The art of pasting papers to a support was called papier colle, the French term for pasted paper. Collage holds a permanent place in the lists of major media, along with drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Collage is used to explore ideas, advocate concepts, and develop possible directions in which to work with. It is comprises abstract shapes or recognizable images. Working with collage can often be "fun and games", but it is also a respected and dynamic fine art form.

There are six main areas to consider when investigating the basic materials and techniques:

 

Supports - The surfaces on which the collages are built are:

- Watercolor board, poster boards, and heavy mat boards.
- Cardboards.
- Stretched canvas, Canvas board.
- Illustration boards, heavy Bristol boards, and 300-lb. watercolor papers.
- Foam-Core boards.
- Lighter-weight papers that can be dry mounted or glued to heavy backings

 

Materials - Intended to provide help with projects, such as:

- Recycled papers (old paintings, acrylic, oils on canvas).
- Altered papers (bleached, stained, scored, shredded, perforated).
- Purchased papers (printmaking and construction papers, origami and drawing papers, tissue and watercolor papers).
- Photographic images (photographs, magazine illustrations, old books, posters).
- Prepared papers (painted and stained, colored or textured with pencils, crayons, marbled papers).
- Type (old magazines, books, calendar pages, boxes, labels from cans, labels).
- Found papers (paper napkins, wallpapers, old paintings, wrapping papers, postcards).
- Other materials (mirrors, foils, wood, glass, fabrics, flowers) you can find the next stores, such as:
- Craft or fabric store;
- Antique store;
- Dollar store;
- Hardware store;
- Office Supply store;
- Outdoors (shells, stones, leaves, driftwood).

 

Adhesives - Can be categorized into two types: paste and glue.

- Pastes are generally made of plant starches, such as wheat starch or methyl cellulose.
- Glues are adhesives made from animal products or synthetics.

 

Tools - Used to create collages and are very helpful with projects.

- Scissors, craft/razor blades, cutting mat;
- Heat (embossing) gun, iron;
- Tapes, brayers, sponges and sandpapers.

 

Surface - Enriching media- Used to enhance the collage's surface.

- Watercolor, tempera;
- Latex, inks, oils, bleaches;
- Colored pencils, crayon, graphite pencils, colored markers;
- Acrylic metallic paints and metallic markers, gesso.

 

Finishes - To protect against stains, dirt, dust, and fingerprints. Collage surfaces must be sealed or covered.

- Acrylic varnishes and polymer emulsions;
- Spray finishes, lacquers, and varnishes;
- Glass, Plexiglas, and sheet acrylic.