Collage describes both the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other ephemera are arranged and stuck down onto a supporting surface.
The term collage derives from the French term papiers collés (or découpage), used to describe techniques of pasting paper cut-outs onto various surfaces. It was first used as an artists’ technique in the early twentieth century.
Collage can also include other media such as painting and drawing, and can contain three-dimensional elements. Often it includes found objects like fabric, pebbles and detritus.
Collage is a popular illustration choice for many children's book illustrators and many of the illustrators who use it as a technique would appear in my list of top ten illustrators. Australian picture books feature collage and Jeannie Baker is probably the best-known proponent, so much so that she has published a book about collage. Her website.
• Patricia Mullins Her website here.
• Alice Lindstrom Read about her and see her work here.
Like Jeannie Baker, Lois Ehlert's books all use collage. She has a book about herself and collage, but please look at her books to see just how innovative she is.
The list of American collage illustrators is long and has a very rich history, starting with Eric Carle who painted his own paper to use in collages, Ezra Jack Keats and Leo Lionni whose rabbits and mice are so endearing. I love doing an author study of Leo Lionni with young children because the books have such good themes and messages, but they also include collage that children can replicate.
These three would be on my top ten illustrator's list:
• Melissa Sweet her website
• Steve Jenkins his website
Taking into account that there will be no new books from any of these illustrators, except Melissa Sweet, we do need to look for other illustrators.
See books by Susan L. Roth, Rebecca and Ed Emberley, Ashley Barron, Ellen Stohl Walsh, Carin Berger, Pamela Zagarenski, Christian Robinson, Rachel Isadora, Barbara Reid and Salley Mavor. Barbara Reid uses plasticine, Salley Mavor uses textiles and every now and again you get a book like Stepping Stones which uses stones and books by Hanoch Piven which use everyday items.
Of course there are British illustrators who use collage too. See Lauren Child and Emily Gravett to start with as their multi media illustrations include collage.
Two illustrators I find fascinating but do not have many books by are Sara Fanelli and Manon Gauthier. And of course there will be illustrators that I have missed that you do need to know. My memory probably isn't as reliable as it should be.
