4 Tips for Making Your Best Collage Plus Project Ideas to Get You Started

Calling all Magazine Hoarders

I don’t know about you, but in our house, we always had extra magazines. This didn’t bother me at all because I would put those magazines to use. I’ve enjoyed collaging ever since I was a kid. Something about an old stack of discarded magazines and a scissors makes my soul sing. But collaging is far from being a “kids only” kind of activity. More and more collaging in its various forms is popping up as home décor, fine art, and upcycled products.

So, how do you create the perfect collage that doesn’t look like you slapped magazine pages together in a chaotic mess? Keep reading to find out.

1. Choose a Theme For Your Collage

If you don’t know where to begin, I’d suggest choosing a color theme and sticking to it. Warm colors? Cool colors? Varying shades of blue? A neutral palette? Sometimes too many colors can be a bit off-putting to the eye, start simple and work your way up from there.

If you’re feeling bold and don’t want to limit your color options, picking a concept to delve into can also be a good starting place. Love, sadness, Christmas, technology, throwback are some examples of conceptual themes.

2. Use Mod Podge, Not Glue

Not hating on glue here, but Mod Podge will significantly reduce those pesky wrinkles. And with its clear coat formula there’s no need to worry about an unprofessional look. Plus it comes in various finishes from matte to gloss to glitter.

3. Vary the Size of Your Images

Unless you have a specific reason to keep all the cutouts the same size, varying it up a bit will give your piece a more natural look.

4. Scissors aren’t Your Only Option

For those tiny images an X-Acto knife can be a great addition to your collaging supplies. You’ll keep every detail and won’t spend hours cutting out an image as delicately as possible only to cut into the image and be back at square one.

Inspiration for those Rainy Days

1. Multimedia Collage

Take a basic collage from boring to bang in no time with some added accessories. Use wire, string, and other materials based on your theme.

2. Surrealist Collage

Surrealism is supposed to be an expression of the unconscious mind. Chances are your dream world and fantasy lands don’t make sense. Make a collage that reflects this line of thinking. Small Hands Big Art has a great page of more examples.

3. Upcycled Objects

Make this fabulous color block makeup bag out of a toothbrush travel case or decoupage another object and recycle something you’d otherwise throw away. Recycle Nation has tons of great project ideas for just that.

Craft on Crafters, Craft on

If you’ve ever wanted to give something a facelift or simply wanted to create a beautiful collage to hang on your wall you came to the right place. Show off your best collage or comment below so I can hear your thoughts and suggestions.