What in all the world is “ephemera?”
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “ephemera” as:
1. something of no lasting significance,
2. paper items that were originally meant to be discarded after use.
Nan’s dictionary (if it existed) would define “ephemera” using only one word—trash! Yes, ephemera is destined to become trash…unless it is rescued from certain death and destruction by a collage artist. But with a little creativity, this repurposed “junk” can become a treasure—a thing of beauty.
These are a few of my favorite things to recycle for collage art: greeting card envelopes, empty toilet paper rolls, paper bags, the interior of business envelopes, used doilies, disposable candy/nut cups, paper tray liners from restaurants, ticket stubs, clothing tags, take-out menus, yesterday’s newspaper…
Folks often look at my picture book illustrations and assume that I create this collage artwork digitally. Nope. No computers. (A computer-generated collage—perish the thought!)
Instead of utilizing modern technology, I employ a painstaking and primitive process that I call GPS, etc. or Glue-Paper-Scissors, etc. Yep. I cut out all the pieces by hand, glue them together, and attach them to a sheet of cardstock. Depending on the picture book, just one illustrated page can have as many as several hundred individual pieces of “trash.”
Pack your patience, Nan.
Although it’s not a pretty sight, the backs of these figures give a good “behind the scenes” look at my artwork.
Flip the boy and girl over and— Ah!—now, that’s a much more attractive view.
And here’s the final product…
What’s the most difficult thing to cut out? Without a doubt, it’s the miniscule pieces.
Creating Huck the Duck (see upper left-hand corner) for this illustration was tough. I cut off Huck’s head once and snipped his scrawny little legs in half numerous times. But it was his beak and webbed feet that gave me the most trouble.
Poor, poor Huck.
I remember enjoying paper collage as a youngster. And as I approach my golden years, it’s still an enjoyable art medium for me. If you are the creative or artsy type, give paper collage a try—especially if you can tolerate sticky fingers, cluttered tabletops, and scraps of paper strewn throughout the house.