Markmaking Mondays: From Boring to Bold - a book full of collage fodder

For this week’s Markmaking Monday, I’m transforming the pages of a text-based book into custom collage fodder. It’s the perfect project for those moments when I don’t have the time or headspace for a full artwork but still want to stay creative.
After you turn your ordinary book into pages full of extraordinary collage fodder, here are some free resources to get you started!
✂️CUT IT OUT Free Guide to My Favorite Cutting Tools:
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✂️100 COLLAGE IDEAS - free download:
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[@CollageLab]

Which marks are your favorite? Do you have a favorite unconventional markmaking tool?

[@sherrybarfield8446]

Marvelous idea. Easy to store the papers!

[@CollageLab]

Easy to store, easy to find, and easy to just grab the whole book of interesting fodder!

[@rockfordmel]

OHMYGOSH the root comb?!!! That’s fantastic!!

[@CollageLab]

I’m so pleased with the lines that this tool makes!

[@rockfordmel]

@ well I immediately went online and bought a pack 🤭

[@CollageLab]

Couldn’t resist? It’s a really fun tool! 😜

[@lisafries1715]

Fabulous mark making. Thank you so much.

[@CollageLab]

Thanks so much for watching! ✂️❤️✂️

[@jillcoldwater1673]

Thank you for sharing, the Root bottle attachment cool idea.

[@CollageLab]

I love the marks that it makes!

[@francem9330]

Super, i lots of idea...cool, the one for hair it s super😂😂😂❤❤❤

[@CollageLab]

I love it too! 😂✂️❤️✂️

[@maryjoykenderdine2378]

What is that last tool you used and how can I get it. It was something about dying hair?

[@CollageLab]

It’s a root comb, for applying hair color! You might find them at a beauty supply store. I got mine on Amazon.
www.amazon.com/dp/B09BZL77SM/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_6K14BFTT35R6PE71BAQN?linkCode=ml2&tag=collage-youtube-20

[@KristinLauriKloeppelReadel]

Did you collage your shirt, too?!

[@CollageLab]

I commissioned a local artist to create my Collage-Lab lab coat. ✂️✂️✂️

[@keener57]

Great video. Thanks. You are the sweetest ever. (Any chance you can look into the camera so it feels that you are connecting directly with your followers?). Much love to you ❤

[@CollageLab]

I appreciate your feedback! ✂️❤️✂️ Working on it!

[@sunnyetal1950]

I like your ideas and your energy, but do wish you would stop referring to books that many people find fascinating as “boring.” While I personally am not.interested in trigonometry, I do find French/English dictionaries to be interesting and quite useful. I agree that old textbooks are good for making collage fodder, but just not that other people’s interests are “boring.”

[@CollageLab]

Thanks for your critique! My goal in this exercise is to show how text-heavy books, which may not initially be visually dynamic, can become striking collage fodder with added marks. I personally love text-based books, especially ones with charts, graphs, and lists, as they have a natural graphic appeal. However, for collage artists who gravitate toward vibrant colors, patterns, and imagery, these books might seem 'plain.' This exercise transforms that simplicity into something visually stunning by enhancing the existing design. The results wouldn’t stand out as much if the original pages were already colorful or intricate.

[@fibergoddess1]

👏🏽👏🏽

[@rashone2879]

I hate the word “mark making”. Every artist on TH-cam uses the same cliche language. LINE ART is not markmaking. 3 year old mark the walls with crayons. How about getting your “creative juices” going? Or your “journey”. They all talk the same. Many do lovely art, if they would only not talk so much. It’s distracting.

[@CollageLab]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I understand how certain terms can feel overused or frustrating, especially if you hear them often. For me, 'mark-making' has a personal significance-it’s a concept I embraced after discovering Rae Missigman and her book Play, Create, Explore. She describes herself as a 'maker of marks,' and it really resonated with me as a way to describe the foundational process of creating. Another artist friend of mine, an abstract painter, also sees mark-making as the beginning of every piece she creates. While the language may not work for everyone, it helps me convey the intentionality and joy behind those first creative gestures. I hope the art itself shines through, regardless of the terminology. Thanks again for watching and engaging!