Paper Mosaic Collage Dog Portraits

Hi Everyone! People love their pets, myself included. In this class, I'll take you step by step through the process of making a paper mosaic of your dog. So, what exactly is a "paper mosaic"? Well, we are using small bits of paper to make a larger image. That's a mosaic - made with paper - so... "paper mosaic"!

I'll make two dog portraits during this course. You'll see the creation of a light colored, long haired dog as well as a dark colored, short haired dog. I encourage you to watch all of the videos, even if they don't quite apply to your pet because they are all filled with great tips that may not appear in any other video.

We'll make the mosaic out of a variety of papers. You might like to take the "Preparing Papers for your Art" class so you will have lots of fun papers to pick from, but it is not a prerequisite. You'll need light and dark papers of all colors. Even if you have a white dog, you may end up using all sorts of pastel colors in your portrait! You can simply use magazine papers if you don't want to paint your own.

We need a base upon which we can apply our paper! This lesson shows you some options. You can make your dog portrait any size you like. Mine are going to be 12" x 12". I'd recommend something in that range to get started.

The easiest way to start may be with the Mixed Media paper. You can just tape it down to a firm surface like a board or a piece of stiff cardboard to avoid the curling.

Why do I prefer the board? I just like the solid working surface and the solid final result. It's a personal preference. Any of the options noted in this video are completely valid choices.

SUPPLIES: (The substrate you select depends on what you prefer after viewing the video. Here is my favorite...)

· Ampersand Hardbord (Item #14941-1212 Dick Blick) Comes in many sizes. You could also try the less expensive Hardboard Panel, which is very similar (Item # 14945-1066).

· Golden Gloss Medium for the sealer (Item #00628-1115 Dick Blick)

· Golden Gesso (Item #00628-1175 Dick Blick)

· Foam Brushes

This lesson is all about getting your image onto the board. You'll want to crop and enlarge your photo to be the right size for your substrate. I wanted to do head and shoulders crops of both dogs. I think that really captures their personality. If you decide to do the whole body, the face is so small and it's hard to work with such tiny bits of paper, so I'd recommend doing a head and shoulders shot. You can use any photo editing software you like to enlarge your photo, or you can take it in to a copy shop and they can do it for you. For my 12" x 12" board, I made two copies (a left side and a right side) so I could get all of the features exactly right.

For this lesson, you'll need:

· Digital image of your dog, cropped and printed out to the size you need

· Pencil

· Carbon paper

· Scissors or paper cutter

· Tape

They say eyes are the window into the soul. This lesson shows how you can make some eyes that are full of life. You'll feel like your pup is staring back at you! ;) I am using glossy ModPodge in this course, but if you prefer matte, please use that. There are other brands, too, so substitute as you wish!

For this lesson, you'll need:

· ModPodge (Item # 10047537 Michaels)

· Papers for ripping, cutting, gluing. You can use painted papers from the course "Preparing Papers for your Art" or simply use magazines and other found papers

· Brush - I use CraftSmart brand brushes. They are $8 at Michaels but they don't seem to have them on their website. The bristles are called "taklon" and they are great to use with ModPodge.

· Low lid for holding ModPodge

· Scissors

· Xacto knife

· Cutting mat

Whether or not your dog has medium to long fur or short fur, it's worth it to watch all of the videos in this course. There are a lot of tips that are not necessarily repeated in other lessons. Plus, one day you might like to make an animal with longer fur! :)

Supplies (same for the next few lessons):

· ModPodge (Item # 10047537 Michaels)

· Papers for ripping, cutting, gluing

· Brush - I use CraftSmart brand brushes. They are $8 at Michaels but they don't seem to have them on their website. The bristles are called "taklon" and they are great to use with ModPodge.

· Low lid for holding ModPodge

· Scissors

· Xacto knife

· Cutting mat

Let's get into the long fur! This is a continuation of Part One. Same supply list as previous lesson.

Now let's work on a dog that has short, dark fur with patches of light fur. This lesson is again divided into a Part One and a Part Two and I'd recommend that you watch these even if your dog has light, long fur. There are tips in these lessons that you might like to use!

This is a continuation of Part One. You can add the optional supply item of an acrylic paint pen if you wish. I used a Posca Pen (Item #:PX89789000 at Wet Paint).

Backgrounds are fun! There are so many options! Of course, you can always cover the background in paper, just as you have been doing with the dog. However, I'm showing you two different options here in this course. This lesson shows how to get a lively background using acrylic paints.

Supplies:

· Acrylic paint - brand of your choice

· Paintbrush - nicer quality helps. Pick a size that will fit in the nooks and crannies.

· Cup or palette for paint

Another fun background you might like to try? Metal leafing! You'll learn how in this little lesson.

Supplies:

· Adhesive Size (Item # 10012964 from Michaels)

· Metal Leaf (Item #27012-2050 from Dick Blick)

· Brush for applying adhesive (doesn't have to be a nice brush)

· Nice soft brush for brushing away the extra leafing. I use a badger brush, but they are expensive. Just use a soft brush and you'll be fine.

·Thin Black Sharpie to sign your work

You've made your masterpiece, you've signed it, and now you are ready to varnish! Varnishing helps protect your artwork. If you used a metal leaf, it will also help prevent the leaf from tarnishing. Luckily, varnishing is very easy and gives it a nice, finished look! I used a glossy varnish, but you can use a matte varnish if you prefer.

Supplies:

· Liquitex Gloss Varnish (Item #61670 Jerry's Artarama)

· Foam brush

· Cup for varnish

This article has some ideas for framing if that interests you.

Thank you so much for being a part of this class!

I would like to invite you to join my private Facebook group for students that have taken a class from me. Please post your finished work, your unfinished work, detail shots, a beautiful paper you made, etc... It's a place to be creative, get inspired and learn from others. Search "Art with Bebe - Share Your Work" to join! I can't wait to see you and your work there!

My art Facebook page is at Bebe Keith Designs. You can also find me on Instagram.

I look forward to seeing you again! :)

Music Credit: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/