Blog | Megan Coyle: Artist & Illustrator

July 8, 2020June 18, 2024

Why Do Artists Create Art?

The Daydreaming Fish by collage artist Megan Coyle

Artists have been making artwork for centuries. For those non-artists out there, you’re probably wondering what is it that makes artists want to make art? Where does that drive come from? I like to think that it comes from the following:

1. Inherent Love

Artists have this deep-rooted love for making art. They enjoy what they do, and they can’t live without it. Just as anyone who has a career or hobby they love, artists love what they do and have this drive to pursue it.

2. Form of Expressing One’s Self

Art allows artists to express their thoughts and views. It also allows them to explore different emotions.

3. Imagination

When artists make art, they can tap into their imagination. They aren’t limited by the real world, and can explore worlds that they imagine.

4. Way to Communicate with Others

Sometimes artists can use art to communicate thoughts and ideas that they are unable to communicate with words. It also allows them to communicate different views to others.

Artists are drawn to the art-making process for a variety of reasons. It allows them to be creators who use the valuable tool of expression.

July 1, 2020June 10, 2024

Hummingbird

I keep trying to work on a different subject, but I’m consistently drawn back to animals. What can I say? I think animals are more exciting to make time lapse videos of. This was an especially fun collage to make since it was my first attempt at making a hummingbird.

June 30, 2020June 30, 2020

What Tools I use for my Artwork

The Curious Penguin by collage artist Megan Coyle

When you see one of my collages in-person, it’s difficult to tell what they’re made of. I think when it comes to art in general, it’s hard to imagine how a work of art was completed from start to finish. I like to post time lapse videos of my process every now and then, but I also thought I’d share more information about the tools I use to make my artwork:

1. Magazines

These are the main ingredient of my art. I like using fashion magazines since they’re full of patterns and bright colors. I also like using magazines like National Geographic when I work on landscapes.

2. Scissors

These are my tool of choice when I cut paper for my collages. I don’t ever use things like X-Acto knives, although I’ve heard of some collage artists who enjoy using them for cutting intricate pieces of paper.

3. Watercolor paper

I like using this as my support or the material I make my collages on. It’s lightweight enough that I can cut out pieces of a collage I’m working on – if it isn’t quite working out – and glue them down on another sheet of watercolor paper. It’s also durable enough that it can last for years.

4. Acid-free glue stickes

This is my adhesive of choice. I like using glue sticks when I’m working on a work in progress, since the glue isn’t completely permanent, and I can pull up previous pieces to undo any details that aren’t quite working.

5. Graphite pencils and erasers

Every collage I make begins as a sketch. It helps me map out my compositions so I can get a sense of how well a given idea will work. And erasers are necessary for when I need to redo parts of a sketch.

6. UV-protective varnish

When one of my pieces is finished, I’ll varnish it with a UV-protective varnish. Varnish helps seal the magazine strips in place, and gives them a more permanent adhesive than the glue sticks I use when the artwork isn’t quite complete. It also helps protect the paper from sunlight over time.

7. Archival frames

Whenever I frame my artwork, I like to use UV-protective glass and acid-free mats to help protect my artwork over time.

June 28, 2020June 28, 2020

How to Keep a Sketchbook

Sketchbooks are a wonderful way to practice your craft as an artist. You can use them to plan out future compositions, as a visual daily journal, to practice (so you can improve drawing various subjects), or for one of the many other reasons artist keep sketchbooks.

If you’ve decided to start keeping a sketchbook of your own, here’s what you can do to get started:

1. Get your supplies

Head over to your local arts and craft store to pick up a sketchbook and drawing materials. You may want to use regular graphite or something like color pencils, oil pastels, or water colors.

2. Figure out your sketchbook’s purpose

Do you want it to be a free-form daily journal, or a book of potential ideas? Should it be used to practice drawing? Or will you use it to produce mini, original works of art? Figuring out the sketchbook’s purpose will help keep it focused.

3. Pick a schedule and stick to it

This will help you ensure that you consistently use the sketchbook. This also helps document how your work in the sketchbook changes over time.

4. Occasionally revisit previous entries

Taking the time to review your work every once in a while, helps you evaluate what you’ve previously done, and make a mental note of the direction you’d like to move in.

And there you have it – a list of steps to get you started with a sketchbook. Good luck and happy creating!

June 26, 2020June 10, 2024

Go Bananas

Another day, another collage made so I could put together a time lapse. Still life has always been a struggle for me, so I’m trying to challenge myself by working on subjects that I don’t ordinarily work on. This piece was especially difficult to piece together, and perhaps it’s simply because I’m not used to making too many food-related collages. Anyway, I’m not sure if this is entirely finished, but it’s finished for now.

June 15, 2020June 10, 2024

Avocado Time

I’m generally drawn to making animal portraits, but the other day I decided to do a still life collage. I wanted to film the process again to create a time lapse video (you can see the results for this one below). And I thought it would be interesting to tackle a simple shape that could be made to look more abstract.

This was my first time making an avocado collage, and although the finished product turned out a lot rounder than I intended it to be, I’m still pleased with the overall look. The shadows and highlights played nicely this time.

June 8, 2020June 10, 2024

The Long Haired Dachshund

I’ve made quite a few dachshund collages over the years, and the other day I wanted to work on making another long haired dachshund portrait. I also decided to film the process. The interesting thing about filming my collage process, is that sometimes I feel a little nervous about filming my work. I never know how things will turn out and if I’ll be pleased with the finished collage. However with this piece, I was happy with the results.

And here’s the time lapse video:

May 30, 2020June 10, 2024

Donut Give Up

I have to admit that it’s difficult for me to focus on subject matter other than animal portraits. What can I say? Animals are my favorite subjects to make art of. So this past week, I ventured off and made another donut collage. And of course, I couldn’t help myself but use a pun in the title.

This was another collage that’s part of my quarantine collage series, where I film my process and create a time lapse video:

May 26, 2020June 10, 2024

Owl Be Back

This past weekend I worked on a couple of new collages where I filmed the process so I could put together more time lapse videos. I’ve always liked owls, so I decided to make another Barn Owl collage. I also couldn’t help myself with using a pun for the name of this piece 🙂

Filming my process has helped me set more of a schedule for working on my artwork. I like how I can share how I’ve tackled various subjects with my technique. I’m thinking that up next, I’ll make a few still life pieces, since I’ve worked on so many animal portraits.

May 20, 2020June 10, 2024

Pug Life

Sometimes working on a work of art can be a bit of a struggle. For instance, this piece started out in one direction, but after completing the initial sketch, I ended up erasing it entirely and sketching a different version of the same subject. Then when it came to the layers of paper, it took a bit of reworking the details to get things looking the way I wanted them to.

I don’t know if I’m finished with this piece, but I’m done for now. The wonderful thing about art is that you can always revisit older pieces and rework them when you have a fresh pair of eyes.

I made a time lapse of this piece too that you can view below: