When I do my collage work I begin by thinking about the color palette first. I develop a rough idea of the colors I like then select the combinations of texture and patterns that I think will work well together. I look through my racks of papers painted from other jobs and see if I have something to start with. If not, I’ll paint some papers to get the juices flowing. I play around with the varying textures and patterns considering what needs to communicate clearly so I can make the proper adjustments. The image usually needs to do many things, so I try not to lose track of the criteria for each job.
Then I place varying shapes together for the background, piecing them together like a puzzle. I’ll lightly tape some things down and then glue them when I’m ready to commit. I go back and forth with cutting and gluing, always looking at my sketch to see where my composition needs to go. When I work digitally I have a similar type of selecting and editing process but on the computer it’s much neater to grab different textures and patterns and simply layer them in Photoshop.
Illustrating a story is kind of like following a path, which is the sketch. You travel along, allowing yourself to stop to try a side path, examining what you've found along the way. It's a delicate balance of wandering but still staying on the path. I’ve found that if you give yourself the freedom to explore, the spirit and freshness will come through. This is not to say that every time I work its fun and interesting. Believe me, its not always that romantic. It can be hard to stay on the path, it can be hard to get off the path too. I just try my best to be aware of where I need to go each day.