Hello again! Welcome to this week’s post where I’ll be talking about paper scraps and what you can do with them. Whether you’ve torn out an image from a magazine or carefully cut out a drawing, chances are you’ll be left with bits of paper with no real use or ‘purpose’. After a creative session I like to gather all of these pieces up and store them in a folder labelled ‘Paper Scraps’. If you’re making things regularly you’ll soon hoard an impressive collection of once discarded pieces of paper into one-of-a-kind treasures!

A small collection of paper scraps

In this post I’m going to delve into 3 different uses I have for my paper scraps. If you’d like to check out the accompanying video I’ve made you can head to my Instagram (@evebaldryart) in the IGTV section. So, let’s get started!

1. Small paper scraps for collage

No paper scrap is too small! I have a dedicated folder for small paper scraps which is about the size of an A5 piece of paper. After a collage session I sweep up all of the paper leftovers scattered over my desk (and likely the floor!) and pop them into my folder. If I’m feeling unsure about what to make one day, I turn to this folder and choose particular shapes/patterns I’m drawn to and make a quick 2-minute collage. It doesn’t matter if it becomes a final piece or simply a way to warm-up and feel inspired again! Bold, brightly coloured paper scraps contrast wonderfully with black and white photographs.

One of my original collages using a found photograph and paper fragments

2. Large paper scraps for collage

This is great if you have lots of large pieces of leftover paper, perhaps from cutting out a single image on a page. Sometimes this negative space (where the image once was, for example, the outline of a figure) can make a striking composition on its own, but if not, you can make your own collaged papers from these larger scraps. Depending on the type/thickness of your paper you can add repeated patterns and abstract shapes in watercolour, crayon, oil pastel, and even acrylic paint. This is a great way to play around and experiment, similar to working in a sketchbook. Once you’ve finished and have allowed them to dry, you can cut out shapes and incorporate them into your new artworks.

Using negative space in collage

Collaged papers

3. Swatches

For the third and final idea you can make swatches with your leftover paper scraps. I’d recommend using plain paper for this and thicker paper if you’re using watercolour. I often make swatches with leftfover watercolour paper from paintings that I would normally discard by cutting them out and saving the unpainted sections. I like to use swatches for testing out paints, practising with new brushes, and trialling colour palettes.

Paint swatches

So there are my 3 uses for paper scraps! Thank you for stopping by! Which idea will you use in your art practice? Feel free to leave a comment down below! Happy collaging,

Eve

Collages on index cards using paper fragments