Paper Collage Illustration

Fish Flies Over an Airport by Megan Coyle
Megan Coyle. Fish Flies Over an Airport.

What are illustrations?

Illustrations are images or pictures used to make something clear. They are made by drawing, painting, taking photographs, or any other artwork that creates a picture of something. Book illustrations help readers understand what is going on in a story. You can think of illustrations as pictures that tell stories by using images instead of words. Often times they include characters, a setting, and show an action.

What is paper collage?

A collage is a work of art made by taking pieces or fragments of other materials to create a new, original picture. Collages can be made of mixed materials like paint, paper, and metal. Paper collage only uses paper materials, which can include magazine and newspaper clippings, photographs, and paper bags.

Making Paper Collage Illustrations

Some artists make collage illustrations by using several different materials. Collages can be made with paper, paint, string, and objects from nature like leaves, just to name a few. Other artists look for materials that were thrown away like cardboard and newspapers. Take a look at one of the collages Megan Coyle made by using different materials.

Most of the time Megan Coyle makes collage illustrations by cutting shapes of paper from magazine pages. Coyle likes to think of her collages as paintings made from paper. She cuts out different shapes of paper and glues them down. She focuses on color when looking through magazines, trying to find specific colors to use for her artwork. She makes images of people, animals, or settings that we can easily recognize – telling a story with her collage images.

Are you ready to make your own collage illustration?

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