even cowgirls DREAM of PARIS

cowgirls, originally uploaded by e14studio.

If you're stuck in a non-creative rut and need a nudge, I recommend Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth. There are plenty of techniques to try and once you get the ball rolling, you'll come up with some new ones of your own.
I began with a blank 8x10 canvas and applied a thin wash of yellow oxide color. I didn't have contact paper for reverse masks, like the book suggests, so I just cut stars out of sturdy paper and used double-sided tape to adhere them onto the canvas. Over the stars, I applied a wash of color using acra magenta mixed with brilliant blue. When the paint dried, I removed the stars. Next I used the plastic wrap crinkle technique with brilliant blue & yellow oxide paints mixed together for another section of the background.
My cowgirl image came from a piece of fabric which I scanned and printed on laser paper. I could have cut out the image from the fabric and glued it directly on the canvas, but I'm still not sure if I want to use the fabric for another project, so this gave me a chance to play around with the cowgirl idea and not use up my fabric stash. This has turned out to be an inspiration for me. It's not all that ingenious, but the idea of scanning my fabric and printing it out and using it for collage gives me more options for my pieces.
However, I did use actual fabric pieces for her body. As I arranged the cowgirl's image I came up with the concept for the artwork. She looked quite fashionable in her printed overalls and she needed to be holding something in her hand so I made a tiny passport. Why not send her on a trip to Paris?
The next step was stamping the Eiffel Tower on the canvas. I swished some paint so there'd be an area to stamp on the canvas. Another one of my discoveries was that the canvas needed some support so it wouldn't cave in as I made the imprint. I held a small piece of foamcore board in place behind the canvas when I stamped.
Another tip I can share involves the stamping of words. I stamped "PARIS" first because it was on the bottom. I figured if I stamped "even cowgirls" first I might not have enough room for the whole phrase. So it's a good thing sometimes to work backwards with words so you won't run out of space.
Last tip of the day - never throw anything away. After I glued down the cowgirl, I needed something in the bottom right. For balance, I picked up those stars I used as masking elements in the beginning and glued them in place. I think the only thing I want to add are some tiny buttons on her overalls and she's ready to go to Paris!!!