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A collage of a house on a piece of paper and some materials and pencil around it

How do artists make collages?

A collage is a piece of art made from different pieces of paper, photos and other materials.

Collages also might have painting and drawing on them.

Collage artists spend time arranging the materials and trying out different ideas, before sticking them onto a surface.

They tear or cut materials before sticking them together.

Collages can be of anything and might be or even

A collage of a house on a piece of paper and some materials and pencil around it
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Watch how to make a collage

Find out about collages and how you can have a go with Oliver Jeffers

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Examples of collages and collage artists

Look at these examples of collages and collage artists. Maybe you will get some ideas and make your own!

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, A collage made from torn pieces of newspaper and a black and white photograph. Lots of the paper is brown., Kurt Schwitters's collage - Untitled (It's terrific!), 1944 The German artist Kurt Schwitters collected things that he found on the streets. He used these materials that were someone else's rubbish and made them into a collage for his art. He took his time to arrange the items in a way that looked pleasing to him.
A range of different coloured pieces of paper and fabrics to make a collage

Make your own collage

  • You could make a collage using pieces of paper that would otherwise be thrown away, such as envelopes and old newspapers. Make sure you ask an adult if you are not sure what to use.

  • You could have a go at collaging an imaginary face using different types of paper and card, in the style of Brianna McCarthy.

A range of different coloured pieces of paper and fabrics to make a collage
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Activity

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Two children cutting pieces of paper and gluing them down with a glue stick.

Did you know?

Paper was invented in China thousands of years ago.

The French word papier coll茅鈥 is where the word collage came from. It means pasted paper鈥痮r鈥痯aper cut-outs.

You can make a collage using anything that you can stick to a surface.

It is a good idea to play around with your collage before you stick things down.

Two children cutting pieces of paper and gluing them down with a glue stick.
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Quiz

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A glue stick, pieces of paper, scissors and letters to prepare for a collage

Glossary

Here are the meanings of some important words.

Abstract - Art that doesn't represent reality, but uses shapes, colours and textures for effect.
Collage - You can make a collage using anything that you can stick to a surface.

A glue stick, pieces of paper, scissors and letters to prepare for a collage
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