Easy Collage Project for Beginners: Fruits & Veggies
Try this easy collage project for beginners. Cut fruit and veggie shapes from textured paper, glue them down, and paint the background around them.
Been putting off collage? This is a great place to start, slacker!
In this easy collage project for beginners, you’ll sketch a few fruits and veggies, cut them out of textured paper, and paint the background around them. It’s simple, it’s forgiving, and you can make it your own. Theme it however you want. Taco Tuesday works.
What you need
- Handmade collage paper (see how I make it from leftover paint)
- A pencil and sketch paper
- Scissors and glue
- Acrylic paint, including a warm gray and white
- A detail brush
Step 1: Sketch your shapes
Loosely sketch a few fruits and veggies. Keep it simple. Tomatoes, pea pods, and mushrooms are all easy shapes. This is a theme you can swap out for anything.
Step 2: Cut shapes from textured paper
Cut your shapes from collage paper with different textures, marks, and layers. That’s what makes this more interesting than flat color.
Trick: lay the paper right over your sketch and loosely outline the shape. You can mark the ends too if you’re unsure of the size.
Cut a little bigger than the shape. You can always paint negative space around it later, so a slightly big cut is easy to fix and a small one isn’t.
Layer, tear, and experiment. Short, exclusive lessons and full courses on mixed media and collage.
Step 3: Glue and paint the details
Glue your shapes down. Then I use acrylics to add details, like the peas.
Step 4: Paint the background around the shapes
I start with a warm gray for the background. It was a little too dark, so I went back over it with a lighter value. That cleans up the edges and makes the shapes pop.
Finish with a detail brush and a few marks on some of the shapes. You don’t need many.
Make it your own
Pick any theme: fruit, veggies, tacos, flowers. Use whatever paper scraps you have, and keep the details few.
Learn Structure. Paint Loose.
Construct. Deconstruct. Explore. Repeat.
Easy collage project FAQ
What is a good collage project for beginners?
Simple shapes like fruits and veggies. They’re easy to sketch and cut, and the textured paper does a lot of the work.
How do I cut collage shapes the right size?
Lay your paper over your sketch and trace the outline. Cut slightly bigger, then paint around the edges to fix the shape.
What paint should I use for the background?
Acrylic. Start with a warm gray, and go lighter if it feels too dark.
What type of glue do you use?
Mod Podge works great and I prefer Matte variety.
