My Collages 5

These are some more collages that I created using found images from fashion magazines, when I was look through all the magazines I found that there were a lot of images of flowers and butterflies, so I decided that I wanted to include these in my collages to make them a little more interesting than just having images of people and faces. I also found that  there were a lot of images of animals too, and I thought about using these in my collages, however I decided they didn't really work with the other images that I had and the look I was going for.

My Collages 4

 

This is one of my favourite pieces, as I think that it works really well. to create this collage I used images out of Elle magazine, I cut out two heads, one I cut out completely and the other I only cut out the face. I then replace the original face with the second one that I had cut out. I used black thread to stitch them together, then replaced the eyes and lips and made them completely oversized and out of proportion to the rest of the face.

I feel that this piece works well and to me represents how people feel about the fashion industry and how people want to change the way that they look to fit in with impossible standards of beauty. And the way that people aspirer to look exactly like certain celebrities.

 

    

My Collages 3

As I continued to create more collages, I started to create and experiment with varying compositions and techniques/materials. As before I used envelopes and found images from magazines. However I started to use different size and shape of envelopes, not just A4/A5 and rectangular, but bigger and smaller and square. I also wanted to incorporate stitch into my work. To this I used back thread to start stitching into my collage. I did this instead of using masking tape to secure the images down, not only did it secure my work, it also added detail, interest and texture to what was a completely flat and smooth collage. This actually worked better than I had thought it was going to, and it was really easy to stitch.

My Collages 2

 

 

This is an A5 collage sample I created on an envelope. I think this image/collage works really well, as I feel that it is a really good visual representation of my themes (celebrity obsession, masks, etc.) And is pretty much what I imagined my work was going to look like when I stared this project. I cut the face out of a magazine, however I didn't include the hair, ears or neck as I wanted it to be reminiscent of a mask to reflect the fact that people use make up as a mask, and change their appearance. I also replaced the lips on this image (and many of the other collages that I have created), as it is a common thing for celebrities to change their bodies, with make-up and even more extreme, plastic surgery.

 

I used masking tape and stitching to secure the images to the envelopes , this is also in reflection of the fact that plastic surgery is very popular with celebrities. However I also wanted it to reflect the way I am looking into the theme of celebrity obsession and to make it almost like the pieces were created by someone completely obsessed. The masking tape to show that they were in a hurry and didn't have time to stick the images down properly. It is also not as permanent as glue either, so the images could easily be moved around and rearranged, almost like those paper dolls with the tabs that children play with.

The stitching is a reaction to the stitches that are associated with plastic surgery and changing the way that you look.

 

  

My Collages 1

These are the first few pieces that I created using found images from fashion magazines. I took inspiration from the artist that I had looked a previously, however I tried to add my own little twist when it came to the composition. I used small pieces of masking tape to secure the images down, to make them look less thought about and more spontaneous and obsessive. the first collage is my favourite of the collages that I have created so far. I created this piece on an A4, used envelop. I think that I like this one most as it is one of the first that I created, so I had the most images to play around with, and I just think that the images work really well together.

 

 

 

I really like these collages as I think that the difference in scale and proportion work really well and make for an interesting composition.

 

Tea bags - Wax White

To create these samples/experiments, I emptied clean, unused, round teabags. I then cut out my images from magazines to size, so that they would fit inside. To seal the images inside the tea bag, I melted candle wax until it was liquid. Then I dipped the tea bag into the wax until it was completely covered. When the wax dries the image inside is trapped, inside the tea bag and it has a waxy coating on the outside. I then cracked and bent some of the tea bags to add texture.

I really enjoyed this technique ad think that they work really well.

James Dawes

I wanted to look at James Dawes' work, as I felt that it most linked in to my own work and the ideas I had starting this project. Also I found this artist in a fashion magazine (Elle) when I was looking for images and inspiration. When I found these images I had never hear of Dawes, however I found that his work was very similar to the ideas that I wanted to create. So I played around with some images to try and create similar images to these.

What I like most about his work is the way that it is arranged and composed. I find that way that he uses images actually from the magazines to create new images for that magazine really interesting and unusual. I also enjoy that he incorporates other images into his work, such as the flowers and other abstract shapes, colours and textures.

I plan to create a number of different collages in a similar style to these though out this project, however I plan to create my collages by hand using images I find in fashion magazines.