PIGMENT TOKYO carries a wide variety of art materials from basic drawing sets for art beginners to intermediate art supplies for professional artists to explore creativity.

For example, the PIGMENT VIDEO "Carving Signature Seal" is a fun way to gain knowledge and skills, if you purchase a Carving Signature Seal Set along with the video, you will be able to learn how to create the seal while watching it.

Moreover, in FEATURES, we have previously released an article called "Play with Metal Leaf," which is an introduction to the basic knowledge about metal leaf, so even art beginners can learn and enjoy the traditional painting materials and techniques.

For example, with the product called "Leaf Gift Set'' that comes with a pack of various designed metal leaves created by craftsmen from REKISEISHA, you can now explore the beauty of Asian art in any environment without worrying about the metal leaf flakes flying all over the place.

(PIGMENT FEATURES「箔と遊ぶ」より)

The "Leaf Gift Set" was born with the idea of utilizing the scraps of gold and silver leaves applied to Washi papers made by REKISEISHA. Therefore, each set contains different kinds of metal leaf designs and you may even find some surprises in these gift sets!

If you visit our store in Tennoz Isle, you can take a look at the patterns and designs before making a choice.

In this article, we will take the step a little further.

I would like to color some paper and make a collage with them.

Here is the first item I use.

Most transparent watercolors contain gum arabic and dextrin as mediums, and artificial moisturizers such as glycerin, however, ZECCHI uses European traditional medium for its transparent watercolors instead.

As the product name TOSCANA implies, the color palette is reminiscent of the Italian landscapes.

First, I applied these watercolor paints randomly on the paper.

This time, I used a usual drawing paper, but you may use Japanese Washi paper such as Kozo or Gampi paper to create a wider range of textures and drawing expressions.

After the paints are dried, cut the paper into random shapes to make colored parts.

I wanted to create a contrast between the paint bleeding and the randomness of watercolors, so I mainly used a cutter and ruler in this work.

When arranging these colored parts, it will be more interesting to have shapes come with various edges, so don’t be afraid to tear the paper with your hands or cut it with scissors.

The next step is to place the cut-outs on a new sheet of paper to create a composition.

I first drew a square frame on the paper and started making a collage on top of it, but you can also use different materials for the background.

It is interesting to rotate the picture now and then to check the design vertically and horizontally and find the perfect composition you think is beautiful.

And ta-daa! Here is what the final result looks like.

I tried to arrange and find the perfect balance between the sharp lines of the cut-outs and the softness of watercolor blotches together on the paper.

As another option, you can expand the expression of your collage by adding some color index or paint swatches that you can find in hardware stores or a printing office.

The next picture shows how I tried to create a different composition by using the contrast between the flat colors and the watercolors.

In this article, although I did not use any motifs but just abstract shapes, you can also try using cut-out patterns or favorite shapes.

There are many other fun ways to explore the art materials in PIGMENT TOKYO other than creating collages, so always feel free to contact our experts without any hesitation if there’s a technique or method you would like to try!

Translated by Atsumi Okano

PIGMENT TOKYO Art Materials Expert