Class Description
Ink Blots & Collage: Mixed-Media Illustration
Instructor: Karen Stanton
5 Lessons
Pre-recorded self paced. Initial “live” class dates: July 15-24, 2025
Karen Stanton is a mixed-media teaching artist and a children’s book author and Illustrator from the Bay Area, California. Her work is “messy,” fresh and fun, and she recently won the 2025 #scbwi Portfolio Showcase Gold Award in NYC… a huge honor!
Karen writes:
“When I am beginning a new piece of work, whether it is a commission, work for an art director or a project for myself, I always face some amount of “fear”—fear of disappointing myself or another person. But DON’T WORRY! This class is not a therapy session! It’s just me sharing what helps me to lighten my natural urge to stress about the outcome. Our goal is to step back from control and step toward fun, intuition and acceptance of the process.”
In this class we will use collage (with both found- and handmade materials) to create several mixed-media illustrations. During the first week we’ll make a small series of objects (trees! teacups!) and as our final project we’ll take all of the materials and techniques from Week 1 to create a larger, mixed-media portrait. Your portrait can be of a person, a dog or other animal, or… anything really! The subject is up to you. And then Karen will demonstrate an ink transfer technique she created while trying to replicate the look of Andy Warhol’s early drawings. This is Karen’s signature technique which she uses in most of her work, as it really helps her “embrace the unexpected and lets [her] just have fun.”
We hope you will join us!
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Class Itinerary
Lessons are prerecorded and are available at 1am PT on the following schedule:
Lesson 1 – Tuesday, July 15
Lesson 2 – Wednesday, July 16
Lesson 3 – Friday, July 18
Lesson 4 – Tuesday, July 22
Lesson 5 – Thursday, July 24
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Lesson 1: Gathering and Making Collage Materials
In this lesson, we will gather a collection of collage material from unexpected places and find a place to keep them all together. Then create at least three sheets of your own collage material on plain white printing paper or deli paper using inks and/or acrylic paints.
Lesson 2: Begin Two Smaller Collages
Using a “family” of found and made collage papers, we will begin by cutting out shapes of some recognizable icons (Like birds, teacups, fish, hearts etc…) and creating a collage on good white paper. Make more than one piece so you will feel less attached. I usually make two simultaneously.
Lesson 3: Carving Stamps, Details & Finishing Touches
In this lesson, we’ll carve design and carve our own rubber stamps to add to our collage. We will also use any other drawing or printing techniques to add detail which will complete these simple collages.
Lesson 4: Blotted Line Technique; Begin Larger Piece
Now we will learn and practice the blotted line printing technique I “stole” from young Warhol. You can either start with a photocopy of an image you like to make a drawing or create an original drawing which we will then transfer using an ink blotting technique. Make more than one.
Lesson 5: Finishing Our Larger Pieces
In our final class, we will bring our ink blot prints to life with the same methods we used with our simple collage. You can use any media you like to add color and pattern to the piece, including collage, drawing/marking and rubber stamp printing. Have as much fun as possible!
Karen’s demo piece:
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For a full list of the supplies you will need, see the tab titled “Supplies” located just under the video screen above.