What is a collage, what materials will be needed in its manufacture. Photo collage is an innovation in the world of photography

A conversation about what collage is should begin with the meaning of the word itself, which denotes a type of contemporary art. In French, the word collage means "sticking". It is from this translation that one can very easily make a definition: a collage is such a technique in the visual arts, when the entire work is done by gluing materials of different colors and textures to the base - the substrate.

Collage owes its appearance to artists who preferred special directions and techniques for performing work. In particular, the Cubists, Dadaists. It was in their works that collage began to be used for the first time. Initially, newspapers, paper, remnants of fabrics, photographs served as materials for creating compositions. The basis of the work was canvas.

What is a collage in the modern concept, what materials will be needed to make it

Today's artists imply the use of modern materials. For example, to create a work in this style, you may need several types of glue.

  • Wallpaper. It is used in those areas where the surfaces to be glued are in full contact with each other. High-quality also allows you to securely fix dry leaves on paper or canvas. It is convenient because it does not leave traces on the surface of the paper.
  • Special glue used in floristry. It will be needed for areas of the collage where you need to attach transparent elements. For a strong connection, a spot application of glue will be enough. But you need to use it carefully - it can discolor the material.
  • It is very popular due to its ability to reliably connect materials without subjecting them to deformation. With the help of PVA, it is possible to strengthen rather heavy elements of the work. The main disadvantage of glue is the long period of its drying.

When creating a collage, it is also customary to use various tools and technical materials. In addition to glue, you will need scissors, which should be sharp enough: they will need to cut out elements for the future composition. Creating a background for a collage is done with gouache or watercolor - and naturally, this work will require a sprayer, brushes and sponges, a palette where paints are diluted.

It is impossible to talk about that without remembering the photo collage. A new unique image in this art form is obtained by "gluing" photographs and paintings. In this case, they use it as a "glue", and the whole process takes place in a computer.

The theme of glued works is quite diverse: you can find a children's collage, and a photo collage on canvas, and a variant that uses paintings by great artists of the past.

Now, knowing what a collage is and having studied the technique of its implementation, you can try to create an unusual and interesting picture that would complement the interior. But there is one "but" here - for all its seeming simplicity, creating a collage is not an easy task, it will require careful selection of the texture and color of the material, exceptional accuracy in work, and, of course, imagination and taste.

Photo albums are available in almost every home, this will not surprise anyone. But if you take photos from this photo album, make a collage out of them and decorate the walls of your apartment, it will already look original.

Translated from French, collage means gluing. In ancient times, it was the most popular way to decorate your home. People pasted all kinds of materials on the wall - pieces of paper, pictures, fabric, etc. and it looked pretty nice.

Especially such art of collage creation was used in China, and numerous excavations testify to this. The Chinese created beautiful collages from stones and dried flowers. In the 20th century, it was customary all over the world to decorate their homes in this way. Even the famous artist Pablo Picasso used collages in his works, he pasted newspaper clippings on them. And with the development of photography, people began to make collages of them and hang them on the wall.

Now many designers have taken this idea into service and embody it in decorating the room. On the surface of the wall, they try to stick different materials in such a way that it looks beautiful and enchants. You can make it yourself by learning how to make a photo collage with your own hands. Let's look at some interesting ideas.

paper photo collage

Any person can make such a do-it-yourself collage from a photo, even if your main activity is in no way connected with the world of art.

Before you start creating your own collage, you will need to choose a theme and pictures that match it. The topic can be dedicated to significant events in your life - wedding, graduation, the birth of a child, vacation in another country, student years, etc. It is desirable that your pictures tell a story from your life.


Select photos related to your event, they should be of good quality, you like them, and evoke pleasant memories. The number of photos must be a multiple. You will need to make a beautiful composition of all these photos. Pay special attention to this, because the creation of the composition will determine all your work, an attractive appearance will depend on it.

You will stick the photo on the substrate. As a substrate, you can choose a regular photo frame or a sheet of plywood, plastic, cardboard. You will need to adjust your photos to the size of the substrate by cropping them. To attach pictures to the substrate, prepare either double-sided tape or Velcro. You can beautifully glue the frames of your bases with improvised material - shells, matchboxes and other things.


If you are using a simple frame, consider how you will attach to the wall. You will need to attach the elastic at the back with a stapler or drive in small carnations.

If you cover the photos with a layer of decoupage glue, you will protect them from the formation of dust on the surface. Wait until the glue is completely dry. Hang your pictures on the wall as you like. See the photo examples below for inspiration. And your photo collage, evoking pleasant memories, is ready!


original form

You can not just arrange your photos in the form of a geometric figure, but make it more original. For example, arrange wedding photos in the shape of a heart, vacation photos in the shape of sunglasses, and birthday photos in the form of the letter of the birthday person's name, photos of your pet in the form of an animal.


In order to make such a form, it is necessary to make markings on the wall. It is necessary to fit the photos in such a way that there are no gaps left, without too much overlap of the photos. Laminating photos will help give you a more attractive look to your composition. If you add some highlighting to your collage, it will look really great.




Collage of matchboxes

With the help of matchboxes, you can create a really attractive thing. How to make a collage with your own hands from matchboxes.

Collect several matchboxes, glue them together on the base to make a geometric shape. In order for everything to work out, you must first draw up a sketch of the future work. The sketch should contain all the cells that will be in the future work. You will then put matchboxes into these cells.

Prepare the required number of matchboxes, remove all matches from them. Use glue to attach the boxes to the base (cardboard, plywood, frame). Use decoupage paint or glue to decorate the surface of your base. Wait until it dries completely.


Arrange the photos in the way they will be placed in the future collage. Each cell contains one photograph. Between them, you can lay out other decorations that you choose at your discretion. After that, you can start the gluing process. Take transparent glue for this. If you need to glue any large object, then it is better to use a glue gun.

Once all the pieces are glued down, put your collage somewhere safe and don't touch it until the glue is completely dry. You can also cover your entire creation with decoupage glue to increase its durability. After a while, decorate the wall of your house with this thing.

Photo collage in the form of puzzles

By embodying this original idea, you will get an unusual collage on the wall, which will decorate your room. To make it, prepare all the necessary material: whatman paper, sheets of printer paper, cardboard (corrugated), glue, adhesive tape (double-sided).

Draw a sheet of paper into several squares, give each square the shape of a puzzle, cut it out carefully. This will be a template that will then need to be transferred to corrugated cardboard and should be in a different color.

All puzzles are fastened together on a large sheet of drawing paper. On the reverse side, you can stick sheets of thick cardboard to strengthen the entire structure and sell it a finished look. On the reverse side, you can stick another sheet of whatman paper and make puzzles again, then the design will be two-sided.


Pictures for puzzles you can change at a distance. This idea is especially suitable for a small child, as they grow up quickly. Photograph young children constantly, and then you will have the opportunity to make a collage showing their growth and development.


What you need to know about collage design

The place where you hang your collage should be suitable for this and in harmony with the whole environment. You should not hang a heart-shaped collage in the common room, as it is most suitable for bedroom decor. The living room is best decorated with bright photographs. You can even make a collage for the kitchen using a special frame 10 centimeters deep.

Divide the frame with slats to make geometric shapes. You will insert photos or other items into them. But before you do this, cover the surface of your design with varnish.

The frame can spoil the whole impression, so if you decide to use it, choose the shape and material. The most suitable square, rectangular shape and a thin baguette.

Use a photo editor such as Photoshop or Picasso to edit your photos. This is to make your work look more original. A personal computer can become your assistant in arranging photos. There are special programs that help to do this.


You can do all the work right on your computer, then print it out and hang it on the wall. Computer programs are great help in the work. You can choose any background, photo processing, giving them the desired brightness and contrast. By choosing different effects, you improve quality, sell originality.


You can rotate your pictures in every possible way, decorate with graphic elements, add details from other images. Graphic editors give you a huge scope for the manifestation of your creativity.

You can match the photos in a consistent style or change the shape if necessary, or make a bold accent from the base of your collage.


Use not only photographs and other materials - shells, buttons, dried leaves, patches, ribbons, tickets, starfish and other things that suit the theme of your creation.

Give free rein to your imagination and come up with something original, and then your do-it-yourself collage from photos will express a bright personality and creativity. Do not forget about accuracy, the result of the work will also depend on this. By following these rules, you will receive a magnificent thing that will warm your soul with pleasant memories.

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Useful materials

What is a collage and how to make pictures

Collage is a word that many people hear. You must agree, at least some certain amount, different from zero, since you heard it. How many people know what it is? I think most will make the right guess by saying that this is something of art. But to say that this is for sure only those who are actually involved in this very art in one way or another, or the one who once encountered a collage, will be able to say. Are there many such people? Enough, but not enough, to say that collage is a well-known term and that in the future I will talk about what it is, it actually does not have any, even the slightest sense. And in general, is there much sense in the fact that a person learns the meaning of some words, whose meaning he did not know before?
How to make a collage in Photoshop (Adobe Photoshop) CS6.

On the one hand, these words may never be useful to you, that is, you will essentially waste your precious time. And on the other hand? And on the other hand, when it comes to that very word, you don’t have to nod your head, pretending that you understand something and you don’t have to goof off if you are asked if you know what it is. Moreover, it will diversify your vocabulary and you yourself will be able to trump with the knowledge of some beautiful words that few people know. After all, you must admit that it is much more beautiful to name an object by its real name than to talk about it in the style of "this thing." But let's get back to the collage itself. What is it? A collage is a technique in art when a certain object or material is pasted onto a picture, which differs from the main picture in its color and, at first glance, is absolutely inappropriate here. Initially, it was only an experiment, and many believed that this experiment would end in a complete fiasco. As it turned out, in fact, you can guess for yourself, because you have heard that word, right? So, if we talk about what collage is generally used for, besides just doing it in some other way, it causes the effect of surprise, gives the usual-looking picture piquancy and unusualness. In general, this is exactly what they love lately. No, I'm not saying that a collage will always come in handy, not at all. However, in those moments when it is done really cool and really timely, the picture comes out much more interesting than without it. In principle, this is all, this information is more than enough to understand the essence of the term.
How to make a photo collage on a computer

The art of photography is a long-explored area. But you always want something new. The perfect solution was to create a new direction. Today we will find out, This is a rather fashionable trend in design now. It allows you to combine those details that cannot be obtained by photography.

What is a photo collage?

The term "photocollage" is usually understood as the connection into one whole of a certain number of photographs, which create one complete composition.

How to make a photo collage? This is perhaps the most exciting question for many. If there is a desire for yourself, then there is nothing complicated in this. You need to show maximum imagination, patience and follow the rules.

Necessary things to create a collage

As many people know, a photo collage is one that does not require special artistic knowledge and skills.

To properly compose a collage, you should consider small details, such as:

  • The main idea of ​​the future work.
  • Materials for manufacturing.
  • The basis of the work.

Everyone should understand why he, in fact, makes the photo collage himself from photographs and what he wants to emphasize with his work. Every detail should reflect the main essence and complement the entire composition.

It should convey the main idea of ​​its creator and present it from some completely different and unusual side to the human eye.

Materials in the manufacture may be different. In addition to standard photographs, you can use clippings from newspapers and magazines, various objects, notebooks and even perfume bottles.

As a basis for work, the advantage should be given to a strong and reliable material so that the glued objects hold firmly. Sheets of thick cardboard, chipboard and fiberboard are excellent for such work.

Making a collage

Having drawn up the idea line itself, it is worth starting the work itself and creating a photo collage. This can be done with the help of programs, as well as independently, manually.

Before applying the objects to the base itself, it is better to first sketch with a pencil in order to correctly arrange all the necessary elements in the picture.

After drawing the sketch, you should prepare the future basis on which the objects themselves will be located. Particular attention should be paid to the strength of fastening parts, since only well-fortified elements look perfect on the canvas.

You can make a great photo collage without the help of scissors and glue. To do this, you need a computer or laptop.

Manufacturing with programs

The main action in this procedure will be moving photos to the hard drive of a computer or laptop.

You will also need to install a photo editor on your PC. Another option is to use the on-line service to create the necessary sketch of the future collage.

Consider the main stages of working with standard photo editor programs.

After downloading and installing the program, we need to create a new project. In the list that appears, you need to select a template for work (there are usually a sufficient number of options presented). After that, you need to go to the settings and set the necessary parameters.

After creating a project template, you can customize the background of the sketch, insert a frame, an additional photo collage with effects, write text, tilt or resize the picture, remove unnecessary elements of the template and add your own.

The resulting finished work must be scaled to the required size, so that later it can be printed on photographic paper of the required dimensions.

Summing up

How to make a photo collage at home, can be seen from the description. But to create a personal unique masterpiece, it is enough to show your talent, imagination and diligence. Of the options currently available, there are two ways: stand-alone and software.

The first requires time, preparation of details, exact calculation of each of them on the basis itself. In addition, you should carefully consider the choice of glue for fastening the elements.

The second way is simpler. Allows you to get quite quickly an interesting and unique composition that has a solid structure. It can be placed in a picture frame or placed as a separate element in the interior.

A collage made in one of the ways will perfectly complement almost any interior, give new colors, sophistication and uniqueness to the design. The variety of materials used allows you to combine completely different objects with each other, which further expands the possibilities of creating such a creation. A photo collage is a convenient and indispensable thing when creating photo albums and ideological compositions.

If you want to give a loved one a pleasant surprise or just diversify the interior of the house, then think about it. In this article we will talk about what a collage is, as well as its main varieties. You will also learn about the process of making such works with your own hands at home.

Collage and how to create it

Collage is an original image created from several or many photographs and pictures. As a rule, there are two main ways to create such works. When choosing the first one, you will need a large sheet, on which all the collage elements, glue, scissors and materials from which you plan to make a collage will be placed: photographs, magazines, newspapers, etc. A variety of materials can be combined in one work - the appearance of a collage can only be limited by your imagination.


An example of an original collage

All you need to create a collage if you choose the second method is a computer, materials for work and "Photo COLLAGE". Note that absolutely any images from your PC or the Internet can act as sources for the collage.


An example of an abstract collage

Types of collages

The biggest plus of collages is that they can be devoted to absolutely any topic. If we talk about the most popular types, then it is immediately worth noting family collages. The ideal material for such works, of course, are photographs that depict all family members.


In no way inferior to them in terms of prevalence are “romantic” collages, clearly illustrating the history of the couple. Such a collage is not only an original way to cheer up your soulmate without a good reason, but also a great gift for another significant date - an anniversary or a wedding.


It is impossible not to mention the collages compiled in the "hot pursuit" of trips. Such works are both an aesthetic pleasure and a kind of report that can effectively combine all the photos on one sheet and become a creative decoration for a living room or bedroom.


Vacation collage

They remain invariably popular and will help you make a list of goals and tasks for the year, as well as become an excellent motivation for achieving them.


So, you have learned about what a collage is, which means that it's time to try your hand at making it in the PhotoCollage program.

How to make a collage yourself?

First you need to install the software on your PC. You can produce from one of the pages of our site. Immediately after launching the application, create a new project and you can get to work.


The start window of the program PhotoCollage

The program has a large number of blanks that can be used to create your own compositions from photos.


Original collage template selection menu

Among them there are both simple templates for placing images on a sheet, as well as full-fledged collages, for the readiness of which you need to add photos to free slots. However, this may not be enough. Then the editor built into the program will come to your aid, in which you can easily edit any downloaded template.


Classic collage template selection menu

"PhotoCollage" allows you to choose a background for work, using a color, gradient, texture or a full-fledged image as a substrate.


Main program window

For each photo, you can add beautiful frames that will emphasize the overall idea of ​​the collage. If the image is uneven, then it does not matter: just correct it using the cropping function.


Photo crop window

Using the function of adding text, you can supplement the composition with a creative comment or add captions to any pictures. If this is not enough, then decorate the collage with clipart from the built-in catalog and the work will sparkle with new colors.


Choosing a style for text

Printing and saving