Helen Norman
Demonstration - "Collage"
Tuesday 8th September 2026, 2.00 - 4.00pm in the Pavilion
Helen Norman gave a fascinating and very competent collage demonstration to a good turnout of members. First of all, she explained her approach:
- think about your subject
- do a basic pencil sketch of the main layout
- think about a limited colour scheme; don't try to use every colour
Helen used simple materials: a stiff white card (available from shops like The Range), a small pot of PVA glue with a short flat brush, and a supply of pages torn from widely available magazines - not necessarily all glossy but the print quality should have some resistance to fading or discolouring in bright light.
Helen does not use any paint. She covers a finished original work with glass; no lacquer or protective/sealing spray used before framing. Helen gets prints made from the original for sale - framed, unframed or as cards.
Helen tore the paper into small pieces (typically less than one inch across) because tearing and irregular shapes make the work more interesting. She built up the picture gradually starting with one layer of pieces (often with some narrow white gaps between the pieces to add depth) but later overlapped some pieces to create a partial second layer were the detail or a special effect was needed. This is a slow process because the source of the torn pieces must be carefully selected (colour, texture, any useful relevant printed objects, text size and colour and orientation). This is where the skill and experience counts - and Helen has lots of it!
She used the PVA glue freely both under and on top of torn pieces and always ensured that the piece was flat with no wrinkles and no air bubbles. In the hour and a half available for this demonstration, the picture was not finished. Helen would typically spend a day on a picture of this size and much more on a large work.
Helen used simple materials: a stiff white card (available from shops like The Range), a small pot of PVA glue with a short flat brush, and a supply of pages torn from widely available magazines - not necessarily all glossy but the print quality should have some resistance to fading or discolouring in bright light.
Helen does not use any paint. She covers a finished original work with glass; no lacquer or protective/sealing spray used before framing. Helen gets prints made from the original for sale - framed, unframed or as cards.
Helen tore the paper into small pieces (typically less than one inch across) because tearing and irregular shapes make the work more interesting. She built up the picture gradually starting with one layer of pieces (often with some narrow white gaps between the pieces to add depth) but later overlapped some pieces to create a partial second layer were the detail or a special effect was needed. This is a slow process because the source of the torn pieces must be carefully selected (colour, texture, any useful relevant printed objects, text size and colour and orientation). This is where the skill and experience counts - and Helen has lots of it!
She used the PVA glue freely both under and on top of torn pieces and always ensured that the piece was flat with no wrinkles and no air bubbles. In the hour and a half available for this demonstration, the picture was not finished. Helen would typically spend a day on a picture of this size and much more on a large work.
Some photographs of the demonstration (first gallery) followed by some of Helen's work (second gallery).
