The Making of a Red Wizard Collage Art Mural

The Red Wizard posing with a mural in Buffalo, NY

The Red Wizard posing with a mural in Buffalo, NY

In this post, I share my collage mural-making process. The style and feel of a collage mural is very dependent on the feel of the source material it is made from. I created a very colorful and electric scene for the family room in my home. Any vibe or theme you can think of is possible when making a collage mural. So long as you have a vision for what type of colors and images you want, anything is possible. Whether it is a baby’s nursery or a barbershop. Also, a collage mural foesn’t have to be one big piece, you can create smaller elements to accent a room. To learn more about my process, please watch the YouTube video below:

Choosing the material you print on is also important. I print my collage murals on UV proof matte vinyl. It is weather-resistant can even be installed outside! You have probably seen cars or trucks that are “wrapped” with a promotional image. This is a similar material. So if this stuff can last on a bakery truck in Buffalo, it will last forever in your home or for several years outside your storefront. Think of it is a massive bumper sticker.

-The Red Wizard

If you would like to learn more or request a quote for a mural for your home or business please fill out the form below!



Art Inspiration: Jen Stark Paper Sculptures

As I plan on blogging more regularly, I will be posting works of artists that inspire me.

Stunning paper sculptures by Jen Stark. Portal-like structures that transition from geometric to organic shapes. There is also a whimsy to them that reminds me of summer camp crafts.

Although Jen Stark is not a collage artist, she is pushing paper crafts to the extreme. Her ‘origin’ story is unique. While studying abroad she couldn’t afford expensive art supplies so she purchased colored construction paper and started to experiment with it. Eventually, Jen Stark made a splash with a massive art installation: she cut up 1 million pieces of paper.

Jen Stark’s paper sculptures are perfect examples of world-class contemporary works of art. Looking at her work a little closer:

The minutia, its repetition and the bold op-art like colors create an almost spiritual experience. Yet the familiar materials (construction paper, unmixed paint, and holographic craft paper) give the work an innocent playfulness. It’s like a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper came alive and started sprouting its own life forms.

-The Red Wizard

How to Collage- Part 1- Where to Find Cheap Source Material for Collage Art

People often ask me where they can find fun and interesting books and magazines to make collages with. We have all seen the same old collages made from fashion mags that are covered in bright skin, lipstick ads, and luxury cars. I don’t find those interesting, but maybe you do.

In this post, I am going to tell you how and where to find some awesome materials to collage with, but first I have a question for you:

Do you have paper ephemera in your home that you have been saving for certain reasons? If you do, why are you saving it? Could those items be more enjoyable if you turned them into art for your wall?

Most likely you have some old books, souvenirs, and photographs sitting in a box somewhere. Its likely that those things could be taken out of storage and turned into some really cool wall art. Now, I am not telling you to cut up your passport, but I’m sure you have some cool family photos or baseball catalogs you could cut and reassemble into something cool and unique. All it takes to turn your old treasures into art is a little guts and some know-how.

This is my first piece of advice for you: Change your mindset about what needs to be “saved”, but also, change your mindset about what you think is “garbage”.

In my opinion, at the very least college materials should be inexpensive. At its very best, collage art is the epitome of upcycling: making treasure out of trash.

Okay, let’s say you don’t have anything at home and you want to go out and buy collage making source materials. I will share with you the handful of places that I like to look, and where you can get the most out of your money.

Before you go shopping let me give you some tips:

  1. Look for old books and magazines that are “dense” with the images that you want. Be sure the books have lots of pictures that are sized and shaped in a way that you can use. What if you find a book that only has a few pictures in it, but you really want them? Read my next tip…

  2. Value the books according to “density”: For example, you might find a book about “space”, but it only has 4 big color photographs. Hmmm… maybe not the best, but if the books are $1, go for it. Conversely, Let’s say that the book is $10 but you know you could really use those images for your project. Then, perhaps $10 is worth it for four big images you need.

  3. Use market haggling skills and buy collections. You will save a lot of money by offering to buy entire stacks and collections of books rather than buying individual pieces. Why buy old National Geographic magazines for $2-3 each when you can offer someone $50 for their entire collection (literally decades of mags) .

  4. Enjoy the hunt. Half the fun of collage is looking for and finding images that interest you. There is no “correct way” to collage. You can literally collage with anything from comic books to cardboard drink coasters. Please keep this in mind, when looking for collage materials, take your time and have fun. Take time flipping through books and magazines at the places I will mention. You might score big (like the time I got a box full of 1970s Heavy Metal Mags for $20) or may go empty-handed.

An old dresser is a great way to organize your collage supplies.

An old dresser is a great way to organize your collage supplies.

Garbage

Thats right. In the warm months when people are cleaning out their homes, you can find FREE collage gold. I don’t rummage through stank garbage cans like a bum, but I will pull over and check out boxes of junk by the curb. I’ve pulled a mint $40 vintage Spiderman comic book out of the garbage. (I also pulled an old dresser to organize my clippings in.)

Flea Markets

Different flea markets have different vibes. Look for antique and garage style style flea markets where people are unloading their basements. Not all cool books, mags, and comics are collage worthy. Steer clear from “collector” prices and look for things like $1 comics and boxes of old magazines. Again, you will always get a better deal when you buy collections. Offer someone $20 for forty $1 comics and see what happens.

Thrift Shops

Most thrift shops have an area with books. Be sure to check the children’s area/ toys as well for picture books. You may not find big collections or anything super niche, but the price is usually right.

Library Sales

Occasionally libraries have sales where they get rid of old books. Often times you can fill a whole brown bag full of books for around $5. I have had some great scores at library sales.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a great place to find free and inexpensive materials. Be sure to look for posts where people are moving and want stuff “out of their house”.

Garage Sales & Estate Sales

I think estate sales are often over priced. Usually books and magazines are cheap. Timing is super important for events like these. If a garage sale is from 10am-4pm, all the good stuff will likley be taken by 11.

Used Book Stores

Usually when I go to a used book store, I plan on spending more money than I would at the other places I mentioned, but there is a plus. Often used book stores are well curated and you may be able to find some really cool stuff all in one trip. Like libraries, used books stores may have a big sale annually.

Start Your collage hunt Today!

Please let me know what you find out there in the comments below! I hope this information is helpful to you! If you don’t know where to start, I recommend some source materials and collage making supplies in my amazon affiliate store.

Thanks so much for reading! I plan on posting more content like this in the future. If you are interested you can sign up for my mailing list!

Get Your FREE Surreal Collage Kit!

This easy to print five-page full-color collage kit is absolutely free. All that is needed to check out is an email address. This is a digital product that you download (PDF) and print at home. Once you have your kit, to make your own collages, all you will need is a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Which you can find on my Amazon affiliate store.

CLICK THE PRODUCT LINK BELOW TO GET YOUR FREE COLLAGE KIT!

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FREE Surreal Collage Kit
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If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating so I can keep it up. Thanks! -Red Wizard

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How to get followers on Tik Tok: Tips for Artists

Here is a screen shot of one of my viral videos. In this article I will explain how I got a ton of followers on Tik Tok.

Here is a screen shot of one of my viral videos. In this article I will explain how I got a ton of followers on Tik Tok.

TikTok is a very fun and fast growing social media app on mobile phones. Tik Tok is a perfect social networking tool for visual artists. However, it may take some experimentation with the platform for you to figure out how to share your art in a video format.

There are lots of different ways to do this, and only you can figure it out. My advice: try videotaping yourself making your artwork in many, many, many, many different ways. That’s what worked for me. Experiment and post like crazy.

Red Wizard art studio.png

Red Wizard’s Studio

I went through a ton of materials as I tried different video making methods.

I was predominately focused on my Instagram account, therefore I was really only making still images with my collage work. I had to try different ways to share my art on Tik Tok. Before I went viral, I was listening to a lot of Gary Vee’s advice. Gary Vee is a social media marketing expert. I downloaded his audiobook as a free-trial through Audible. I listened to Gary’s audiobook, “Crushing It” several times while I was going hard on Tik Tok ( I still am). Something that he said that stuck with me was “ Document, don’t create“. He means a few different things:

  1. Don’t overthink your content, don’t be a perfectionist.

  2. You won’t know what people want to see until you try it.

  3. MOST IMPORTANT: It’s far easier to create a lot of content to share on social media by documenting your process then it is to constantly be creating finished and perfect works of art.

    A month ago, my Tik Tok videos started going viral. (view my Tik Tok Profile here.) Since then I have a handful of videos that have been viewed over a million times and I now have almost 50,000 followers. If you would like to learn more, watch my youtube video below. I explain the meta of Tik Tok and how I may be able to help you get more views.

Collage Supply Store is Fully Operational

Support Red Wizard Collage through out Amazon Affiliate Store.

Support Red Wizard Collage through out Amazon Affiliate Store.

I created a collage art supply store on this site in order to help people find the supplies they often see me using on social media and during my workshops. I recommend and use all of these products. I also included some of my favorite source materials in the store. My supply store is an Amazon affiliate page, so any purchases you make on the page will help support Red Wizard Collage. You can access the store in the main navigation menu or the link below. Check it out! : Collage Supply Store

1.5 Million Views!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past week has been crazy. One of my TikTok videos went viral the Friday after Thanksgiving. As of today, my video has 1.5 million views. I went from 80 followers to almost 12,000 followers in less than a week. I am so grateful to have an audience!! I will post a video to my youtube channel about the experience ASAP. Please give me a follow by clicking the link below, I will be dedicating a lot of exclusive content to my TikTok page.

Red Wizard's TikTok Page

The Buffalonian Crustacean & The Tabernacle

The first Red Wizard film is taking the multiverse by storm.

“The most compelling film since Karate Kid 3. A spiritual journey.” - Robert Ebert

I am excited to announce that I will be hosting regular collage workshops at The Tabernacle in Buffalo. The Tabernacle is as beautiful as it is bizarre. A wonderful and friendly place to get in a surreal mood. Such a hidden treasure! For more info about the workshops I will be hosting there, click here.

Collage Workshop at Liten Buffel Winery

Disclaimer. I am not a writer. Don’t be a grammar Nazi. Thanks!

Lets get right down to it. Liten Buffel makes the best wine in the Niagara Frontier. Most NY wine tastes like flat cream soda with a hint of grape jam.

bleh.

I am not going to pretend to know anything about wine in this post. Try it the wine for yourself. If your favorite wine is the Riesling candy-juice they serve at The World’s Largest Disco, Liten Buffel is probably not for you. If you like the living and austere flavors of natural wine, Liten Buffel is perfect. The wine is light and flavorful. It is not trying to be Californian. If you are on a fermentation kick, and you like the nuance of craft cider, local terroir, and maybe a hint of kombucha this is your beverage.

This Winery holds a special place in my heart. My friend Patrick Vaughn is co-owner of this beautiful place. A few years ago he told me he had been busting his hump for a year building a winery from the ground up. I had not heard much from Pat since high school. Pat was an Army Ranger, and after his service he was employed in Afghanistan for several years. Shortly after our phone call, we began to collaborate.

The custom label for Faucheaux “Fo Sho”

The custom label for Faucheaux “Fo Sho”

I designed a wine label for Liten Buffel, and it is now their most popular wine. This year’s vintage is totally sold out already! The name of the wine is Faucheaux pronounced “Fo Sho”. Needless to say these guys have a sense of humor and style. Faucheaux was also featured in Bon Appetite magazine as well.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the winery to learn how to collage. This was a perfect event. We celebrated craft on so many levels.

If you would like to attend a workshop, find out more here.

Fun Corporate Team Building Activity at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

I conducted a collage workshop at the Helm Experience & Design headquarters . Helm is located at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Innovation Center. We used collage as a simple team building activity.

Helm wanted their team members to discover and learn their company values. Each team member was assigned a different value. We then used hand-cut collage as a way to convey each value. After the workshop each team member presented their collage/ value to the group.

Special thanks to Jonathan & Nicholas of Helm. I never would have imaged that a software company would want to use a collage workshop as a team building exercise. However, I have never worked in such a cool office! I would love to host more team building activities in Buffalo and western New York . If you are interested please give me a shout here.

-The Red Wizard

Daddy's Plants Collab and Collage Workshop

The first ever Red Wizard Collage workshop was hosted by Daddy’s Plants. Daddy’s plants is an awesome new indoor plant store located next to Resurgence Brewery on Niagara Street. Bootleg Bucha and Blackman Cider Co. reside in the same building. They provided some seriously tasty beverages for the workshop. The building emits a sweet and uncanny odor of brew and microorganisms. Daddy’s plants looks like a stylish botanist’s fevered dream. It is such a cool space! Niagara Street is coming back to life, and this place is the living hub.

There are currently 3 types of Red Wizard prints for sale at Daddy’s. Billy arranged his finely curated plants around the prints to create technicolor jungle experience. I also made 3 unique 24 in. x 36 in. large frame prints that I will never print again. They will be available until mid-November. Go check out Daddy’s Plants! I am a terrible writer and I cant begin to explain how charming Billy & Pat are.

I plan on co-hosting more collage workshops at Daddy’s Plants. Be sure to check my events page for any upcoming workshops!

Custom Spotify Album Art for Strange to Look At

october.jpg

About a year ago I decided to dedicate myself to hand-cut collage as my medium. During this time, several musicians have commissioned me to create album art for them. This has been a pleasant surprise. Working with musicians can be a fun way to collaborate. It seems like most musicians need images for their Spotify, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud accounts. I create the collages by hand, then I digitize them to resize them and add text in photoshop.

Recently, Dan Poorman of Strange to Look At, approached me about making an image for their single entitled, “October” . Dan emailed me the lyrics to the new song and a link to their Spotify page. The end result is the image above.

If you need album art for your next project, let me know here.

Red Wizard Collage You Tube Channel! Please follow!

The goal of my You Tube channel is to show everyone my artistic process and share the joy of collage. I will be making DIY and work-process videos. I will share different project ideas and collage techniques. I will also be making educational videos that explain the philosophy behind different art movements. In the future, I hope to interview and discuss art with other artists that I admire. My first video is a quick intro to surrealism and I demonstrate how to make a bizarre Halloween themed collage. Please follow, and I hope you enjoy the content!

Custom Wine Label Design for Liten Buffel's “Faucheaux”

Featured in the April 2019 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. A natural wine created by my good friends at Liten Buffel Winery . The name of this collage is “Awaiting Planetary Consciousness” .

What made the Great Lakes? Likely some incomprehensible catastrophic flood from rapid glacial melt sometime during the ice age. The Niagara region can grow grapes because of some prehistoric cosmic cataclysm. We now reside next to massive puddles, leftover from this unknown event. Our land is a like a massive living tissue covered in tributaries that recycle this water back to these craters of life. Nearly all of our megafauna from the giant mammal epochs are extinct. Which could also indicate a ‘regional’ catastrophic event.

BTW the wine is delicious.