1. Cut a piece of heavy white paper (construction paper or bristol board, for example) to the size you want your collage to be. You will glue all the other paper onto this support.

2. Tear a few other sheets of heavy white paper into irregularly shaped pieces. Make some pieces big and others smaller. Don't use scissors - the jaggedly torn edges add interest to the collage.

3. Using a paintbrush or your fingers, smear each piece of paper with a different color of paint, in rough, uneven strokes. (Use poster paints or tempera; not watercolors.) Try layering different colors on top of each other but let the bottom layer show through. Mix your colors to make many different shades of each color, so that no two pieces of paper are the same color.

4. Create interesting textures like these (experiment and invent your own tricks!):

* Dip some old lace in paint and stamp it on top of another color.

* Press crumpled plastic wrap or paper towel into wet paint to lift some off.

* Sprinkle salt into very wet paint and see what happens when it dries.

* Scribble with colored pencils over dry paint.

5. Compose your collage by moving the bits of painted papers around on top of the support paper until you like the arrangement. You can use sewing pins or tacks to hold the papers in place.

6. Remove one piece of paper at a time, glue it and press it back in place.

7. Spray or brush clear matte varnish over the collage to protect it.