Collage art projects require basic materials including a base, adhesive, and the collage materials that make up the bulk of the piece. There are no set standards on the types of collage materials used in collage art projects, leaving plenty of room for personalization and creativity. Collage materials can include paint, stickers, ribbon, paper tags and shapes, buttons, feathers, keys, old photographs, and any other materials that can be glued to the base.
Patterns are created through the consistent repetition of a design in a single piece project. Regularity is vital to establishing a strong pattern. The less established the boundaries between each repetition, the less noticeable the pattern to the naked eye. Depending on the materials chosen for a collage art project, strong geometric patterns, such as checkerboards, can be used.
The versatility of collage art gives artists a wide array of materials and design techniques to use in achieving the desired results. Using shapes in collage art projects is one way of bringing together these techniques. Geometric shapes, such as circles, triangles, and squares, can be used by all age groups to help simplify design and assembly. Alternating patterns can be created through the repetition of a single shape, while dimensional textures can be achieved through layering of two-dimensional cutouts to give the illusion of a three-dimensional design.
While the use of patterns in assembling collage art projects is important in establishing visual dimensions, texture plays an equally vital role in the perception of shape and patterns. There are several forms of texture to be considered when making a collage art project. Tactile texture, which is the way the surface feels, is created in collage art through the use of three-dimensional objects and textured paper. Visual texture is concerned with the illusion of texture and is present in all materials prior to assembly. However, there are various methods used to help artists seeking to optimize certain aspects of visual texture in collage art projects. For example, using materials with complementary colors and designs can be used to bring harmony to the finished project.