Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I have started working on small boards to increase spontaneity in my collage work. These two pieces are 12x12 inches. My plan was to use them as studies and give myself permission not to get caught up in the details. I wanted to make them quick and impulsive, utilizing many papers that I might not normally use when trying to create a realistic likeness. I am quite pleased with the result! At the top of the single coffee mug, the bits across are all from an old book photo of a woman in the garden. On the saucer I used a lot of printed materials that I tinted with acrylic glaze before tearing up. On the double cups, I did not try to capture all the details in the cup handles or make the oval of the mouth of the cup symmetrical. Giving myself permission to work fast and in a more impressionistic manner was very freeing and I think you can feel this in the finished pieces.