Totally Severe » collage

Miles of Tiles

Sarah — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:18:23 +0000

Hiya.

There are twelve new backgrounds available today. I don’t usually do such big updates, but by adding these latest images I’m hitting a milestone: 300 patterns. I can’t believe I’ve made this many. Admittedly some are pretty crap but I’m talking quantity today, people.

Anyway, here we go again. Click on an image below for the full repeat, or see all 300 here.

Many thanks to all the readers of this blog. I could not have made it this far without the encouragement and feedback I’ve received over the years.

-Sarah

Angsty Collages

Sarah — Thu, 12 May 2011 04:37:48 +0000

I started making collages when I was 16. They were my art project of choice in high school and part of college. I’ve decided to post a few here because they’re kind of interesting looking and they remind me of my angsty teenage years.

Sincerely,
Sarah

May You Live in Interesting Times

Sarah — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:10:34 +0000

Hiya.

Here’s a new wallpaper for you- MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES. I’ve heard it’s an ancient Chinese curse (though no one seems to be able to attribute it to China). This thing took ages to make, and I exhausted all my resources for public domain images.

Also, five new backgrounds. Four of them have a nautical theme. Did you know that the Titanic sank 99 years ago today?

Also I made a background of the cutouts from the wallpaper, since there was some good color to be had.

In my next life I’ll be a minimalist who finds harmony in beige and taupe. They say taupe is very soothing.
-Sarah

I’d look good with $1,000 shoes

Sarah — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:58:33 +0000

Are y’all ready for some shameless self-promotion?
I don’t remember how I first heard about Polyvore, but I’ve been a fan (if not a contributor) for a while. Polyvore allows users to create collages using images pulled from the web, and most users highlight their favorite fashions. I discovered that many of my designs have been turning up there lately. The juxtaposition of my designs with $1,000 heels and an Alexander McQueen scarf is kind of funny in a postmodern way (which is to say not very funny at all).

But there is some serious talent over at Polyvore. Here are a few I picked out:

Untitled by Syddi In Love! featuring crystal jewelry

Patterns from July 09

20. Classic High Heels by raradolly featuring a miss me pump

A few patterns from May 10 and Umbrellas wallpaper

electric feel by misguidedghost. on Polyvore.com

Three patterns: Pink Jungle, Technicolor, and Sunburst

Black and White by Cheerios34567 featuring christmas jewelry

Bad Fortune wallpaper

Something Blue by ♥Couturier [NEW GROUP!!] featuring blue handbags

Patterns from April 10.

But seriously, that that skull pattern is amazing. Gah.

-Sarah

The dizzying stench of minty freshness

Sarah — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:16:43 +0000

Hi again. I’ve added nine new backgrounds.

To make this set I used drippy printer ink, tracing paper, the lace from an old tank-top and all manner of paper scraps lying around the house. I’m getting a little bored with making completely flat-looking designs using software. I’m trying to use a little more texture these days.

I’m not sure if I even like the look of the collage background, but collages are too fun to make. I used to get terribly arty with collages a few years back, doing all sorts of crazy crap to scraps of paper (Cooking oil! Plastic wrap! Dental floss!) with all manner of mixed results.

One thing I do not recommend is Wintergreen oil. The oil is a handy way to transfer images from a photocopy to another piece of paper. I’ve run across a few craft websites that suggest wintergreen transfers are a fun and easy project that will make super cool art that smells like tasty chewing gum. LIARS, I say! It’s not easy, fun, or aromatic. Wintergreen oil is a deadly toxic substance, and so potent in minuscule quantities that cracking every window in the world will never get rid of the dizzying stench. WORST. COLLAGE. EVER.
Now you know.

-Sarah

Squashed Quatchi

Sarah — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:52:02 +0000

Hi there.

First off I want to thank all the fantastic people who have been linking to this site lately. I’ve been getting so much traffic in the past few days that I had to buy some emergency bandwidth transfer (twice!) to keep this site from closing down. Hopefully I should be good until the end of the month, but in case I’m not, then I’ll see you in March!

I’ve added two new wallpapers to the site:

More backgrounds, a new font, and a new embroidery are all in the works and should be added pretty soon. Until then, please enjoy this picture of the Vancouver Olympics mascot Quatchi squashed onto a scanner.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

-Sarah