How to add collage -cold wax and oil techniques

Collage and Cold Wax Medium

I love adding collage to my cold wax painting. Over the years, I've discovered that I prefer using very thin, almost silk-like paper for collages in my cold wax paintings. This type of paper blends seamlessly into the background and doesn't stand out too much. However, thicker paper can also be used, though I find it challenging to make it stick to the painting's surface.

Adhering your collage element

To incorporate a collage element into my cold wax painting, I add it to the wet paint and cover it with a clear layer of cold wax medium. If the painting is dry, a thin layer of clear cold wax medium can be applied over the surface before adding the collage element.

In this ‘The making of’ You Tube video of ‘The Girl with the golden earring’ (which sold when still wet!) you can see that I applied beautiful collage paper which I found at Dick Buick when I was on holiday in New York.

Enhancing your cold wax paintings with collage

I hope this small video inspires you. It shows that you never have to panic if a painting doesn't work out the way you like, just let it dry, step back, breathe, and start all over. It is all part of the process. All the layers add to the history of the painting and every (failed) painting learns you something new.

Do try out adding collage to your paintings and see how you feel about it. My Moto:

Experiment, Explore and have fun!

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the process, I would love to hear from you!

If you want to learn more about the different cold wax techniques and tools, check out my online class ‘Getting Started with cold wax medium - the Basics’ which covers everything about the tools and techniques and more!