collage Archives - Linda Germain

Finding new habits

collage, inspiration, sketchbook ideas / Linda Germain / December 15, 2025

My sketchbook is a great place to find and develop new habits. It is a safe place to experiment. Hopefully I don’t bring in a lot of judgment and expectations to the process.

I find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest. I’ll often take an image and use different materials to make it my own.

My favorite materials these days are simple, crayons, and water colors. I like how the crayon resist produces a sketchy mark.

I use lines in squares and circles to mark up and start a page. I often work back-and-forth and do not complete one page or spread at a time.

My sketchbook can be a place to release and discover emotions and feelings.

Often I will glue in words or feelings, in the form of a collage or mandela. This is one of the habits that I offer in the class Creating Habits. It is 27 short videos with 20 new habits and it is the sale class for January. Check out the details on the workshop page and save $30 this month.

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Bits and Pieces – sketchbook Practice

book arts, collage, drawings / Linda Germain / June 19, 2025

My sketchbook practice is always evolving. It is kind of funny because I don’t really love to draw, but I find myself choosing to draw and doodle a lot in my sketchbook.

I make a lot of unrelated marks that in the end seem to come together in the end.

I do add plenty of stamped marks and pattern like marks. I collage little bits and pieces here and there and move back and forth through the signatures.

I work up the signatures individually and then glue them together when I have most of the pages done. This way I can keep working in the sketchbook even while wet media is drying.

I have common themes here throughout most of my sketchbooks like birds trees, other animals and positive phrases.

Usually, I will couple of angel cards with those positive words in my sketchbook with the date. It gives me a starting point, and something to think about. It is fun to look back and see what I was working more each month. I do finish about one sketchbook per month.

This month I have included lots of old book pages and parts as inspired by the Books as ART Materials class. It is the featured class for the month of June. You can save $30, now only $95 for this 18 project class. Get all the details on the workshop page.

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Fun with Books

book arts, collage, inspiration / Linda Germain / June 12, 2025

I have been exploring ways to use books and book parts as art materials. (This Months featured class – On sale save $30 – now only $95)

Above I used part of a black out poem and book cloth and book pages for collage.

I love hunting for books with special qualities. I like the large font of children’s books. I am lucky to have a great thrift store close by that sells 6 books for just $1.00.

Today I borrowed the spine cover idea from one of the 18 projects in the Books as Art Materials class for my current sketchbook. These signatures are worked up separately and then glued together. The book page spine cover will give it a nice finish.

Black out poems are always fun and an easy way to get started. Sometimes I cut them up and use them as collage bits.

Lastly I am inspired by images in books. I love finding new ways to draw trees. So take advantage of the June sale and enjoy the 18 projects in Book as ART Materials. Get all the details on the workshop page.

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Join Me – New Class – stamp making

artist book, collage, combined techniques, monotype print, sketchbook ideas, stamping tools / Linda Germain / October 14, 2024

I am excited about the new class that starts October 25th. This class is about:

Making small stamps out of sticky backed foam
Slipknot book form
a gelatin print lesson and
a bit of collage

I love this combination of techniques. There is something for everyone. So you can choose a focus that fits your interest at this time.

The slipknot binding is great for sketchbooking, because it can be flipped and folded to always lie flat. It takes a bit of thread management to link the pages together, but it is a pretty easy book form.

I am including a gelatin print session so you will have prints to respond to with collage and stamping.

The collage lesson is just to get beyond the blank page.

Read all the details and join us in Stamp Making + Mixed Media Book Workshop.

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Enjoy the hunt

altered books, collage, tools / Linda Germain / June 9, 2023

I recently realized that, I enjoy the hunt when making mixed media pieces. It is the process of sorting through papers and materials to find a pleasing combination that is most fun.

I like to use old books as art materials. And going to a library book sale is a treat. I like the last day when I can fill a bag with books for a few dollars. If you want to find a book sale near you check out this website. These are books that are headed to the recycle bin, so no reason to feel guilty.

I love gently taking the spine apart and revealing the materials that make up the spine of the book. These treasures make unique collage materials.

Every book is different and has something special to offer. Some books are good for black out poems.

It is fun to hunt for words that when combined give new meaning to the page. Recently, I realized that it matters to me what the book is about. Even though I am not reading the books and using them for their intended purpose the words matter. I want words to peek through and to draw the view in.

Another hunting expedition that I enjoy is finding mark making tools. I love to find a tool that I can dip into ink or paint and make patterned paper or delicate inked marks. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

Making a collage is a lot of hunting and deciding what to keep and what to let go.

Ask yourself:

Do you hunt for materials and ideas in your art process?
Do you enjoy the hunt?

Consider joining me in Books as ART Materials, a mixed media online class. Read all the details on the workshop page.

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