How to Source the Best Materials for Unique Collage Artworks

I wanted to talk a bit about sourcing materials for your collages. Hunting for materials is about 50% of the work when it comes to the collage making process, and one that we need to fall in love with in order to keep doing what we love. So where do you start? Where do you look? What can you use? And what are some materials you probably shouldn’t use?

We should first start by talking about the intent of the work you want to create. I came across a quote that said: “The worst artworks are the ones that have no purpose” - And I strongly agree with it. Because you see, It is our intent that keeps us artist going, even when we don’t make any sales. So what do you want your collage to say? What do you want to say?

Urban Materials

In my own case, I moved to Cork a few years ago, and this city changed my life in the most positive way. I wanted to give back what it gave me, and so I started using materials found on the streets and in other areas of the city. These materials included discarded movie posters being handed out  by the local cinema, torn posters, torn billboard ads, as well as free magazines and newspapers being handed out by the locals to the public. I’m not saying you should start tearing down and vandalizing billboard ads, but do keep a look because when they renew them they often leave the old ones on the floor.
I also started photographing urban abstract photos I found interesting, which I later on printed to also incorporate in my collages. I’ve created a pack of digital collage assets shot here in Cork that you can download for free via my website, so if you’re interested, do certainly check that out.

If the city you live in resonates with you, I’m sure you can also find most of these materials in it. However, if these materials include a photograph that holds any form of copyright, I wouldn’t use it, and probably neither should you, especially if you have the intention of selling your artworks later on. However, any parts that simply had fonts, colors, shapes, textures, or tears I would gladly use.

Your Camera Roll

We talked earlier about taking urban pictures, and that leads us to the second best place to source materials for your collages: Your very own Camera Roll. In this day and age, everyone is a photographer. With the phone you have in your pocket, you can probably capture almost anything around you. The best part is that you are likely already taking pictures that have personal meaning to you, that highlighted an experience, or captured a moment you want to remember forever. Or maybe your camera roll is just filled with memes, but if it isn’t, you should try to go in there and see what you can salvage to make a collage. In most cases, using your own photos will give more depth and more meaning to the collages you make. It’s free, it’s copyright free, and all you would need to do is print them out to start creating a physical collage.

Local Thrift Stores

Speaking of meaning leads us directly to another area where you can acquire more source material. And that is local thrift stores. Here in Ireland, I recently came across the Irish cancer society thrift stores that use the funds acquired to directly help cancer patients. Since a few of my family members have suffered from cancer, it was great to also have my work serve a good cause, so whenever I needed something specific, like a CD, a cassette, a pair of jeans, or a vinyl to incorporate in my collages, I would get it there at a discount. And after making the artworks, and selling them via my my website, I would go back to their stores to acquire more materials and donate more to their cause. So the more I sell, the more I help. Two birds one stone.

Ebay & FB Marketplace

Thrift stores are almost everywhere, in every city, but what if you’re in a remote area? If you have the time and resources, a good place to do some material hunting would actually be Ebay and the Facebook Marketplace. The great part about these is that you can filter your search to find materials that are within your area and also within your budget and have them delivered directly to you. That’s how I found these beautiful vintage French magazines from the 1930’s that I always enjoy incorporating in my work.

The Facebook Marketplace can also be really interesting because you can find items that people are actually giving away for free, small and large. This could be great for more assemblage works, where you can start adding physical elements into your collages.

Public Domain Websites

If you’re in a remote area, don’t have the budget, but still have an internet connection then public domain websites could be a good route. The images on these websites are copyright free, meaning you can use them in works for commercial purposes or for personal use. So let’s have a quick look at the ones I like to use.

Wikimedia Commons has a boatload of recent and older free to use material. Whether I’m doing a digital composite or an analogue collage, it’s likely the first one I go to in order to find what I’m looking for.

Archive.org is great for vintage photographs, advertisements, and illustrations. However the resolution of the images are not too great, but if you’re working in A4 you should still be fine.

The Library of Congress also has some great material at higher resolution. The have a free to use section on their website where you can hunt for material. I use it all the time.

Pexels is a more recent website with more modern, free to use photographs, I don’t use this that often, but if you’re searching for something specific it can be useful. In the same style you also have the Pixabay Website.

Conclusion

So what can we take from all of this? Maybe you’ll have an idea that hits you like a thunderstorm, and you can create it digitally using public domain imagery. Or maybe you’re like me, and you’ve been collecting all sorts of materials that resonate with you. You store them, and when you need them you can find them somewhere in the mess. If your work has the intent of communicating the importance of creating a more sustainable world, then you’d probably be doing your hunting in thrift stores, garage sales, or junk yards for materials you can recycle into art.

Focus on what you want to say. When you start understanding who you are, the values you hold, and your political stances are set, the path to creating meaningful art becomes increasingly visible. The materials you use should serve your purpose and your intent. It’s fine to make cool stuff, but I've learned from my own experience and mistakes that what is created with intent stands the test of time a lot more. 

Work with what you have. A lot of Art is about compromise. When you have an idea holding an intent, there are high chances you won’t have everything you need to execute this idea, and that’s where you really need to be creative and use what you have at hand, which is in most cases already enough.

In the end, there is no “best” material, there is only what you want to say and express to the world we all live in.