How To Turn Those Old, Useless Magazines Into Sustainable Collage Art

Do you have a pile of old newspapers sitting in your recycling bin? What about a stack of fashion, home decor and fishing magazines taking up that small space between your bookshelf and the wall? Perhaps you also have a junk drawer stuffed with random newsletters that you don’t even remember subscribing to? If you answered yes then the USEPA has a fun and creative solution for you: collage art!

Step 1: Collect your materials. Locate all of your magazines, newspapers and junk mail and move them to your work station. Then, you will need to find scissors and glue (liquid or stick, it’s up to you.) A great substitute for a pair of scissors is an X-Acto knife, but if you don’t have one, don’t fret! Scissors work just fine. Also, if you have any other craft materials like ribbons, stickers or paint, grab those too. Collage art can include any and all mediums!

Step 2: Choose your canvas. If you would like to make sure your artwork is made up of entirely recycled materials, choose a repurposed canvas. Technically, you can build your collage on any surface. You could use a page of one the magazines, a piece of cardboard from a recent delivery package or even a small piece of plywood if you have that kind of thing laying around your home. Maybe you have an old painting that you’re not too fond of anymore; collage over it! Anything can be a canvas, really. 

Step 3: Browse through your magazines, etc., and start snipping. Something catches your eye? Cut it out. It’s as easy as that! There is potential in every image, so don’t think too hard about whether or not you should cut something out. Your technique can be as free-form or as neat as you want, because your art is a reflection of you. If you need some guidance to start you off, try looking for images or graphics with the same color palettes. 

Step 4: Organize your cut-outs. Once you have your cut-outs, it’s time to organize them. This step is technically optional depending on your approach to art. Either way, grouping your cut-outs by color, style and/or thematic potential might be helpful in the actual collaging process.

Step 5: Develop your vision. While observing and inspecting your cut-outs, try to imagine what you could do with them. Maybe you have one cut out of an Olympic diver headed for the water and another cut out of a bowl of soup. Use your imagination! If you can’t think of something just yet, don’t stress. You can also approach collage art as a vision board. Throw together pictures of your favorite things and imagine a future life with them in it. What would that look like? Create it with your cut-outs. 

Step 6: Arrange your collage art. Now that you have an artistic vision or direction, it’s time to arrange the cut-outs and supplemental art materials on your canvas. Truthfully, there is no wrong way to make collage art. See where the images take you and do what feels natural. Trusting your instincts is a crucial part of making any art.

Step 7: Get gluing. Some people prefer to glue as they go, combining steps six and seven. If you are a beginner to collage art, we would advise that you arrange first and glue second. As you become a more seasoned collager, you will naturally evolve your collaging method to what works best for you.

Step 6: Let it dry. Once you are happy with your art, let the glue dry for a couple of hours or so depending on the size of the piece. If you return to your art after it is dry and feel that it’s missing something, add it! If you found mini pom-poms at the bottom of your junk drawer after cleaning out the newsletters, add them! A wonderful part of collage art is that it’s never really finished. 

Collage art, or collaging, is a great way to reuse materials, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to express yourself. Unlike other crafts, collaging requires absolutely no previous artistic ability or trained skill. Any pressures you may feel to not “mess up” your art are immediately lifted once you realize you can just glue something else over your “mistake.” Collaging is also a wonderful activity to do with friends. Ask your friends if they also have useless paper materials taking up space in their home. If they do have similar piles (and they likely will), tell them to bring their magazines and scissors on over to your house to make some collage art!

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 Avery Borum is a senior at Belmont University studying motion pictures editing and public relations. With an artist for a mother, Borum and her siblings were exposed to different art forms, practices and history. Despite this exposure, however, Borum felt that she did not possess the same talents or artistic abilities as her mother and siblings. In search of an art style that fit her strengths, Borum turned to one of her other interests: magazines. With an ever growing magazine collection, Borum began creating collage art with her magazine cut-outs around the age of 11. This is a craft that she continues to do as a form of self-expression and self-care.