Class Description
Glue Diligence: A Fresh Approach to Narrative Collage
Instructor: Hollie Chastain
5 Lessons • $59
Class Dates: November 10-19, 2026
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If you’re here, then you’re a paper lover and probably have hoards and drawers and bins of materials that you can’t wait to one day use! But it’s easy to get overwhelmed and most of us tend to “overwork” our collages… so how do we find the perfect combination to make meaningful and elegant pieces?
In this class I will share the methods and techniques I use to balance color, texture, composition and content. We’ll work with all the fun materials and treasures and learn the key to a successful collage practice—editing!
I’ll show you how to start simply, pick and choose materials, and add as you go or stop when needed. By the end of the class you will end up with several narrative pieces on paper and two on wood panels.
I hope you’ll join me!
Hollie
Class Itinerary
The video lessons are pre-recorded and are available at 1amPT on the following schedule:
Lesson 1 – Tuesday, November 10
Lesson 2 – Wednesday, November 11
Lesson 3 – Friday, November 13
Lesson 4 – Tuesday, November 17
Lesson 5 – Thursday, November 19
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Lesson 1 – Sorting Through Treasures
In this first lesson we’ll do some gathering, sorting and cutting of your collage treasures. Specifically, I’ll walk you through my process of choosing and cutting out images of figures that will work well when isolated from their original photographs and placed on a minimal, graphic background. We’ll also choose our acrylic paint color palette so we will be ready to dive into Lesson 2!
Lesson 2 – Starting Simply
Composition is really important when we work in a simple, minimalist way! In Lesson 2 we’ll create three collage compositions and I’ll introduce a special “point system” that I use in my own work to help make my design decisions.
Lesson 3 – Adding Texture
Sometimes you need to leave the surface! In this lesson, I’ll show you how to add textural elements to your pieces without overwhelming the composition through embroidery, mark making and paper scales. We’ll finish our first three collage pieces.
Lesson 4 – Begin Two Wood Panels
In Lesson 4 we’ll begin two larger collages on wood and work with a different adhesive technique: gel medium. We’ll talk about which papers will and won’t work with this technique and use the medium to build a work on a wooden panel, layering as we go.
Lesson 5 – Details and Finish
Lesson 5 is all about the details! Let’s add in all the small lines and details that tie up a composition. We’ll also talk about finishing up surfaces, whatever they might be, and framing.
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For a list of the supplies you will need, see the tab titled “Supplies” located just under the video screen above.
