Collage Paper Tips and tricks

There are two great things about collage paper:
1. It is a lot of fun to make them. 
2. It using them brings enjoyment along with therapeutic benefit. 
Let's start with the fun of making collage paper, there are many different ways to do this.  You can use any kind of paper from newspaper, pages from an old book, white paper, old receipts, or even tea bags.  Once you have chosen the paper you will use then make marks on it; a pattern of circles, lines, drops & splatters of ink, stamps, finger prints....the options are endless.  Another way you could create collage paper is use a Gelli Plate like I did to create the ones you see here.   
Next is how you can use the collage paper, the list is endless, I'll share a few tips and tricks to get you started.   First tip - ripping paper is very therapeutic and causes a response in the brain and helps you feel grounded.  I rarely use scissors when working with collage paper, I like to rip it!  Try this: Choose a piece of collage paper that you are drawn towards, rip it into 3-5 pieces and glue them down on a plain (or other) piece of paper, then give it a title.  Doing this activity is grounding and you feel like you accomplished something.  Once you are finished you can either set it aside or you can sit with it for a minute, what do you notice?  Art activities like this have a way of connecting to our intuition in ways that talking isn't always able to.  Collage paper can also be a helpful starting point when you aren't sure what to put on paper or you believe you can't draw.  Try this: Choose a mark making tool and scribble a line with your non dominant hand.  Choose a paint colour that you are drawn towards and add some paint to the paper with a few brush strokes or a block of colour somewhere on the page.  Then, choose a piece of collage paper that you are drawn towards and rip it into a shape then glue it on the paper.  You can leave it like this or add more to it, do what feels right.  
If you are looking to try more then watch for an upcoming Make Your Mark opportunity about Collage Paper.  Join the email list and don't miss out, scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up.