StretchLearn Course
A materials-grounded path from first cut to a finished, archival, concept-driven body of work
Course Overview
This course teaches collage as a serious fine-art practice rather than a craft pastime. You will work through paper and substrate selection, archival adhesives, transfer methods, acrylic and gel-medium layering, and digital compositing in Photoshop and Procreate. By the end you will have a coherent body of finished pieces, a sourcing-and-archival system, and a critique vocabulary for refining your own work.
Learning Outcomes
Compose collage using grid, focal-point, and notan value structures that read clearly from across a room
Select and apply archival adhesives (PVA, gel medium, wheat paste, matte medium) matched to paper weight and substrate
Prepare rigid and flexible substrates so layered work resists warping, cracking, and lifting over time
Execute image-transfer and texture techniques including gel-medium transfer, solvent transfer, and acrylic skins
Build digital collages in Photoshop and Procreate using layer masks, blend modes, and non-destructive workflow
Develop and critique conceptual mixed-media series using a repeatable sourcing, sketch, and revision system
Curriculum Preview
Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.
Set up a working kit, understand paper and adhesive chemistry, and learn why archival decisions made on day one determine whether a piece survives a decade.
Move from random arrangement to deliberate structure using value, focal points, grids, and the design principles that make a busy surface feel resolved.
Master the physical craft, archival substrate prep, gel-medium layering, image transfers, and the finishing that protects a piece for decades.
Translate collage into Photoshop and Procreate, then build, critique, and sustain a coherent conceptual series and portfolio.
Built for Application
This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.