Collage – Shanty Town

I don’t have anything in this style that’s worth it’s own post yet, but here are some of the pieces I’ve done recently that showcase various techniques for using a copier to make collages.

I started by copying images and cutting them into simple collages, like so:

Then, in this example, I copied the collage onto a separate piece of paper, then ran that piece back through the copier the opposite way so that it copied onto itself upside down.

I really like the result of this, and ended up using this technique to create a sort of backdrop for other elements, like this example that incorporates another image, as well as the scraps I’d cut out for the precious collages.

This also involved moving the original image a tiny bit so that the copy is blurred. This creates an interesting effect, especially with the line shading of these images.

I’ve also experimented some with copying low-contrast textural background elements onto pieces. In this collage, I began with an image of a waterfall and shook the paper as it copied to get the the wave effect. Then, i copied images of shells and other sea creatures onto the wave at a low contrast. Finally, I cup out an image of some monks and copied them into the middle at a high contrast so they were the darkest part of the composition.

Last but not least, I simply copied an image of a stairwell at a relatively low contrast with a plastic bag over it. It gave it a weird old photo-grain effect that I’m really happy with.