Hello! I’m Wendy Solganik, aka @willa.wanders on Instagram. If this is your first time here on my blog, welcome! I’m pretty excited that you found me and my little corner of the art world.

I’ve done a bazillion kinds of art in my life, and the thing that intrigues me the most today is Mixed Media Collage Art.

I’m such a passionate student of this form of art and I’m obsessed with making and using collage fodder (what the heck is collage fodder?).

I really want to learn everything I can about it. I created an entire online art school called Fodder School where anyone with an interest in Mixed Media Art collage art, handmade books and journaling can come and learn this craft from a variety of incredible instructors, even if you have never made any mixed media art before! At this point, Fodder School is about to enter its fourth year with no intention of slowing down.

If you are looking for a great place to start your mixed media art journey from scratch, can I recommend this $19 course?

In this blog series, I’m going to be introducing you to the instructors that will be joining us in Fodder School as Fodder School 4 instructors. If you want to know all about what Fodder School is, go here.

Our second Fodder School 4/Fodder Challenge 2024 instructor is a returning teacher who has also continuously been a part of the behind the scenes administration of Fodder School since it's inception: Rebecca Chapman!

Rebecca Chapman is a mixed media artist and teacher living on the south coast of the UK. She loves the outdoors and you'll often find her working in her sketchbook at the beach or digging in her allotment garden. Recently, Rebecca has embarked upon a mission to help us all to make more of the photos we have sitting on our phones and get them into our mixed media projects.

She loves sharing her techniques to help you feel more confident about merging your photography and your art, and encourages us all to make time for art, even when life gets hectic! Rebecca enjoys incorporating photos into her collages and exploring different ways of working with them, of which she is going to be sharing some quick and easy techniques with you in this year's Fodder School. If you would like to bring your phone gallery to life with these retro Polaroid frames (pictured below), or are interested in combining the digital world with your traditional art in a fun fodder-filled photo album, keep reading to learn what Rebecca will teach you in Fodder School!

Rebecca has lived in lots of different places. Originally from Yorkshire, she has also lived in Edinburgh, Andalusia, Manchester, and now near Brighton on the South Coast of the UK. "Being near the sea is my dream come true, I love sea swimming (as long as I can touch the bottom...I don't like to be out of my depth!)". Her love for the sea can be clearly seen in her preferred color palette, often pairing a pop of pink or a splash of yellow against a rich, vibrant turquoise.

In the Fodder Challenge, Rebecca will introduce you to the world of physical photo manipulation in her exuberant style. Although she has chosen floral imagery as the base for what she will teach with, she encourages you to use your photos with a subject matter that excites you! This mini project will encourage you to frame your photos and collage fodder in a Polaroid frame, perfect for adding to a scrapbook or gifting to someone in a card. Keep reading for more information about this year's Fodder Challenge and to find out how you can sign up today

Rebecca hopes that her students feel that her teaching is accessible, freeing and inspiring. One tip she would like to share: "When I'm feeling stuck I often take just one type of pen or crayon and just make a whole stash of mark marking papers using just that one tool. It's a great way to get yourself past the creative block and explore ways of making marks that feel like YOU." If you would like to see more of her vivacious art art style, head to her Instagram @rebeccachapmanart, or visit her website rcart.co.uk for more information.

In her Fodder School class, Rebecca will expand upon the techniques you learned in the Fodder Challenge and show you how to make a concertina book: an accordion-style journal that doubles as a photo album. The best part about this project? You probably already have the materials lying around your studio! Using these photos and acrylic paint, Rebecca will walk you through her methods of making prints on unconventional papers, scratching and sanding the surface of your images, and making masks to use on a Gelli plate for further collage fodder. Through the many new techniques you will try alongside her, the concertina journal you will make together is a great way to document your experiments to reference them in future projects while making a book worthy of display! Rebecca would love to introduce you to her practical yet dynamic way of dressing up your photos, so keep reading to learn how you can sign up for Fodder School 4!

If you think that you aren't capable of creating incredible mixed media art like what you see here, you haven't been to Fodder School yet! We make it accessible. We make it effortless. We make it incredibly FUN!

Get all of the information about joining us in Fodder School by clicking this button below:

Want to listen to Rebecca and me discuss Rebecca’s journey with mixed media art? Tune into my podcast, "Show Up or Shut Up."

Currently available for listening on the Willa Wanders website here, or on Apple Podcasts, Amazon and Spotify:

XOXO,
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Where are you on your Mixed Media Art journey? Leave a comment and let us know!