Collage probably existed before the invention of paper, certainly long before the technique was thought of as artistic. These are the works one usually learns to create in early collage experimentation. Collage has universal appeal to artists because it lends itself to constant and thorough search and experimentation. New and different ways to combine textures, colors and found object elements can, more than any other art form, be innovative. The versatility and flexibility of collage offers infinite possibilities for the arrangement of elements, unusual images, and imagined meanings not associated with works on canvas or other art forms.
Series works, groups of similar artworks, are very popular among collage artists.
Once a certain feeling is created between materials and their placement within a given field, several similar works can be created at one time. This is very helpful from a number of standpoints. The flow and progression from one work, one placement, from one idea to another is the common thread of all the works within a group or series. This means that while the artist is creating any one of the series, there is a learning and growth process in progress. Also, each individual work stands alone.