If you have leftovers from children's crafts, dry branches, leaves and plants, fruits, shells, acorns, fragments of porcelain and glass, this does not mean that they should be thrown away. You are simply not familiar with the Terra technique. Collages made from natural materials will help create a special atmosphere of comfort in the house.

Compositions in the style of "terra" are made in collage technique. Much that is in everyday life perceived as rubbish, there is a place in collages. Objects that seem uninteresting in themselves, being built into the work, become part of a kind of mystery, game, performance, in which they play a significant role. The charm of the terra technique lies in its ambiguity. With its help, you can reproduce the volume, depth, color, play of light and shade, a variety of textures. Much connects the collage "terra" with painting. A coloristic tone is applied to the dried solution. Tone is the main color of the entire composition or any part of it.

Great importance in collages, "terra" is given to texture: the nature of the surface, the method of processing.

For work, you will need a container for mixing the solution, a spray gun for wetting, a spatula, rubber gloves for work, a palette for diluting paints, brushes for applying paint. Paint brushes with artificial bristles of 20, 20, 58 mm in size draw the background, artistic brushes of 2 to 12 sizes prescribe details and small fragments of compositions.

You will also need an awl, wire, paper clips, scissors, pliers. Of course, you will have to use various "garbage", the choice of which will depend on your vision of the picture. It can be dried leaves, scraps of paper, a piece of glass, a shell, a button, a ribbon, a rope. It is even difficult to predict what can be used in a creative impulse.

Collages are usually heavy, so the base should be thick. Of the paints, gouache is most suitable.

Only dry plants can be embedded in the collage. It is impossible to dry under pressure, as plants, leaves lose their shape and volume. Therefore, air dry the plant material. Fancy shapes will even suit you.

Light materials are fastened with a mortar, heavy ones: nuts, cones, chestnuts, acorns - are tied with a thin wire (it is advisable to purchase floral wire).

When composing compositions, experienced artists even use insects. Dried ones, of course. For these purposes, you will need entomological pins. Ordinary needles and pins are not suitable. It is easier to use rag insects in the work.

Beads are used in conjunction, because individual peas will be "lost" in the plot.

Such material as fabric is rich in its expressiveness.

Background technique

The main techniques are scratching, phototage and decalcomania.

Scratching is a way to "translate" the pattern of any surface - wood, metal, textured glass: arbitrarily folded twine, etc. - onto the canvas. Having spread the canvas on top of the object, you need to apply paint on it - and the texture of the material will be printed on the base. The resulting abstract drawing clues about the plot or theme future picture. The artist draws an arbitrary ornament in accordance with his associations.

In a similar way, the technique of decalcomania is used. The paint is poured onto a sheet of paper, covered with a second sheet on top, and then they are separated. Looking at an abstract drawing printed on paper, one can see figures, landscapes, images.

Frottage is another way of imprinting. Paper is applied to the textured surface rubbed with graphite and an imprint is obtained on it, repeating the pattern of the texture. The described background techniques are used in many floral collages. For example, plant materials are glued onto the basis created by the decalcomania method, forming a panel that is harmonious in color.

Otherwise, a background is created in the "terra" collages. As a base, not fabric, paper or glass is used, but a sheet of fairly heavy building material(hardboard, plywood, etc.). A working solution is applied to it. You can apply the solution both with a spatula and with your hands, both in a fairly thick layer and in a thin one.

Distribution Feature additional material in collages "terra" is that it is not glued, not fixed special devices, but "smeared" into the solution, introduced into the background. After that, the excess solution is carefully cleaned and the collage dries.

Basic work techniques

Sculpting technique involves working with the solution itself, creating form-objects by hand, without additional material.

The base solution is plastic, which allows you to create three-dimensional images. Additional portions of the solution are superimposed on the applied base and the intended shape is formed.

When composing different plants are used: leaves, flowers, bark, branches, berries, etc. In terra collages, natural material is not glued to the base, but is fixed with a solution. You need to be very careful when working with natural elements in order to preserve the texture of a leaf or flower, since the solution hides the relief of the material. If you fill them with a solution, the work will become poorer, lose its expressiveness and liveliness. Therefore, they use the indentation technique, which requires special accuracy, thoroughness, and experience.

Interesting patterns, textures, reliefs are easy to create using impression technique. A variety of solid materials are suitable that can be fixed by pressing into the solution: pasta, dry berries, cereals, bones, and beans. Since this material contains moisture or easily absorbs it from a damp base, after drying it easily falls out, leaving a very interesting relief pattern.

Terra collages fit frames with complex relief. At the same time, the baguette should not distract from the work itself, rather it should emphasize the dignity and individuality of the composition.

collage gallery

We touched on only a small part of the basics of making collages using the "terra" technique. But this, at first, is quite enough to evaluate the new technique. Then it's up to you. Try, experiment, search.

Materials needed for work:

(I will list exactly those materials with which I worked, and in brackets I will write what they can be replaced with)

• Grout for tiles (cement, putty, plytonite)
• River sand (any, it is possible with small pebbles)
• PVA glue
• A piece of fiberboard the size of your frame (preferably hardboard or plywood)
• Soil - aerosol
• Spray paint (acrylic or gouache)
• Frame
• Natural materials: thuja and alder cones, palm leaves, horsetail stems, barley groats
• Dishes for solution (preferably disposable)
• plastic spoon
• Spray bottle with water
• Toothpick or thin stick (for pushing in small parts)

The photo just lacks cereal.

You can lay out the main directions of our collage on a sheet of paper or cardboard, so it will be easier to choose the size desired material and "paint" the future picture.

Cut our base to the size of the frame. Then we apply a primer for better adhesion of the solution to the base. Then we insert the base into the frame and outline with a pencil around the perimeter of the frame the part that will be visible.

The base is ready for applying the solution.

Preparing the solution:
1. in equal proportions, mix sand with plytonite (cement, putty), I had about half a glass each, i.e. got a glass. Sand is needed so that the solution does not crack during the drying process. I encountered this in my first work, when I did not add sand.
2. mix PVA glue and water in equal proportions (here the volume should be about half as much as in paragraph 1)
3. gradually pour the diluted glue into the dry mixture until the consistency of thick sour cream. The solution must not spread.
We apply the solution to the prepared base.

We level with a knife or spoon - as it is more convenient for someone. The part that is behind the pencil line is left untouched. Here the solution layer is approximately 5 mm.

Now with a plastic spoon we give a relief corresponding to our composition.

We begin to lay, pressing into the solution, our elements.

In the process of work, you need to make sure that the solution does not dry out; for this, a spray bottle with water should be at hand.

It happens that you accidentally touch the solution and break the entire relief.

In this case, we take a spoon, moisten it in water (required!), And correct our flaws with a wet spoon.

They trimmed it.

Element by element, bump by bump. When I realized that the cones do not hold well, on the underside I plucked the scales a little from them, as if I made the lower part flat (the one that is in the solution).

We simply pour the grits, and slightly smooth the top with a WET spoon.

Here's what happened. Now let it dry overnight.

We apply primer (aerosol). After applying the primer, we see that the bumps were not painted over, with a thin brush of acrylic paint we paint over them. In the photo - two rows are already painted, but one is not.

We paint with paint - spray in the desired color. I used 3 colors: lilac, gold, silver.
Insert into the frame. Ready!

Fragments close-up.

The color plays from a different angle of view ... That is golden.

That is lilac.

What is this alluring and mysterious Terra?

Terra in Latin means earth and everything that is used in the terra technique is of earthly origin - it can be dried flowers, leaves, seeds, insects, shells, dried Marine life, pebbles, etc. Terra compositions are made using collage technique.

Collage in translation from French means "sticking" on the basis of any materials that differ from it in color, shape and texture. The appliqué technique has been used since ancient times, for example, in arts and crafts and even in icon painting. Like reception visual arts, collage appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century. In the art of collage, the author's imagination is absolutely unlimited. Combinations can be used various materials, create any lines and color combinations. If we talk about a floral collage, then this is also the ability to create a flower bouquet.

Much that in everyday life is perceived as rubbish, there is a place in collages. Objects, seemingly uninteresting in themselves, being built into the work, become part of a kind of mystery, game, performance, in which they play a significant role. The charm of the terra technique lies in its ambiguity. With its help, you can reproduce the volume, depth, color, play of light and shade, a variety of textures. Much connects the collage "terra" with painting. In terra collages, texture is of great importance: the nature of the surface, the method of processing.

The collage technique is also interesting in that here everyone can use their own techniques, peculiar only to him, and then unique pictures are born. Working with natural material new technology gives impetus to the creativity of artists. Floral collages organically combine backgrounds made in various techniques(rolling, decalcomania, art paper, gypsum, etc.) with material created by the most best artist- nature: foliage, flowers, tree branches.

When creating a collage using the terra technique, it is not always possible to accurately imagine how everything will end. This is a real creative search, where impeccable artistic taste, bold imagination, compositional and harmonious perception are involved, with the help of which, in the course of arranging, associatively, by touch, a picture is formed.

The use in his work of plant forms created by nature itself with their own unique textures allows the artist to achieve such an effect, which is not always realized in the works of artists working with paints.

Let's talk a little about the technical side of the issue:

What the master may need if he wants to make a creation using the Terra technique:

For work, you will need a container for mixing the solution, a spray gun for wetting, a spatula, rubber gloves for work, a palette for diluting paint and brushes for applying it. Paint brushes with artificial bristles 20, 20, 58 mm in size draw the background, art brushes - from 2 to 12 sizes, prescribe details and small fragments of compositions.

You will also need an awl, wire, paper clips, scissors, pliers. Of course, you will have to use various "garbage", the choice of which will depend on your vision of the picture. It can also be dried flowers, leaves, tree branches, shells, etc. It is even difficult to predict what can be used in a creative impulse.

Collages are usually heavy, so the base should be strong and thick. Of the paints, gouache is most suitable.

Only dry plants can be embedded in the collage. It is impossible to dry under pressure, as plants and leaves lose their shape and volume. Therefore, the plant material is air-dried. The bizarre forms of dried plants will even be to your advantage.

Light materials are fastened with a solution, heavy ones: nuts, cones, chestnuts, acorns - are tied with a thin wire (it is advisable to purchase floral wire) or fastened with glue.

When composing compositions, experienced artists even use insects. Of course, dried. For these purposes, you will need entomological pins. Ordinary needles and pins are not suitable. It is easier to use rag insects in the work. Beads are used in conjunction, as individual peas will be “lost” in the plot. Such material as fabric is rich in its expressiveness.

What is used as a solution, which is mentioned in the text:

Glue (for example, PVA) and paint of the selected color are added to the putty (it is convenient to use gouache as a paint), mixed. If necessary, pebbles, coarse sand, shells can be added to the solution.

Terra background method:

A working solution is applied to the base. You can apply the solution both with a spatula and with your hands, both in a fairly thick layer and in a thin one. The peculiarity of the distribution of additional material in terra collages is that it is not glued, not fixed with special devices, but is “smeared” into the solution, introduced into the background. After that, the excess solution is carefully cleaned, and the collage dries.

The main techniques used in the Terra technique:

Modeling.

The modeling technique involves working with the mortar itself, creating form-objects by hand, without additional material.

The base solution is plastic, which allows you to create three-dimensional images. Additional portions of the solution are superimposed on the applied base and the intended shape is formed.

When compiling compositions, various plants are used: leaves, flowers, bark, branches, berries, etc. In terra collages, natural material is fixed with a solution. You need to be very careful when working with natural elements in order to preserve the texture of a leaf or flower, since the solution hides the relief of the material. For example, the leaves have veins that form a peculiar pattern. If you fill them with a solution, the work will become poorer, lose its expressiveness and liveliness. Using different techniques the application of the solution achieves an impressive volume and depth of the composition, but the material that is embedded in the base solution also has its own relief and volume, which must be preserved. Therefore, they use the indentation technique, which requires special accuracy, thoroughness, and experience.

You can not spread the plants on the surface of the collage. By maintaining the volume of a leaf or bud, by placing the elements of the composition at different angles to the surface, you can achieve a sense of dynamism and authenticity of the picture.

Imprint.

Interesting patterns, textures, reliefs are easy to create using the print technique. Light fragile floral materials are not suitable for this purpose: they break easily. A variety of solid materials that can be fixed by pressing into the solution will work, such as dried berries, cereals, seeds, and beans. Since this material contains moisture or easily absorbs it from a damp base, after drying it easily falls out, leaving a very interesting relief pattern.

Any solid object with a raised pattern will leave an original imprint in solution. The unexpected texture resulting from the impression technique is used both to create the background and for the image. individual items. Using the impression technique, a high degree of realism can be achieved.

Advice. Buckwheat, unlike heavy beans or pasta, can serve not only as a material for imprinting. It is easy to fix in solution. But you can’t paint it: it will fall out at the touch of a brush.

Each genre is more or less lesser degree one technique or another. Modeling is used in works with architectural and landscape motifs, indentation is obligatory when creating still lifes, an imprint allows you to form a background for abstract compositions.

But the mixing of techniques often also produces a wonderful result - the impression of complex unity, depth of design and diversity.

Frames with complex relief are suitable for panels with terra collage. At the same time, the baguette should not distract from the work itself; rather, it must emphasize the merits and individuality of the composition.

This is just a small part of the basics of making collages using the terra technique. I hope this will be enough for you to appreciate the new technique. In the works of our line prerequisite is a combination of two techniques - terra and decoupage, and this further expands the scope for a flight of fancy. Then it's up to you. Try, experiment, search.

For your inspiration, I place a gallery of works in the "Terra" technique (clickable):

Terra Collages:

Works in Terra + decoupage technique:

Most interesting technique in the collage it is terra.
Terra means earth. This broad concept includes works made in the technique of sand, peat, clay, ordinary soil, gypsum, putty and cement, as well as plant materials. All these derivatives are mixed with adhesives.

Materials:
1) The use of sand gives a very unusual effect - graininess in the work. The main requirement for sand is sifting. You can buy ready-made floristic sand or sift the gravel yourself.
2) PVA glue binds the particles of the mixture and the base of the collage.
3) Water-soluble paints - gouache - do not dry very quickly, lose saturation when dried. Acrylic paints dry quickly. Color dyes are the most economical option if you make a lot of collages. You need to buy primary colors (red, yellow, blue, black) and mix them together. Spray paint can be used for express coloring.
4) Peat briquettes for seedlings give a natural look, naturalness. Mix with PVA and water.
5) Clay is soaked with water in advance. You can use terracotta or blue clay. When applied in a thick layer, the clay cracks, this effect can be deliberately created. To prevent cracks, the clay layer is covered with PVA with water. Paint the clay with sprays, paint with cotton swabs or a sponge.
6) Natural gypsum or alabaster.
7) Putty - the most necessary material in a collage. The most recommended putty is MAXI from SADOLINI (in buckets), do not take in tubes and MINI. Decorative plasters from the German company Reibeputz, and Polish ones from Capacol. The particle size is better than 1.5, sometimes 2.5. Be sure to need a base primer, which facilitates adhesion to the base.
8) Hardboard - a wooden base with a mesh grating (scratch the mesh with a nail). Apply PVA glue 9 hours before work, leave to dry. The hardboard will not get very wet and warp. You need to prime any base before work.
9) Plant material - flat-dried dry leaves and flowers, branches and snags, shells and starfish, mesh and other materials. Before work, soak dry materials with water for greater plasticity and flexibility.
10) Water sprayer
11) Bristle brushes for painting a collage, a wide paint brush
12) Spatula
13) Rags

Working Method:
1. Prepare the base surface in advance. For a marine collage - hardboard 50 * 50 cm. Thick hardboard is better than thin.
2. Spray hardboard with water from both sides. Spray constantly during operation.
3. Mix putty and sifted sand (1: 1), PVA glue (3-4 cl.l) and dye. base color should be neither light nor dark.
4. Apply the mass on a wet surface, using a paint brush, smear the mass from the center to the edges. Wipe the edges of the ogralite with a wet rag. The center and edges of the collage may differ in the color of the mass.
5. Place the wet material into the mass, press it in, paint over a little with a brush on top. Put shells and stars on top, also press in, paint over with a mass. Lay the material, observing the law of grouping.
6. Leave the collage to dry or dry the surface with a hair dryer.
7. Determine the direction of light on the collage (you can put a table lamp), draw shadows with a semi-dry bristle brush. With a wide dry brush, apply white on the opposite side from the shadows.

Five homemade gypsum-putty boards are reinforced with cotton fabric, decorated on both sides and connected to each other in a box with a leather cord. Box size 20cmx15cmx15cm.
Materials: building gypsum, water-dispersion putty, black acrylic paint, dark silver, light silver, white, burlap, inflorescences and leaves of astilbe, sedge, chrysanthemum, hydrangea; clematis boxes, hazelnuts, decorative sedge roots, melon seeds, elements of a Vietnamese curtain (probably bamboo), semolina, dragonflies and butterflies (decorative elements on a self-adhesive basis), birds.

(part II).

First my brain boiled!!! Because we had to figure out: how to fasten the boards together? It will not work to glue them, because. they are very thin! I decided that I would tie them with anything! How? I'll think about it later, but in order to tie them later, you need to make holes.
So, first, with a hacksaw, I sawed the boards so that one of them turned out to be the bottom, and the rest - the walls. But since I nevertheless “utilized” the hamster stocks so that there was a minimum of material for further storage, the walls turned out to be of different heights! Well, okay, then I’ll figure out how best to adapt these different sizes! I cut more small squares - like legs for my organizer.
Then I drilled holes one from the other on equal distance: at the bottom around the entire perimeter, at the walls on three sides, stepping back a couple of centimeters from the edge.

Then I glued the burlap on all the boards with PVA glue on both sides, spreading it a little around the edges. When gluing burlap, I tried to push the threads so that they did not obscure the drilled holes.

Further, what will be inside the organizer is decorated on top with butterflies and dragonflies on a self-adhesive, melon seeds and elements from a Vietnamese curtain (probably bamboo).

These elements (rings) were large for me, so I soaked them for a while in warm water, and then braided them raw as I needed, then dried them. I did this spiral like this: I wound a loose and raw "bamboo" on a pencil along its entire length, secured it with threads and dried it. Glued on the Super moment.

I was dragging on with the moment when it would be necessary to start directly TERRA! It was very exciting to start, however!
So, I found time so that no one and nothing would interfere with me, surrounded myself with all sorts of different “tops” and began to be wiser! First, I figured out my drawing on each side and decided where it would be placed. I applied a mixture of putty (1 cup), PVA glue (1/2 cup) and sifted, washed and dried river sand (2 tablespoons) in a not very thick layer to the approximate location of the compositions. At the same time, I rubbed the edge of the stain with a spatula and, as it were, nullified it, so that later the putty would not stand out against the background of the burlap. Further, on the still damp putty, I placed the elements of my compositions and pressed them a little with my fingers so that they were a little buried in the putty. I waited for all this disgrace to dry completely. I was most worried about the hydrangea, it was painfully tender! But nothing, stuck like a native! It even looks like a hydrangea!
Now I had to try the very process of "smearing", as I understood it. On a flat brush (bristle) I picked up a little putty (mixture) and, as it were, painted my “herbariums” on top, ultimately making them look like a single whole with the background, and not separately glued elements. In parallel, she depicted something with all sorts of different ways around the edges of the background so it doesn't look flat and boring. I was satisfied with the intermediate result: all the elements were decently readable, remained convex and, importantly, rigid, as in thin shell! The hydrangea also passed the “smearing” test and remained similar to the hydrangea: so airy. Then I ruined everything, but about this sad moment - very soon!

All this time, I didn’t just create! I painfully thought - how should I connect my future design? I decided that I would connect with linen twine - which means that all this should look in an eco-style - which means that I will smear it with bitumen! Although all my experiments with bitumen ended in complete failure, I still decided to take a chance and went to paint my boards with white acrylic.

Thank God that at least I didn’t paint the inner sides with butterflies, I just fiddled with bitumen at night. She waited for the white acrylic to dry, covered it with acrylic varnish on top, dried it too, and then smeared everything with bitumen, after a couple of hours she walked over the boards with a cloth moistened with white spirit, highlighting the bulges. It turned out to be creepy!!! Dirt of the universe! It turned out the texture of a dirty, sometimes smoked bone, on which some kind of dirty grass stuck! I didn't even take a picture of this mess! In the morning I finished washing off the bitumen, but it had already swum into all the cracks, from which I could no longer pick it out! But most importantly, the airiness in the herbs has gone, they have become thick sticks, and the hydrangea has become some kind of shapeless piece, it’s not clear why! And I had to paint it all with another layer of black paint! What exactly I did in the morning!
Why did I decide to paint with black paint? Because there was no time to reinvent the wheel, and I stomped along the beaten track: on a black background - to lighten from dark silver to white. A kind of imitation silver that has never let me down!
Each board was covered with black acrylic on both sides. Then, with a sponge, I went over it with a slightly dark silver, then, to enhance the relief, I tinted everything with light silver, and the most protruding parts with white acrylic.

I really liked what happened on the inside of the future organizer: the burlap “lay down” beautifully, butterflies with dragonflies.

But from the front, everything looked very rough! As they say: feel the difference! In order to somehow rectify the situation, I had to pick up my favorite contour white color and walk them very thinly both along the “herbariums” and along the edges of the sackcloth - to make everything more elegant! Well, in general: what has grown, then - has grown!!!

Now I had to figure out how to fasten the structure! I went to the store and bought black and white leather cord. The process of threading the cord into holes, which, after many layers of paint, have sooooo decreased in size, is a separate song! I spent more time on it than on the whole decorating process! But the design turned out to be surprisingly strong, and the lace fit in as ordered! Two birds were removed from the hamster stocks, I lightly walked over their feathers with black acrylic so that they match the general range! It was they who delighted my child when I came to him with finished work and with the question: "Well, how?" The child exclaimed: “Cool birds!”. Everything else turned out to be just a background for birds !!! So here it is!!!

For those who are interested, separate description what herbariums were actually made of:
1. Below on the right is a hazel nut, around it there are three boxes of clematis (I learned that they fluff up like cotton over time and become like lumps of cotton wool), astilbe and sedge inflorescences.

2. Astilbe inflorescences, chrysanthemum flower with partially leafed leaves, astilbe leaf.

3. Sedge leaves, astilba inflorescences, a bunch of hydrangeas.

4. Leaves and inflorescences of sedge, tubers of garden sedge, chrysanthemum flower (we managed to save the leaves), astilba inflorescence.

5. This bottom: on the legs - some elements found in a bag with dragonflies, there were 4 of them, but the hand did not rise to throw it away, it was glued for depreciation.