Create Playful Polka Dot Collage Papers

 

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Create the Perfect Addition to Your Collage Paper Pile

As I was finishing up my collage papers for Collage Breakthrough, I had a realization that stopped me in my tracks: I really wanted polka dots.

I hadn’t originally planned a bonus paper for this series, but polka dot collage papers have shown up in my work again and again over the years. They’re simple, playful, and incredibly effective inside a collage, so it felt only right to include them as our final paper before we begin Collage Breakthrough together.

This bonus paper is also one of the easiest to make.

All you need are stencils with small openings (polka dots are my personal favorite), acrylic paint, and papers you already have. I especially love doing this technique over text-based papers, such as old book pages, music sheets, letters, or newspapers, because when paint settles over words, it quietly embeds meaning into the work. Those words matter to me, and I love knowing they’re part of the collage, even if they’re no longer fully readable.

For paint application, there’s not a “right” tool. I use a mix of sponge brushes, makeup brushes, foam brushes, and even regular flat brushes. What matters most is that the paint goes on lightly. A soft pouncing or scrubbing motion keeps the edges of the dots crisp and prevents paint from seeping under the stencil.

What I love most about polka dot papers is their versatility. Because there’s usually a lot of white space left behind, most of these papers naturally read as light-value papers, even when the dots themselves are dark. That makes them incredibly useful for contrast, especially when placed next to medium or dark collage elements.

As I finished this final paper, I added it to my growing stacks of collage papers, a mixture of light, medium, and dark, in both quiet and patterned papers. And suddenly, everything felt complete. Six different types of papers, all working together, ready to be transformed into finished collages.

You don’t need to make six types of papers like I did. You could easily complete all four Collage Breakthrough projects with far fewer. What matters most is having a mix of patterned papers and quiet papers across light, medium, and dark values. Polka dots just happen to be a joyful (and very effective) way to round out that collection.

If you’ve been following along this December, I hope you’ve felt the same sense of anticipation I have. These papers aren’t the end goal, they’re just the beginning.

✨ Join me inside the free New Year’s workshop, Collage Breakthrough, where we’ll use these papers to create four collage projects focused on strong, confident composition. We begin in January, and I would love to create alongside you.

 

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The Supplies to Create These Papers:

Stencils with polka dots
Try this one, or this one, or this one!

Old book pages, music scores and magazines with just prints work great for this

Make up sponge, “tooth brush” looking brush, flat foam sponge, 1″ brush

Acrylic paint using 2 paint colors (watch color video inside Collage Breakthrough)

 

Are you interested in learning more about how to incorporate your collage papers into your art?

Check out my Collage Workshops!