Sometimes you’ll want to make a collage but have NO idea what to collage about. A good way to jump start the creation process is by using a prompt! Since we’re artists, I’ve focused on things that can be translated visually, by colors or images or both. Here you’ll find ideas for colors, subject images, and themes to use in your collages in August.
Birthstone Color Palette
The birthstone for August is Peridot. It’s a yellowish green to greenish yellow gem, though the preferred color clarity is more like a grass green. This would be a really great color for backgrounds and accent elements.
Tip: Upload this color palette to Canva’s color palette generator to get the exact hex code you want!
Word Association
Use these as starting points for brainstorming collage subjects or making a mind map.
- End of summer: changing of the seasons; bright summer sun changing to golden autumn sun; grass dying and changing to brown; fall harvest starting, summer harvest ending; end of summer vacations.
- Back to school: start of the new school year; memories of school years in the past; teachers (favorites and hated); school supplies (pencils, erasers, papers); school friends and enemies; being in the classroom.
- Start of the end of the year: last hurrah before the new year; anticipation; last bit of quiet before the rush of winter holidays; finally giving up on New Years resolutions.
Zodiac Signs & Associations
August has two zodiac signs in it: Leo and Virgo. Here are some associations for those two zodiac signs (edited slightly for relevancy): 
Leo
Element: Fire
Ruling Planet: Sun
Spirit Color: Gold
Lucky Gem: Carnelian
Flower: Sunflower & marigold
Virgo
Element: Earth
Ruling Planet: Mercury
Spirit Color: Silver
Lucky Gem: Peridot
Flower: Sunflower & marigold
Remember, you don’t have to be born in August to use either birthstones or Zodiac signs for ideas! They’re just starting off points, to be used for brainstorming colors and image ideas.
August Full Moon Names
Did you know that every full moon has a name? It’s pretty neat! Here’s what The Old Farmer’s Almanac says about full moon names:
The Moon names we use in The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional North American sources passed down through generations.
Note that for Native American names, each Moon name was traditionally applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, the month starting either with the new Moon or full Moon. Additionally, a name for the lunar month might vary each year or between bands or other groups within the same nation.
August’s full moon is the Full Sturgeon Moon, aka Black Cherries Moon, Corn Moon, Flying Up Moon, Harvest Moon, Mountain Shadows Moon, Ricing Moon.
A sturgeon is a type of giant fish– another good visual to pull from (though sturgeon are a little more prehistoric-looking than you might expect).
Holidays and events
NationalToday.com has a complete list of holidays and events throughout August. Here’s some of my favorites:
- Aug. 1: National Friendship Day
- Aug. 3: National Watermelon Day
- Aug. 7: National Lighthouse Day
- Aug. 8: International Cat Day
- Aug. 15: Chant at the Moon Day
- Aug. 20: National Radio Day
- Aug. 24: Pluto Demoted Day
- Aug. 30: National Beach Day
Quotes
Quotes are my favorite way to brainstorm a collage subject. Here’s some quotes about the month of August which I find particularly visually-inspiring:
“August was nearly over – the month of apples and falling stars, the last care-free month for the school children. The days were not hot, but sunny and limpidly clear – the first sign of advancing autumn.” – Victor Nekrasov
“August is that last flicker of fun and heat before everything fades and dies. The final moments of fun before the freeze. In the winter, everything changes.” – Rasmenia Massoud
“August is ripening grain in the fields blowing hot and sunny, the scent of tree-ripened peaches, of hot buttered sweet corn on the cob. Vivid dahlias fling huge tousled blossoms through gardens and joe-pye-weed dusts the meadow purple.” – Jean Hersey
“Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August.” – Denise Levertov
“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” – Sylvia Plath
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