Terra collage with your own hands. Master class with step-by-step photos
Floral collage “Orange mood” using the “terra” technique. Master class with step by step photos.
Tatyana Stepanovna Dymova, labor instructor of the MKU "SRC for minors" of the Tashtagol district, Kemerovo region.
The master class is designed for older children, teachers, parents and simply creative people.
Purpose: for interior decoration, as a gift option for any celebration.
Target: development of creative abilities by creating a collage with your own hands.
Tasks:
1.Teach the basic techniques of working in the “terra” technique.
2.Develop fine motor skills hands and skills in working with natural materials.
3. Cultivate perseverance, accuracy and patience.
Floral collage has such an arsenal expressive means, so many techniques and creative techniques that perhaps no other species has fine arts.
Many people probably have dried flowers, twigs, seeds of various plants, shells and acorns, eggshells and many other little things that at first glance seem unnecessary. Don't rush to throw them away. Try making a collage using the terra technique.
Terra (from Latin terra - earth) The founder is an artist and florist from Germany - Friedhelm Raffel.
Compositions in the “terra” style are made using collage techniques. Much that is perceived as trash in everyday life has a place in collages. The charm of the “terra” technique lies in its ambiguity. With its help you can reproduce volume, depth, color, play of light and shade, and variety of texture. There are many things that connect terra collage with painting. A color tone is applied to the dried solution. Tone is the main color of the entire composition or any part of it.
Collages are usually heavy, so you need to choose a thick base. The most suitable paints are gouache and acrylic paint.
Only dry plants can be included in the collage. You can’t dry it under pressure, as the plants and leaves lose their shape and volume. That's why plant material air dry. Bizarre shapes will even be to your advantage.
Working in this technique, immersing yourself in the solution, laying out simple compositions, it’s as if you turn into a wizard who has control over all the elements.
Materials and tools:
wooden frame,
fiberboard sheet (to fit the frame size),
acrylic putty,
white acrylic paint (you can also use regular paint,
Gouache paints,
glossy varnish,
a patch for mixing the solution,
PVA glue,
brushes,
spatula,
sponge,
leg-split,
dried flowers (at your discretion),
orange peels,
pine nuts (can be replaced with others),
sesal fiber.
Manufacturing process:
1. The fiberboard sheet must be covered with one layer of PVA glue on the rough side. This must be done so that the solution holds well.
2. Let the sheet dry for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, proceed to the next stage.
3. In a tray, mix putty and PVA glue in a 4/1 ratio (for this job, 4 tablespoons of putty and 1 tablespoon of glue were used).
4. The solution should have the consistency of thick sour cream. If you make it too liquid, the sheet will absorb moisture and become deformed.
5. Take a spatula and apply the solution in a chaotic manner onto the sheet.
6. The location of the solution on the sheet depends on what texture you want to achieve (it could be waves, or lines reminiscent of a mountain range...)
7. Circle the place where the sun is located and the lake. Around the lake, use a light touch with a sponge to create an imitation of earth and grass. And now comes the most interesting point– creating the composition itself from dried flowers. Cut the twine and lay out the branches, pressing them into the solution. Place an orange (tangerine) at the top of the sheet.
8. Then attach large and small nuts to the branches. In the lower left corner - dried orange peel. If the solution is not enough for the dried flowers to “drown” in it, you can still add it.
8. Gradually add seeds and fruits of different plants, pressing them into the solution.
Let your imagination run wild!!!
9. Leave the collage to dry for a day.
10. Then mix acrylic and gouache paints the right colors and start painting the background.
11. Gradually color the sky, sun and grass.
12. Let dry and varnish.
Every detail in your collage will sparkle with new colors.
Place the collage in a frame.
Thank you for your attention!
I wish you creative success!!!
Let me tell you about how I make paintings, panels in a collage terra technique. This fascinated me at one time; everything that was at sea, in the forest and at home found its application there.
Therefore, if you have, as you think, all kinds of garbage from branches, leaves, dry grass, shells, pieces of porcelain and other rubbish, and you want to throw it out, don’t rush, you’re just not familiar with the Terra technique. Collages made from natural materials will help create a special atmosphere of comfort in your home.
By the way, your children will be delighted to create magnificent paintings and it will be a kind of therapy, it is calming and inspiring!
Compositions in the “terra” style are made using collage techniques. A color tone is applied to the dried solution. Or we “implant” materials into the raw solution, and when it dries, we apply a background.
Tone is the main color of the entire composition or any part of it.
Great value in collages, “terra” is given to texture: the nature of the surface, the method of processing.
To work, you will need a container for mixing the solution, a spray bottle for wetting, a spatula, rubber gloves for work, a palette or disposable plate for diluting paints, and brushes for applying paint. Painting and art different sizes for writing out details and small fragments of compositions. 
You can apply the solution in different ways with a palette knife, a spatula, a brush, and your hands. Even gloves will have a peculiar pattern.
An awl, wire, paper clips, scissors, and pliers will come in handy. Of course, you will have to use various “garbage”, the choice of which will depend on your vision of the picture. It could be dried leaves, scraps of paper, a piece of glass, a shell, a button, a ribbon, or a string. It’s even difficult to predict what can be used in a creative impulse.
Collages are often heavy, so you need to choose a thick base (plywood, MDF, hardboard). Of the paints, gouache is the most suitable. But I also work with acrylic with great pleasure.
Only dry plants can be included in the collage. You can’t dry it under pressure, as the plants and leaves lose their shape and volume. Therefore, air dry the plant material. Bizarre shapes will even be to your advantage.
Light materials are attached with a solution, heavy materials: nuts, cones, chestnuts, acorns are tied with thin wire (it is advisable to purchase floral wire).
Material such as fabric is rich in its expressiveness. With its help you can create a texture for the future background.
Distribution feature additional material in collages, “terra” is that it is not pasted on or secured with special devices, but is “smeared” into the solution and introduced into the background. After this, the excess solution is carefully removed and the collage dries. 
As a solution, you can use putty diluted with PVA, textural and structural, relief and volumetric pastes.
Basic work techniques
Modeling technique involves working with the solution itself, creating shapes and objects with your hands, without additional material.
The base solution is characterized by plasticity, which allows you to create three-dimensional images. Additional portions of the solution are applied to the applied base and the intended shape is formed. The photo shows my very first terra - on it I sculpted a ship and a chest. In the photo gallery below it is already in finished form. Hangs at home and makes me happy :-)
When composing compositions various plants are used: leaves, flowers, bark, branches, berries, etc. In “terra” collages, natural material is not glued to the base, but is fixed with a solution. You need to work with natural elements very carefully in order to preserve the texture of a leaf or flower, since the solution hides the relief of the material. If you fill them with solution, the work will become poorer and lose its expressiveness and liveliness. Therefore, they use the indentation technique, which requires special care, thoroughness, and experience.
Interesting patterns, textures, reliefs are easy to create using impression technique.
A variety of solid materials that can be fixed by pressing into the solution are suitable: pasta, dry berries, cereals, seeds, and beans. Since this material contains moisture or easily absorbs it from a wet base, after drying it easily falls out, leaving a very interesting relief pattern.
Frames with complex relief are suitable for “terra” collages. At the same time, a baguette should not distract from the work itself; rather, it should emphasize its advantages.
In general, try, create and inspire others with your works! :-) Everyone chooses their own technique, their own shades, colors and styles.
The Terra technique involves the use of all kinds of natural elements: dry plants, cereals, pebbles, shells, sometimes dried insects in combination with natural materials, beads and seed beads. Surprisingly, this technique is quite simple to perform and allows the creator to create works of art using ordinary, sometimes even unsightly, things.
Bottle decor
To work you will need:
- flat glass bottle;
- dried flowers, inflorescences, spikelets, cones;
- napkin with a pattern for decoupage;
- nail polish remover;
- acrylic primer or matte beige water-based paint;
- acrylic paints in bronze and light gold colors;
- wood putty;
- acrylic art varnish;
- fine-grain sandpaper;
- plastic knife;
- tassels;
- sponge;
- satin ribbon.
First you need to remove the labels and wash the bottle.
It is better to dry all plant materials that you plan to use in your work on the windowsill.
The Terra technique involves the use of natural materials, therefore the pattern on the decoupage napkin should support the appropriate theme. In our case, this is a picture of hedgehogs.
Degrease the bottle on all sides with nail polish remover or acetone.
After the bottle has dried, you can begin to prime the product. Using a foam sponge, coat the bottle in one layer of light-colored matte water-based paint and leave to dry. 
At this time, we determine the desired designs for decoupage and cut them out of napkins. The top layer of the napkin must be removed. Images may be different types and size.
When the first layer of primer on the bottle has dried, you need to apply a second layer of paint to the places where the decoupage will be done.
Now, attach a fragment of the napkin to the surface of the bottle and, using a soft brush, carefully cover it with acrylic artistic varnish. On the back side of the bottle, decoupage is performed in the same way, but only after the first side has dried. 
In order to create a denser protective film, apply several more layers of varnish to the glued parts of the napkin.
The edges of the decoupage fragments need to be cleaned with a piece of sandpaper to get rid of small irregularities.
At this stage, the decoupage is finished. Let's start making three-dimensional decor from natural elements.
On free seats Apply wood putty on the surface of the bottle using a plastic knife and level it. Do not make the putty layer too thick, otherwise it may crack when drying. 
Before the putty has hardened, place plant materials on it - flowers, twigs, blades of grass, pressing them well into the mixture. 
Now the craft needs to be left for about a day so that the putty is completely dry.
After drying, the craft will look something like in the photo.
Next, use bronze acrylic paint to paint all the glued plant elements. It is better to take a hard brush with long bristles so that it can reach all the deepest places. 
If necessary, the paint can be applied in two layers, special attention paying attention to the recesses in the putty.
After drying, the bronze-colored craft looks interesting.
But to add volume to plant elements, apply light strokes to them using a foam sponge. acrylic paint light golden hue. Gold should catch only the most protruding parts of the product, thereby shading them. 
At the final stage, coat the bottle with several layers of acrylic varnish.
Shell pendant
To create it you will need: 
- shells of different sizes and shapes;
- plastic ring;
- linen twine;
- fishing line or strong thread;
- beads;
- drill with a thin drill bit;
- glue.
The basis of the pendant will be a plastic ring, which must be tightly wrapped with twine. The ends of the rope must be coated with glue to secure it. 
Use a small piece of twine to make a loop into a loop so you can hang the item.
Using a thin drill, carefully drill two holes in each shell. 
Then string them onto a fishing line and secure with knots and beads. For hanging, 4-5 similar fishing lines with shells of any length will be enough.
Tie the end of each line to a ring.
Create a topiary
If you are just starting to get acquainted with this branch of floristry, it is better to start your acquaintance with the most simple materials and ways to create crafts. One of the most suitable materials is shells.
For topiary you will need:
- a foam cone or ball of the desired size;
- shells of different sizes, colors and shapes;
- gypsum;
- flower pots or other containers;
- various decorative materials;
- glue.
IN in this case You will make a simple applique from shells. All you have to do is stick the shells onto the foam base, starting with the largest shells and filling the space between them with smaller ones.
In the same way, you can create other beautiful shell crafts. To create such balls, additional sand was used, thanks to which the space between the shells will also be filled.
Fill the pots with plaster.
Also, the space between the shells can be filled with threads, stars, beads and other decorative materials.
What is this alluring and mysterious Terra?
Terra translated from Latin means earth and everything that is used in the terra technique is of earthly origin - these can be dried flowers, leaves, seeds, insects, shells, dried sea creatures, pebbles, etc. Compositions using the terra technique are made using collage techniques.
Collage translated from French means “gluing” onto a base any materials that differ from it in color, shape and texture. The appliqué technique has been used since ancient times, for example, in decorative and applied arts and even in icon painting. As a method of fine art, collage appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century. In the art of collage, the author's imagination is absolutely unlimited. Combinations can be used various materials, create any lines and color combinations. If we talk about floral collage, then this is also the ability to create a flower bouquet.
Much that is perceived as trash in everyday life has a place in collages. Objects that seem uninteresting in themselves, when built into the work, become part of a kind of mystery, game, performance in which they are assigned a significant role. The charm of the “terra” technique lies in its ambiguity. With its help you can reproduce volume, depth, color, play of light and shade, and variety of texture. There are many things that connect terra collage with painting. Great importance in “terra” collages is given to texture: the nature of the surface, the method of processing.
The collage technique is also interesting because here everyone can use their own techniques that are unique to them, and then unique paintings are born. Working with natural materials new technology stimulates the creativity of artists. Floral collages organically combine backgrounds made in various techniques(rolling, decalcomania, designer paper, plaster, etc.) with material created by the the best artist- nature: foliage, flowers, tree branches.
When creating a collage using the terra technique, it is not always possible to accurately imagine how it will all end. This is a real creative search, where impeccable artistic taste, bold imagination, compositional and harmonious perception, with the help of which, in the course of the arrangement, a picture is formed associatively, by touch.
The use of plant forms created by nature itself with their own unique textures in their work allows the artist to achieve an effect that is not always realized in the works of artists working with paints.
Let's talk a little about the technical side of the issue:
What a master might need if he wants to make a creation using the Terra technique:
To work, you will need a container for mixing the solution, a spray bottle for wetting, a spatula, rubber gloves for work, a palette for diluting paint and brushes for applying it. Painting brushes with artificial bristles of sizes 20, 20, 58 mm are used to paint the background, artistic brushes from sizes 2 to 12, and details and small fragments of compositions are painted.
You will also need an awl, wire, paper clips, scissors, and pliers. Of course, you will have to use various “garbage”, the choice of which will depend on your vision of the picture. These can be dried flowers, leaves, tree branches, shells, etc. It’s even difficult to predict what can be used in a creative impulse.
Collages are usually heavy, so you need to choose a base that is strong and thick. Of the paints, gouache is the most suitable.
Only dry plants can be included in the collage. You can’t dry it under pressure, as the plants and leaves lose their shape and volume. Therefore, the plant material is air dried. The bizarre shapes of dried plants will even be to your advantage.
Light materials are attached with a solution, heavy materials: nuts, cones, chestnuts, acorns are tied with thin wire (it is advisable to purchase floral wire) or attached with glue.
When composing compositions experienced artists Even insects are used. Dried, of course. For these purposes you will need entomological pins. Regular needles and pins are not suitable. It is easier to use rag insects in your work. Beads are used in a bunch, since individual peas will be “lost” in the plot. Material such as fabric is rich in its expressiveness.
What is used as a solution mentioned in the text:
Add glue (for example, PVA) and paint of the selected color to the putty (it is convenient to use gouache as a paint) and mix. If necessary, you can add pebbles, coarse sand, and shells to the solution.
Method for creating a background using the Terra technique:
The working solution is applied to the base. You can apply the solution either with a spatula or with your hands, either in a fairly thick layer or in a thin one. The peculiarity of the distribution of additional material in “terra” collages is that it is not pasted on or secured with special devices, but is “smeared” into the solution and introduced into the background. After this, the excess solution is carefully cleaned off and the collage dries.
The main techniques used in the Terra technique:
Modeling.
The sculpting technique involves working with the solution itself, creating shapes and objects with your hands, without additional material.
The base solution is characterized by plasticity, which allows you to create three-dimensional images. Additional portions of the solution are applied to the applied base and the intended shape is formed.
When creating compositions, various plants are used: leaves, flowers, bark, branches, berries, etc. In “terra” collages, natural material is fixed using a solution. You need to work with natural elements very carefully in order to preserve the texture of a leaf or flower, since the solution hides the relief of the material. For example, the leaves have veins that form a unique pattern. If you fill them with solution, the work will become poorer and lose its expressiveness and liveliness. Using different techniques By applying the solution, an impressive volume and depth of the composition is achieved, but the material that is built into the base solution also has its own relief and volume that must be preserved. Therefore, they use the indentation technique, which requires special care, thoroughness, and experience.
Plants should not be spread over the surface of the collage. Preserving the volume of a leaf or bud, placing the elements of the composition under different angles to the surface, you can achieve a feeling of dynamism and authenticity of the picture.
Imprint.
Interesting patterns, textures, and reliefs are easy to create using the imprinting technique. Light, fragile floral materials are not suitable for this purpose: they break easily. A variety of solid materials that can be fixed by pressing into the solution are suitable, for example, dry berries, cereals, seeds and beans. Since this material contains moisture or easily absorbs it from a wet base, after drying it easily falls out, leaving a very interesting relief pattern.
Any solid object with a raised pattern will leave an original imprint in the solution. The unexpected texture resulting from the imprinting technique is used both to create a background and to depict individual objects. Using the impression technique you can achieve high degree realism.
Advice. Buckwheat, unlike heavy beans or pasta, can serve not only as a material for imprinting. It is easy to fix in solution. But you can’t paint it: if you touch it with a brush, it will fall out.
Each genre, to a greater or lesser extent, corresponds to one or another technique. Modeling is used in works with architectural and landscape motifs, indentation is mandatory when creating still lifes, and imprinting allows you to form a background for abstract compositions.
But mixing techniques often also produces remarkable results—an impression of complex unity, depth of design, and variety.
For panels with “terra” collage, frames with complex relief are suitable. At the same time, the baguette should not distract from the work itself; rather, it must emphasize the merits and individuality of the composition.
This is just a small part of the basics of making collages using the terra technique. I hope this will be enough for you to appreciate the new technology. In the works of our line prerequisite is a combination of two techniques - terra and decoupage, and this further expands the scope for flight of imagination. Then it's up to you. Try, experiment, search.
For your inspiration, I am posting a gallery of works using the Terra technique (clickable):
Collages using Terra technique:
Works using the Terra + decoupage technique:
The Terra technique is the creation volumetric paintings, which allow in a new way convey the diversity of the surrounding world.
They surprise and delight
The “terra” technique, thanks to which you can create unique, exclusive compositions using natural materials - dry plants, fruits, gravel, shells, feathers, roots, moss, cereals, pasta.
The author of the collage manages to see fragments of a unique world in shards of glass, broken dishes, and dried lemon peels. Generally speaking, collage is omnivorous: almost anything is suitable as a material for it.
You can take a photograph or painting as the basis for a collage composition, but there is no need to copy an existing image - you just need to use it as a hint. A collage artist develops a special perception of the world: for him there are no uninteresting things. Any scrap of paper or piece of fabric can turn into a story, plot, motive for a future composition.
A painting using the “terra” technique can be made on any dense base, for example, hardboard, cardboard, glass or plywood.
Floral materials are secured with glue or wire.
Of course, floral collages will require patience and hard work. But in the end landscapes, still lifes, graphics, abstract paintings, made independently, will become a unique decoration of the apartment and will cause the sincere admiration of your guests.
Master class on how to make roses for panels using the “terra” technique from craftswoman Rina
Here, as usual in my works, I used natural materials. Dry poppy pods, orange roses, tansy flowers, corn cob leaves, grape curls, real rose buds. And my secret flowers are the tails of bell peppers.
I show you a rose. I pierce it with several toothpicks, not deeply, so that it can be easily removed later.
I cut it so that the bottom is flat. Then it’s easy to attach and glue the rosette.
Here you can clearly see how I fasten it.
Here are the finished roses.
One of them took part in a panel using the Terra technique. I dry them in the summer simply in the air, and in the winter on cardboard, on a radiator. Try it!
How to create a panel using the terra technique from Efroska_Elena
First, the prepared leaves and blades of grass were dried in the oven.
And this is a box with already dried “garbage”.
And it all started like this. First I laid it out:
Well, then the fun began. Afraid that I wouldn’t remember the current composition, I photographed it.
I made a background on a piece of plywood with plaster (it was later changed) and began to glue the “garbage” with a brush. I kept looking at the photo...
There is not enough texture in the background...
Add buckwheat and dry!
Painted with gouache and varnish.
Repainted...
I added green to the leaves, light to the lilac seeds and red-brown in places. But the gouache was constantly mixed with the previous layer (no varnish was added). So the “multi-color” is almost not noticeable.
When everything was dry, I brushed over white acrylic with a “dry brush” to highlight the texture.