Blog | Megan Coyle: Artist & Illustrator

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:

May 10, 2020June 10, 2024

The Soaring Sea Turtle

When I was growing up, sea turtles were one of my favorite animals. I’ve only made one other sea turtle collage before, so I figured I’d give it another try while filming my process for another time lapse video. I like how quarantine has gotten me in the habit of recording my process. I’m not always really excited with the finished product, but I was pleasantly surprised with this piece.

The title for this piece was inspired by how I feel like underwater creatures almost look like they’re flying. The ocean is such a magical and strange place.

Since I took several months off from making art last year, I’ve felt a little rusty. And by working on a time lapse video every week, it’s helped me get back into the groove of making artwork.

May 8, 2020May 8, 2020

Art for Coffee Enthusiasts

If you’re a coffee enthusiast or know someone who is, coffee-inspired art can be a great gift (or great way to treat yourself). Coffee-inspired art works well with decorating kitchens or dining spaces. Decorating a room with art inspired by the room’s function, is a creative way you can customize your home.

Over the years, I’ve made several different coffee cup collages with bold, bright colors. I’ve used coffee cups as a subject to experiment with color. As a result, I have made a number of coffee cup collages using a variety of colors, which makes it easier to find original art or prints that work well with your home’s color scheme.

I use a process to make my collages that I call “painting with paper,” where I mimic the brushstrokes of a painting by layering magazine strips. My collages have a unique and colorful style, that would work well with any room with bright decor. My art also works well with adding a pop of color to any room.

You can check our my original coffee cup collages and prints available in my online store.

May 5, 2020June 10, 2024

The Proud Giraffe

I wanted to make another up-close animal portrait this past weekend, so I decided to piece together a giraffe collage. Sometimes I like to keep the background simple, and sprinkle in pieces of texture on the subject.

This was another collage where I filmed the process and put together a time lapse video:

April 29, 2020June 10, 2024

Rocky the Raccoon

I’m having fun working on these time lapse videos. I decided to make a raccoon collage since I have yet to tackle that subject. And I’m hoping that at some point I’ll get the lighting right for these. But in the meantime, here’s the latest:

April 18, 2020June 10, 2024

Berry Nice

It’s been a while since I’ve tackled still life, so this was my attempt after a long break. I definitely felt rusty. I’m liking how I’m trying out more of a variety these days. I think I might take a couple of weeks off from collage-making so I can experiment with some other mediums. There’s no better time to work on getting creative than the present, especially when we’re all staying indoors these days.

Anyway, this piece was also part of my recent time lapse video series. Here you can see the collage getting pieced together from start to finish: