I enjoy the topic of collage, and check out every book I can on it. Having read so many of these, I’m in a good position to point out a good one. And I give this new volume five stars. It helps the reader work on and experiment with the myriad of options in the different components that could be incorporated in collage, without ever suggesting how to put them together. The approach is such a joyful, freeing discovery process, you’ll find you have many ideas of your own after doing only a few of these labs.

There are 52 “labs” here: explorations into various techniques that could be used in a successful work. I’ve recently enjoyed using a few of these in my Box-A-Day art journal. I could see using this book as well in a homeschooling art program for older kids. There are enough fresh ideas here to spark a veteran, while being an approachable guidebook to those who have yet to start on this journey. I like most that it’s approach is completely open ended, like a box of basic Lego bricks. This book offers a collection of building blocks for jump-starting creativity that you can rearrange endlessly.

Hat’s off to my library for buying it. Check it out for a good time…