Collage studio views: small support prep

A gallery gift shop has asked for some original "Poundling" pet collages to display and I'm out of inventory. Here are some images of how I begin the process.I use pre-gessoed 5 x 7 x 1/8" panels. I begin by covering them completely with a patterned background. Here I'm using "pet for sale" want ads and musical scores from books the library has de-acquisitioned. I create the background look by painting generously with acrylic and rubbing much of it away with a rag for a tinted look. I can add layer upon layer until I get the desired effect.All kinds of lids and containers are recycled for mixing paints. Notice the tray repurposed from a recent Whole Foods sushi lunch!The first photo is of the plain boards. I use that giant glass ashtray to hold glue/medium. It's deep, heavy enough that it doesn't move around, and the cigarette indentations hold a brush beautifully!The second image shows the background layers of papers drying after being glued down. The final photo is of the newly tinted backgrounds drying atop random jars in the studio. I'll add photos of the resulting collages in a future post.