1. Laying the foundation.

You need to find something to create your collage upon. Poster board, which comes in a variety of sizes and colors, is a good place to start. White is probably the best choice since you can add color, as you choose, to the background. You can  place the colored paper in various areas on the white board to enjoy a multicolored background. This is especially nice when it highlights or brings out the color in a picture that you place on top of it. You can also paint the background with a design or solid color, or even use wall paper or other decorative scrap book papers to create the background that you desire.

2. Materials, materials and more materials.

You need some basic materials on hand in order to get started, including poster board, scissors, colored pens and pencils, and some glue sticks. A collage is your personal canvas, yours to decorate in any way that you please. Gather magazines and other materials from which you can cut out pictures, words and phrases. Add colors and designs penned with colored markers or pencils, or even crayons. Add bits of decorative paper, colored string or other ornamentation. Include special photographs. You might even want to add pressed flowers, a small bag of beach sand or other small items which are important to creating your masterpiece. Use whatever materials you enjoy that will bring your vision to life. Make this multi-sensory experience all about you and your vision.

3. Its all about…you.

Spend some time thinking about what you want to put on your collage. You might have some preliminary ideas about colors and layout. After you have cut out pictures, you can mock up your collage and try laying out things in different formats. Think about these questions as you work on your collage: What do I want to attract for myself or for others? Why am I creating this collage? What special meaning does it have for me?

4. Take your time.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and your collage doesn’t need to be either. If you’re busy, buy the materials on one day, gather magazines and decorative items the next few, spend another day cutting out items/designing the layout, and spend the final day assembling your personal masterpiece.

5. Create a place.

Create a quiet space and time to sit down to work on your collage. Select the best time of day and your favorite day of the week that works for you. You may want to play some relaxing music in the background. You may want to work on it in the early morning, at twilight, or even late at night. Pick a special time of day when you feel relaxed and focused, but excited to use your mind and hands to create your vision on paper. A collage is a wonderful way to invest in yourself; a short vacation to visit with your vision!