I love creating collages and I have tried a lot of different tools over the years. Here are my top ten tools that I use...
1) Sharp Scissors - that are used exclusively for art and nothing else. The little yellow and black scissor are my all time favorites!
2) Foam Brushes - they don't leave "hairs" behind and evenly distribute adhesive (but when I am collaging on wood, I prefer synthetic bristles because the rough edges of the wood tears the foam and leaves little black pieces behind).
3) Mod Podge - I have tried many different adhesives for my collages but I haven't found anything that works as well for me as Mod Podge.
4) Craft Knife - one that swivels and one that doesn't.
5) Tweezers - helpful when placing little pieces.
6) Various types of markers - I especially like the Specrum Noir markers and Sharpies because they are permanent and when I apply mod podge, they do not smear or streak.
7) Pencil and Eraser - to sketch out the collage before starting.
8) Prismacolor Art Sticks - I love these! I can create papers with all different kinds of looks by dragging the colors across various textures. Often after I make the textures with the art sticks, I then fill in with the Spectrum Noir markers in a complementary color.
9) Acrylic Paint - to create papers. I use paints to create a variety of textures. Often I want the look of paint strokes, so I dry brush acrylics on to white paper. Other times I loosely blend two colors together for a different effect. Painting is always fun!
10) Papers - All different kinds of papers. Magazines, maps, books, dictionary pages, sheet music, graph papers, ledger sheets, tissue paper, cookbook pages, painted papers, markered papers, postcards, stamps, sewing patterns, plus so much more! I love papers!
Make it a HAPPY day!