 In honor of World Collage Day 2025 (May 10th) I offered a free mini zine collage class. We got together on Zoom and had the best time making spring inspired zines by folding just one piece of paper into a mini book and then collaging the pages.
Below you can see some of the zine pages that were made during the class.
Kimberly L.
About World Collage Day World Collage Day, initiated by Kolaj Magazine in 2018, is an annual international celebration of collage on the Second Saturday of May. Artists and art venues are invited to hold events on that day to celebrate the art of collage. World collage day is about artists connecting across borders and about sharing an art medium that excels at bringing different things together to create new forms and new ways of thinking.
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I’m not much of a shopper anymore, but I do love rummaging through thrift stores, flea markets, and estate sales. You never know what you’ll find—sometimes nothing at all, and that’s perfectly fine. Recently, I went to Estate Treasures and Services in Middletown, CT—a massive warehouse packed with everything from furniture to rickrack. Tucked along a back wall, I spotted a bookcase stacked high with the largest collection of piano roll paper I’d ever seen in one place. My first thought? You already have two boxes—you don’t need more. But, of course, curiosity won, and I had to take a peek inside a few.  To my surprise, these rolls weren’t just the usual light tan I knew of. These were manila, white, translucent white, and even a darker tan variation. I bought 5 boxes - they were only $2 each! .  In the photos above and below you can see the variety of punched slits and holes. Each one so unique. Two have words which I'm assuming are the song lyrics and notes about tempo.
I’ve loved using piano roll paper in my collages, and now, with these new colors, the possibilities have expanded. The sturdier manila and white rolls are especially exciting. They are less brittle so I’m already imagining them as pages in future bookbinding projects. Below are the 2 rolls that a friend gave me a year or so ago and some examples of how I used them.  The holes, slits and printed dots on these papers are great elements to work with. I've used the slits to weave through and the holes and printed dots as inspiration for stitching french Knots.
This one of my favorite book binding projects. I randomly glued the piano roll paper onto two large sheets of printmaking paper.  Then cut them into smaller pieces to become the pages for this book.   Going for 'icy' with a touch of sparkle on December's collages. That magical feeling of the first snow creating a winter wonderland.
Week 1  Week 2 Dug right into the stitching this week and figured out a different way to use the silver thread to add a little metallic shine, stitching lines that look like little bursts of light.  Week 3 While adding the silver thread bursts to this panel I went back and added a couple more to the first 2 panels as well as adding more stitches to the ones that were already there to make bursts that were more visable.  Week 4 On the last Monday of 2023 I made this last collaged panel of my December Concertina Sketchbook. These monthly concertina books were challenging at times and more time-consuming than the Monday collages I've done in previous years but lots of fun too. It was especially satisfying to see each finished strip on the last Monday of the month. Now the challenge is to figure out how to bind all twelve concertinas into a book, of some kind and to decide how I'd like to approach my Monday collages in 2024.  Completed 4 panel concertina 
I hadn’t added any stitching to these end-of-the-month leftover scrap collages until now but this one collage you see below just seemed to need that extra touch.
You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
Week 1 I thought rusted papers sounded like the perfect thing to use for November, of course, with a few bits of turquoise thrown in too.  Week 2 What would I do without the French knot, it's my very favorite polka dot.  Week 3 I've been lucky to have friends who gift me rusty things like the 2 1/4 inch washer that made the large print in the middle of this collage. That's a big washer!  Week 4 Rustic and weathered-looking rusted papers.  Finished 4 panel concertina  Small collages made from the scraps left on my table at the end of the month.
 You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
Week 1  Week 2 I incorporated the seed stitch, which I haven't used on paper in a while. A good reminder to myself that it's a great filler stitch when you have an empty spot that just needs a little something.  Week 3 
 Week 5 It was a joy working with these colors this month. I enjoyed comparing the colors of the collage to what was happening outside during my neighborhood walks and when checking in on the garden as the month progressed.  All 5 panels complete.  I took the same approach as last month when using up the left over paper scraps, I created a Surprise Collage. The best part is seeing what little gems appear once you cut the full sheet into smaller pieces.  |
AuthorHi, I'm Kathy an artist working in the mediums of collage, eco-printing, rust printing, and slow stitching who loves to teach. I enjoy sharing my process and guiding you on your creative journey. Archives
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