and waaaaay more! I can't tell you how delighted I am with this book! I had hoped it would TEACH me new things, things to help me improve my technique, and also inspire me to new visions about what I can become/do/create.

Like other starving, self-taught artists, I can't afford to attend many workshops. Yet I'm desperatly wanting to know MORE, MORE, MORE about inventive techniques for creating GOOD art. So I am often left with "book learning" to fill in the gaps, and I have to tell you there are not many out there that really TEACH technique. Most of them are "do this, then do this" to produce a *certain* piece. (Which is fine, but I WANT MORE! LOL!)

In my eyes, Claudine Hellmuth is the modern master of collage, she has taken it to a whole new level, and I hoped her book would TEACH me. Her book has exceeded my wildest hopes. I flipped through it the minute I carefully RIPPED it out of the package and my little heart swelled with DREAMS and HOPE and GRATITUDE. This book is the BEST giver-of-tools to collage artists I have ever seen! Others have already enumerated the contents and the wonderful production value of this work, so I won't repeat them, but if you have a limited amount of money to spend on tools, spend it on THIS BOOK. You won't be sorry!

And now, I gotta go--- I have to go MAKE STUFFFFFF!!!!!!!! :o)

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!, February 20, 2005

By	merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

When I first started playing with Altered books I was also brand new to collage. The neat thing about this book is that it has two parts - it has a techniques part and then the second half is the collage part. There are techniques for doing transfers, glazing paint, peeling paper, stamping in wax, and creating textured paint. Then in the collage part she steps us through how to build a collage - add a picture, then some words, etc. She shows us how to do those altoid tins too which is fun. Wonderful images throughout the book to inspire and the instructions are really clear and step by step. I'm looking forward to Claudine's next book and her DVD!! She's such a terrific teacher.