More than 40 years ago, Eldar Ryazanov made the inhabitants of the USSR reflect on how uniformly their cities, streets and even apartments looked. Today, a huge selection of furniture and finishing materials allows you to implement any design in your home. However, often the owners feel that the interior lacks individuality. In this case, the best solution is to decorate the rooms with photographs. They can be inserted into beautiful frames or simply hung on the walls. However, a collage of photos will look much more interesting. How to create it, this article will tell.
What is a collage?
The name itself comes from the French word coller, which translates as “sticking”. In art, collage is understood as a technique that involves combining dissimilar elements in one work that differ in color, texture, material and content by sticking them to the base.
Before you learn how to make a collage, you should find out what materials will be required. It can be:
- colored paper;
- plastic;
- canvas;
- transparencies;
- bright fabric;
- wood;
- cardboard.
There are various ways to create collages. Let's consider some of them.
Photo collage on canvas
There are no restrictions on the shape and dimensions of such compositions. In this case, it is permissible to use not only images, but also products belonging to one specific subject. For example, a collage of photos about a vacation at sea can be supplemented with shells. Dried starfish, decor in the form of an anchor, etc. are also suitable. You should pay attention to the choice of a frame for the collage. For example, you can use a thick rope instead.
Photo collage with inscriptions
Such a composition is usually performed as a gift for any occasion. Learn how to make a collage of this type, many want. After all, with the help of such a presentation, you can show the hero of the day or to whom he is intended, your attitude.
Consider how to make a collage with the inscription step by step:
- The choice of subjects of composition. It can be very different, from a family trip to a love story and just photos of children and parents taken at the happiest moments of their lives.
- The choice of materials. In addition to photographs, you need to pick up decor items and even ordinary things that can be used unexpectedly and used as decoration for a composition.
- Collage work. At this stage, you will have to show patience and accuracy so that a decoration for the home appears, which would not be embarrassing to hang on the wall.
How to make a collage in stages?
The manufacture of such home decor is carried out in several stages, the first of which is the preparation of the basis.
In this quality, you can use any materials, from whatman to a figure carved from wood.
Most often, photos are glued onto cardboard or thick paper, as it is then easier to sign or decorate with painted frames.
The use of polystyrene may be a good solution. This will fix the photo using the buttons and change them if such a desire or need arises.
This work of art will turn out if you use a panel of wood or a section of the trunk.
Dimensions
The correct choice of the dimensions of the base is important. After all, if it is too large, then the photo collage will look “poor”, and on too small a space it will be difficult to place all the images that you want to include in the collage.
In order to choose the right sizes, you should lay out all the photographs and decor elements on a smooth surface in the way they should look in the end. Then only it will be possible to cut out the base of the desired shape, according to the shape that you want to get.
The final stage will be the painting of the surface or its polishing and varnishing, depending on the material that is selected in order to fix the photo on it.
Option with magazine clippings
To create such a collage you need to have at hand:
- scissors;
- stationery knife;
- glue,
- clean rags;
- polyethylene protective film.
In addition, depending on which decor option you have chosen, additional materials such as buttons, beads or coins, which are in any home, may be required.
Collage in Photoshop
In our age of advanced computer technology, you can use special programs to create a collage. One of the most famous is Photoshop. This software product is installed on many PCs, and it can be used by anyone with elementary skills in working with office suites.
Creating a photo collage on a computer is easy because most people store their photos digitally. In addition, Photoshop allows you to add various effects and edit imperfections in images.
Collage in Photoshop: step by step instructions
- We open the photo that we want to use as the basis for the composition.
- Slightly reduce its sharpness using the Gaussian Blur filter.
- Open the first photo.
- Using the keyboard shortcut “Control” “A”, select it.
- Copy to the clipboard by pressing “Control” “C”.
- We insert into the future collage by pressing the “Control” “V” combination.
All the same can be done using the "Place" key. In this case, the photo can be scaled without losing quality, as they will become smart objects.
If you want the photo to be in the framework in the form of a circle, ellipse or other shape, then you need:
- turn off the visibility of selected photos;
- place the necessary figures according to the number of images in the right places of the background;
- add a stroke style;
- enable photo visibility;
- make a clipping mask from them;
- move the photo in the frame to the desired place in the background and change the scale.
Example
In any family where the baby grows, there are many photos. Of course, you can store them in albums. However, it will be more interesting to create from them a couple of original children's collages in the traditional way or on a computer.
By the way, you can combine these two options. To do this, create a “panel” in “Photoshop”, print it in full size on a printer and decorate it with decorative elements depending on the chosen theme.
It is also important to choose the right frames for the collage, which should be combined in their color scheme with the colors of the wall, and with the theme and color of the photo panel itself.