2 Creative Assignment: Digital Collage

 The first collage I created was through Gimp, which I had never used before, and the second using Canva. Both works reflect aspects of my identity and daily life in fantastical landscapes. Each includes a close-up of one of my works to convey texture and a handmade feel (the blue printed on fabric), representing my creative practice. Flowers appear in unusual depictions because I am a florist and view them as living sculpture, handling them daily. Horses also are featured, as they are a huge part of my life, bring me peace. In the Gimp collage, the horse is an edited etching of mine, while in Canva, it is a photo of my own horse, Beatrice. The black, abstract, shiny form in the works is a close up of top of Beatrice’s back.

I have some Photoshop experience, and Gimp felt similar yet had the advantage of being free. Canva allowed faster creation with its background erase feature. Digital collage offers immense flexibility in its impermanent manipulation allowing for experimentation. The layering possibilities—adjusting opacities, flipping, and changing colors is unique to this medium. I was almost overwhelmed with the possibilities because there were so many options of photos at my fingertips that I could use in unique ways.

Gimp: 

Canva: