Whilst deciding on a theme for this week’s blog post, I  looked at my own art practice to see which recurring themes and techniques preside in my work. Language in general is a popular tool for artists that can transform artworks and it is something that consistently pops up in my own artwork, varying in subtlety. I’m going to discuss the ways you can use text in your art and its creative possibilities.

One of my postcard ‘Treescapes’

1) Where can I find good examples of text to collage with?

Once you start looking, you’ll find examples everywhere you go! Newspapers, magazines and books are 3 textbook (excuse the pun!) examples. I often use torn out book pages as the substrate (surface/backing) for my collages. You can also use packaging, labels and leaflets with some interesting fonts and layouts. Some sources such as messages on the backs of vintage postcards and library book insert cards may be harder to come by but make beautiful additions to collages. You can also use recipes (books or handwritten, I personally love the aesthetic of well-loved books with the addition of the owner’s handwritten notes), shopping lists, handwritten notes scrawled on pieces of paper, washi tape with printed fonts and script (perfect for layering and securing other pieces together!)… the list goes on! If you can think of any other sources I’ve missed, you’re welcome to write them in the comments- I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Text resources

Collaged envelope with printed washi tape

2) Handwritten or typed?

Both! Handwritten and typed text come with their own associations, meanings and feelings. It depends on the overall ‘feeling’ you want to convey in a piece. Digital or graphic fonts hold a certain uniformity and formality, handwritten text is free and unexpected. Saying that, isolating a few typed out words and displacing them from their original source can also produce this ‘random array of thoughts’ on a page. Other elements of a piece such as colour and imagery are important to consider and can affect the interpretation of text, particularly with imagery as you are able to ‘caption’ an image or provide hints of a narrative that may not be so obvious to the viewer at first glance.

3) Subtle or bold?

Again, both! Text can play a primary role in a piece or simply complement the other elements. It can be used as a layering tool, adding depth and intrigue to an artwork. Text can blend into the background and become part of an abstract landscape or the words can draw you in, adding focal elements to pieces that lead you to deciphering the message in front of you.

4) Text for aesthetic purposes Pt.1

If you would rather use text for visual purposes only, ‘asemic writing’ is an excellent way to do this. 

“Asemic: using lines and symbols that look like writing, but do not have any meaning: Asemic writing is left to the reader to interpret, almost like the way in which one would deduce meaning from abstract art.” (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

In a nutshell, asemic writing gives the appearance of handwritten text but leaves the squiggles and loops open to interpretation. It is often visually pleasing and mysterious-looking. Here are some examples of this in my own work:

5) Text for aesthetic purposes Pt. 2

Rather than creating your own text, you can use preexisting pages and templates to cut out various shapes and layer them up. Experiment with using black and white text juxtaposed with bright, bold colours:

I hope you’ve found ‘Using Text in Collage’ interesting, I feel like I have only skimmed the surface of this intriguing topic but I hope it leaves you feeling inspired to use text in your own artwork! Also, please feel free to leave your thoughts down below or suggestions for future posts that you’d like to see.

Thank you and happy collaging,

Eve

Bibliography

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Dictionary, [online], 2021. Available from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/asemic [Accessed 27 August 2021].