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Making a collage with monotype papers: The Prodigal


Once I've got a great big stack of background papers to work with, I like to take a few days or weeks (however long they last!) and do some collage projects with them. Before cutting the papers up, I usually scan them so that later on they'll be available for mixed media digital collages too.

The Prodigal is a piece that came to me all in one flash. It's not very complicated, but the concept of the prodigal had been rolling around in my mind for a few weeks, and all at once I knew how I wanted to visualize it.

I used two monotype background papers that I made a few weeks earlier. Here's how Prodigal was constructed. How about using the basic methods to make a piece that represents a theme you are thinking about?

Materials & Tools
Decorative papers (heavy watercolor paper)
Clear ruler
Exacto knife
Gold leaf marker
Double-sided tape
Beads, nylon thread, needle


1. Choose your papers and cut to size. I made the small squares 2 inches, but you should vary this for your own project. I cut one square larger, and one square from a different color.


2. Edge each square with the leafing marker.


3. Use the clear ruler to line them up properly, and stick each one down with a bit of double-sided tape.

4. Stitch a small stack of beads to the corner of each square. I used a size 8/0 topped with an 11/0 bead on each corner.

5. I didn't add any text this time, but I often do, using a black micron or Pitt pen.


Copyright 2009 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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